Nothing feels better than a good strong blast of warm water from your showerhead on a cool morning. However, when low water pressure transforms the flow from forceful to a limp drizzle, it loses its invigorating affect. Whether it is a showerhead or a faucet, there can be several causes to a decrease in water pressure.
If you’ve replaced older faucets with newer faucets in your home, you may notice a decrease in water pressure. That’s because faucets manufactured since 1994 have been required to include flow inhibitors to meet EPA standards. Faucets made prior to that time period had no flow restrictors.
If you have just moved into a new home or have recently replaced faucets in your home, there may be another reason for low water pressure. Debris and sediment can collect in the water lines during construction or during any shut down of the water flow in your home. Your faucets and showerhead have aerators or filters that may become clogged with that debris and affect the flow of your water.
To remedy this cause of low water pressure, simply remove the aerators from each faucet and clean them out. Do the same for your showerhead. Run the water through the faucets and shower spout, with both cold and hot water turned on, for at least two minutes to clear any additional debris. (You may need to create a temporary shield with a bucket to prevent the water from spraying out of the sinks while running without the aerators in place.) Replace the showerhead and faucet aerators.
If you are not able to determine the cause of your low water pressure yourself, it is time to call in a professional plumber to diagnose the problem.
