Common Shower Head Problems

Nothing is worse than getting ready for the day and finding a problem with your shower or shower head. Luckily, some of these problems can be fixed by yourself without the need for professional help. Depending on the issue with your shower head, you could potentially fix the problem the same day.

Clogged Shower Head

Your bathroom shower head can become clogged just like your shower drain. Usually, this is a result of a build up of calcium or lime scale. These mineral deposits build up over time, accumulating on shower heads. This often clogs the water coming from the shower head causing lower water pressure or even an entire stoppage of water altogether. 

Solution

You can help break down the mineral deposits built up on your bathroom shower head by soaking it in vinegar, or another decalcifying solution or agent. Either remove the bathroom shower head from the shower and soak it in a container, or fill a plastic bag of your choice of decalcifying agent and secure it around your shower head. Let your shower head soak for a few hours before taking it out of the solution. Soaking your shower head will help break down mineral deposits, but won’t fully remove them. You will need to then scrub your bathroom shower head to remove the remaining bits of calcium or limescale. 

Leaky Shower Head

Another common issue for your shower head is it leaking, whether it’s running or not. If this is happening to your bathroom shower head, you can expect that the issue could be with your seals or gaskets in the valve body. If these parts break or become loose over time, water will leak out through any compromised area, further increasing the size of the leak. 

Solution

Taking apart your shower head to repair or replace any of these pieces will be what you need to do to address a leak. If you aren’t already familiar with taking apart a shower head, we recommend calling for professional plumbing help to take care of this for you. 

Low Water Pressure

While you can safely assume most of the time that low water pressure from your shower head is caused by a clog from mineral deposits, there may be other issues that can cause low water pressure as well. 

Mixing Valve

A mixing valve controls how much hot or cold water is sent to the shower head. If you have low water pressure but no mineral buildup on your shower head, you may want to investigate your mixing valve. This may require the assistance of a professional plumber. 

Closed Valve

In addition to your mixing valve, your bathroom shower head will have many other valves along the piping system before the water gets to the shower. If any of these valves are closed or partially closed, it will affect the pressure of the water coming out of the shower head. If you suspect this is the problem with your shower, call for professional plumbing services to help you out. 

Incompatible 

It may sound simple and obvious, but check to make sure your shower head is the right fit for your shower faucet and bathroom. If you’ve recently replaced your shower head and are experiencing low water pressure afterward, you may want to double check that it’s the right size and make. A simple mistake like this can easily be overlooked, but can just as easily be fixed. If you are unsure about the right size of shower head for your bathroom, ask for assistance at your local plumbing or hardware store. 

Plumbing Services with Stack

If you have plumbing problems and don’t know what to do, contact Stack today! We’ve expanded our services to include plumbing as well! Visit our website or call (440) 937-9134 today!