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This website is an information resource for showerheads. We offer you information on installing showerheads, when to replace showerheads or even solutions for varying water temperatures. Enjoy!
New Video: How to Install a New Showerhead
Learn how to prepare the handheld faucet when installing a new shower head in this free how-to video clip on DIY shower head installation.
What is a Showerhead? How do they work?
Your showerhead is a marvel of engineering that reliably delivers water at a touch of the tap. If you've ever wondered how this miracle of ingenuity works, think about your pipes.
The water pressure in your home is probably between 60 and 80 pounds (PSI), and is running through pipes as small as one-inch. This sustained pressure inside your pipes is what helps water flow uphill in your home, delivering it to your sinks, tubs, toilets, and wherever else it's needed.
Typically, the pipe size of your shower is even smaller, sometimes as much as half the diameter of your other pipes. This creates even more pressure, causing a consistently sustained and forceful flow of water out of your showerhead when it's turned on.
Factors that affect the flow of water out of the head are the diameter of the holes in the head itself, the presence of lime scale, rust, or particulate matter caught in the screen, and the constraints of your water heater. Another factor that can have a big impact on the flow of water out of your showerhead is the presence of a water flow restrictor.
Low flow showerheads incorporate restrictors in order to conserve water and energy. Where ten years ago the average showerhead delivered six to eight gallons per minute (GPM), current low flow showerheads may deliver 2.6 GPM at 80 PSI or less.
A quality showerhead should be able to deliver a good penetrating water spray at either high or low pressure. If you are experiencing low water flow and have ruled out other factors like reduced water pressure coming from the main water line and low volume from your water heater, the culprit may be lime scale buildup on the showerhead that can be removed by disassembling and cleaning it.
On a new low flow showerhead, the restrictor itself may be causing water flow problems, and on some models, restrictor disks can be reversed or removed to increase the flow while still retaining some of the low-flow benefits of the head.