Shower Heads and Water Pressure
Good water pressure is one of the elements of a great shower. So, what impacts water pressure in your home, and how can you insure that you get the best pressure possible? Is your Shower Head responsible for low pressure, and can a Shower Head ever help increase pressure for better water flow?
Low-pressure problems can be hard to pinpoint, but some of the possible explanations are leaking pipes, pipes that have become clogged with scale build-up, or poor plumbing installations where pipes step down in size too quickly or are too small overall. Other causes may be a defective water pressure tank, or low pressure coming in from the street.
While not all of these conditions are within your control, there are measures you can take to improve the water pressure in your home. You can determine if your municipality has a low water pressure problem by talking with your neighbors or city water district.
A plumber can diagnose many of the other conditions mentioned above during a low cost inspection and offer solutions for cleaning or modifying your home's plumbing system. Another way to eliminate low water pressure is with a water booster. The addition of an energy efficient water pressure booster system can eliminate fluctuations at a lower cost than some other types of plumbing repairs.
It's common to blame the Shower Head for poor pressure that is actually caused by endemic or design shortfalls. In fact, the technology in low-flow Shower Heads can sometimes improve low-pressure conditions by optimizing water delivery with less pressure. This results in a much more satisfying shower that uses less water and less energy.
Low water pressure, whether as a result of low system pressure or the low pressure from changes in demand due to multiple simultaneous users, can be annoying, but isn't the result of a faulty or "bad" Shower Head. If you are experiencing low pressure, try exploring some of the areas mentioned here, and consider upgrading your Shower Head to a low-flow, hand-held, or wall mounted system.