When house hunting or looking for a flat to rent, there’s one thing almost everyone checks – the water pressure. And when we stay in a hotel, we almost always comment on the shower pressure. Why is that?
For some reason, water pressure has the ability to change our mood. A good shower is invigorating and makes us feel cleaner. Low water pressure makes us impatient and sometimes indicates a lower standard of living or an old home.
Whether any of these things are actually true doesn’t really matter. The point is, we all want good water pressure. There are a few ways you can improve the water pressure of your home.
Have your plumbing checked
Low water pressure may be the result of damage, blockages or leaks in your pipes or plumbing system. Our plumber conduct a thorough maintenance check to see if anything is affecting your water pressure that can be fixed.
Clean or replace your shower head
Over time, your shower head may become blocked with limescale, mineral deposits or other sediment. It may be enough to affect the water flow coming out of the shower head.
Clean the sediment from your water cylinder
Water flow may be affected by debris or sediment around your hot water cylinder. Have your plumber drain the cylinder and flush out the lines.
Check if there is a flow restrictor installed
If you’re using a shower that was installed before you moved in or purchased the home, it is possible that the previous owners or tenants had a water flow restrictor installed to limit the amount of water coming out.
Check for bends or kinks in the lines
If you have a hand-held shower unit, make sure there are no bends in the flow lines. This may seem like an obvious thing to check, but depending on your setup, it may not be easy to spot.
Change your shower head
Sometimes a new shower head is all you need. If you haven’t replaced it in years, start with this. A good shower head can make all the difference.
Check the shut-off valve
When repairs or building work are done, a builder or plumber will sometimes close or shut off the main water valve. When the work is done, they may haphazardly turn it back on without paying attention to whether it’s opened fully. It’s worth checking if the water pressure seems weaker than it used to be.
Look for leaky pipes
If pipes are leaking anywhere, the amount of water making it to the shower may be affected. You want to have this checked out immediately to ensure water damage isn’t occurring in other parts of the house (and to avoid paying for water you’re not using).
Upgrade your hot water heater
If the water pressure of your cold water is better than the hot water pressure, there may be an issue with your hot water heater. You can check yourself to make sure the shut-off valve is open otherwise get in touch with our experts regarding low pressure hot water cylinders and we will do our best to help!
Many older homes have low pressure hot water cylinders. Talk to the team at Sumich Plumbing & Drainage about upgrading to a mains pressure hot water cylinder.
Choose a different shower time
The water pressure in your shower may be affected by other water use in the home. If you shower when someone else is having a shower in another bathroom, doing the washing up in the kitchen, doing a load of laundry, or using the hose in the garden, you’ll probably notice weaker water pressure. Look at the other water use and see if you can find a better shower time.
Once you’ve done as many of these things as is realistically possible for your home, if you’re still looking for better water pressure, give us a call.