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How to know if a ShowerStore.com shower head is better for low water pressure areas

This icon means the product is recommended for low water flow areas. In some installations, you just do not have strong water pressure. If your house's water supply is from a well, for instance, nothing you can do short of installing a booster pump will increase you water pressure. For those situations, we recommend the shower heads and hand held shower heads with this symbol. Find out more about shower heads and hand held showers that are good for low pressure areas>>

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How to know if you have good water pressure

If you doubt if your shower supply pipe has enough water pressure to power a good flow of water though a shower head, the easiest thing to do is to take the shower head off the supply pipe and turn on the water. Is there a lot of water running out of the shower head supply pipe or is it just minimal? What about water outlets in other parts of the house, like your garden hose?

• If you cannot get a strong flow of water out of your garden hose, chances are your house does not have a lot of water pressure.
• If you can get a strong flow of water out of your garden hose – but you are not getting a lot out of your shower supply pipe, then the plumbing in your shower may be corroded on the inside, your shower valve may need servicing, or something else in the plumbing is restricting water flow.
• If you turn the water on and there's a strong rush of water and then it dies, you have good water pressure, but there's probably a restricted valve somewhere upstream.

A more accurate way of telling how much water pressure your house has is to buy a water pressure gauge from a local hardware or plumbing supply store. Anything above 40 PSI is OK, 80 PSI is generally a maximum for household water pressure.

A cheaper way of telling if you have good water pressure in your house is to get a five-gallon bucket and fill it with your garden hose or shower supply pipe (without the shower head installed). If the bucket fills up in 15 seconds, you've got great water pressure. If it takes about a minute, the pressure is OK and can power most shower heads and hand showers with or without a flow restrictor. If it takes more than two minutes, you have low water pressure. Find out more about shower heads and hand held showers that are good for low pressure areas>>

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How to increase water pressure through a shower head or hand held shower

There are two things you can do to help increase the water pressure through your shower head or hand held shower head. The first is to clean a clogged screen at the inlet of the shower head or hand held shower head set's handle. The second is to remove the shower head or hand held shower flow restrictor.

First, turn the shower on, rotate the spray selector all the way to the left, and then to the right, and then move it to the center position. Turn the shower on for two seconds and then off again.

Clean The Screen

To clean a clogged shower head screen at the inlet of the shower head or hand held shower head, remove the shower head from the shower arm supply pipe or the hand held shower head from the hand held shower hose. If you cannot remove the shower head by hand, use a rag and a wrench – the rag will help protect your shower head's finish.

Not all shower heads and hand held shower heads have a screen. If the shower head has a screen, it's located at the inlet of the shower head. If the hand held shower head has a screen, it's located at the inlet of the hand held shower head's handle. Remove the screen and clean it under running water so there is no sediment.

Depending on the model of shower head or hand held shower head, you may need to remove the gasket, which is a small, black, donut-shaped piece of rubber in the shower head inlet. Use a long skinny tool like a slotted screwdriver to carefully pull the gasket from the shower head inlet. Remove the gasket carefully so you do not damage the shower head threads. Also be careful not to tear the gasket. If you do tear it, don't reuse it. When you reinstall the shower head, use Teflon tape instead.

*Screens come in all shapes and sizes. The screen in your shower head or hand held shower head may not look like the ones above. Please check package for instructions or contact the manufacturer with any additional questions you may have regarding screen removal and cleaning.

Remove the Flow Restrictor

All shower heads and hand held shower head sets sold in the United States contain a flow restrictor, also known as a flow controller, as required by the National Energy Act that limit water flow to 2.5 gallons per minute. This helps save water and energy, which could help you save money on your utility bill. Removing the shower head or hand held shower flow restrictor will increase your water and energy consumption. It will also increase the amount of water flowing through your shower head or hand held shower head for increased water pressure through your shower head or hand held shower.

To remove the flow restrictor, remove the shower head from the shower arm supply pipe or the hand held shower head from the hand held shower hose. If you cannot remove the shower head by hand, use a rag and a wrench – the rag will help protect your shower head's finish.

Depending on the model, you may need to remove the gasket, which is a small, black, donut-shaped piece of rubber in the shower head inlet or hand held shower's handle. Use a long skinny tool like a slotted screwdriver to carefully pull the gasket from the shower head inlet. Remove the gasket carefully so you do not damage the shower head threads. Also be careful not to tear the gasket. If you do tear it, don't reuse it. When you reinstall the shower head, use Teflon tape instead.

The flow restrictor is the piece of plastic at the inlet of the shower head or hand held shower head's handle. Sometimes it's pink and behind a star-shaped piece of metal. sometimes it's green. Other manufacturers make theirs white. Whatever the color, remove these pieces by using a long, thin tool like a slotted screwdriver. Catch an edge of the flow controller or restrictor with the corner of the screwdriver and give the piece a twist with your wrist. The flow restrictor will pop out of the shower head or hand held shower.

If you live in an area of low water pressure, removing the flow restrictor will not substantially change the pressure you get through the shower head or hand held shower head. Check our section on "shower heads and hand held showers that are good for low pressure areas."

Remember, by removing the flow restrictor your utility bill may increase. You will also be using more of our natural resources. Keep the restrictor handy in case your want to re-install in your shower head or hand held shower in the future.

*For most shower heads and hand held showers, remove screen to access flow restrictor (see above)

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Shower Heads and hand held showers that are good for low pressure areas

If you live in an area of low water pressure, look for a single-function shower head or hand held shower head. These often have the word "rain" or "water saver" in their name.

Single-function shower heads and hand held shower heads are simpler on the inside, so there is less restriction to water flow. Multiple function shower heads and hand held shower heads like those with massage and aeration sprays require more water pressure to work properly, so if you don't have good water pressure in your house, don't spend the money on extra shower spray settings.

If you do have good water pressure, but you are not getting enough flow through your shower head or hand held shower, check out the section above, "How to increase water pressure through a shower head or hand held shower."

These are some of the shower heads that are good for low pressure areas carried by ShowerStore.com:

Tempest High Water Pressure Shower Head by Interbath Model KF010WW in White		4 inch Brass Rainmaker Shower Head by Ondine Model CY049CH in Chrome		Brass Watersaver High Water Pressure Shower Head by Interbath Model B28458 in Chrome		Tempest High Water Pressure Shower Head by Interbath Model KF010WW in White		Anystream 4-Jet Shower Head by Speakman Model S-2253-AF-BB in Brass

Look for this icon to find out which shower heads and hand held shower heads are recommended for maximizing water pressure in low water flow environments.

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