I’ve got a weird problem with one of my showers that I hope someone can help me diagnose.
The other day, I noticed the water pressure in the shower was way, way down from where it should be. I figured my wife was watering her plants and running the washing machine and thought nothing of it. Until I took a shower the next day and again, the water pressure was abysmal.
My house is a pier and beam, so I looked under the house fearing another busted pipe. No sign of water anywhere. Looking at the meter, there was a tiny bit of water creeping in, not sure if it is related. Seemed to be far to little to cause the amount of water pressure missing. The toilet and sink near the shower have normal water pressure.
Perhaps a leak between the valve and the shower head, but no sign of any water there either. Could the valve be the problem? Perhaps a chunk of gasket or something became dislodged?
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. While I’ve sweat copper a few times before, replacing the valve (and cutting a big hole in the opposite wall) don’t sound very appealling.
Thanks!
Replies
try taking of just the shower head and see if you get normal flow. The head itself could be limed up.
Taking the shower head off is a good idea. It's easy, and you might find your problem in there.
Are all your pipes copper? How old? Any galvanized pipes?
It's possible that some debris inside the water has clogger a valve or the shower head. I live in an old house with old galvanized pipes. every year or so, I have to take the aerators off all the faucets and clean them because debris has clogged them up so much they aren't running well.
Your problem could be lime buildup in the shower head over time, or maybe a flake or two of rust in the head or valve, or possible some mineral grit that just got washed through the pipes.
Sounds to me like a clog, not a leak.
Reminds me of when we moved into our new house. Tub took FOREVER to fill...so I read the instructions on the Moen single handle faucet, and the first thing it says is: After rough in, before final assembly, blow out the lines to remove any debris.
The control was packed FULL of sawdust and wood chips.....
Taking off the shower head seems like a good start. I'll try that. Given that it happened suddenly but I couldn't find a leak (and all of the other water outlets are fine), I'd lean toward a clog of some sort as well. I just hope it isn't in the valve. I have wanted to replace that valve assembly, though.
Not sure if it matters or not, but one problem with the valve is that you have to pull out on it pretty firmly to get it to open, and after the lowered pressure, it seems a little easier.
The supply pipes are all copper, and to my knowledge are original. The house was built in 1955.
Thanks again for the help.
Ok, so I'm going to take a guess, based on what you said. You are doing the right things to check.
I'll guess that the o-ring in the valve has become disloged and is somewhere it shouldn't be.
This isn't a firm diagnosis, just a guess for fun!
First, make sure there's not a shutoff valve for the shower that's gotten turned accidentally. It may be in a closet behind the shower head.
Next take off the shower head and clean it (soak in vinegar for several hours). While it's off, check the water flow.
If it isn't the shutoff valve or the shower head then probably it's time to rebuild the control. This is usually a fairly straight-forward process of removing the control handle and a packing nut, then pulling out the old "guts" and installing new "guts". Kits (with instructions) for most popular brands are available at any decent hardware store.
Our house didn't have a water softener for the first 8 years, then when I finally installed one, we started having problems with crud getting un-stuck from the pipes and clogging the aerators.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
Thanks for the help everyone. I took the head off and tried another spare one I had and what do you know, worked fine.
So I guess what I didn't originally mention is that I've got one of those handheld spray heads, because I've got a 2 1/2' x 2 1/2' shower. Ok, maybe it's a little bigger than that, but not much. Anyway, it's a cheaper plastic one. While I couldn't tell much by looking at the head that connects to the copper pipe, I soaked it in vinegar and it seems to be doing better. I noticed when taking the connector out of the vinegar that some of the "chrome" paint had come off. This could be because of the vinegar, but it could be what originally happened, I don't know.
Thanks everyone!