Pressurizing hand shower? (Home Depot, buy, live in)

[vasleta]

I live in a town that regulates the water pressure, so the water out of my handheld shower is just a drizzle. Does anyone know of handheld shower brands, or any other tricks to get better pressure?

[Austin97]

first check your pressure at an outside spigot. You can buy a pressure gauge from home depot that will screw onto one of the spigots. Your pressure should be in the 55-65 psi range. Flush a toilet/turn some taps on. The pressure should stay about the same.

If it is not able to stay in that range it is possible that your pressure reducing valve is bad. That valve keeps the pressure constant as you turn on more taps (up to a point).

They last about 10 years or so (if they are the cheap ones) and will cost about 300-500 to replace. They usually are in the ground right after your main water line valve.

What town are you in? If it isnt austin, Im not sure we can really help..

[gpurcell]

There is most likely a flow reducer in the shower assembly that can be removed with a pair of pliers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vE4EaBrJ1I

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by gpurcell

There is most likely a flow reducer in the shower assembly that can be removed with a pair of pliers.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vE4EaBrJ1I

OR a natural 'flow reducer'...when we first moved in, the master shower was incredibly slow while the bath and both sinks ran fine. I removed the shower head to find all manner of sediment inside(caught by the screen), removed that and all was well.

The key is determining the origin of the pressure reduction. If the other outlets in the room function properly, there is likely a problem just with the connections or hose or screen of the handheld. If Teflon tape was part of the installation, it may be partially blocking that connection.