Low water pressure is a problem that unfortunately plagues plenty of homeowners, no matter where in the country they live — homeowners in Naples, of course, are no exception. There are few feelings worse than jumping in the shower only to discover that the water coming from your showerhead doesn’t even have enough pressure to wet your hair. But low water pressure isn’t merely an annoying inconvenience: it can point to larger issues going on with the water system in your home.
So, if you’re a homeowner living in or around the Naples, Florida area and you suspect you’re experiencing low water pressure in your shower, then you’ve come to the right place. The plumbing repair and maintenance professionals at Best Home Services have put their more than 40+ years of experience to work by putting together a list of the top four reasons you may have low water pressure in your shower.
Before we dive too deep into the biggest causes for low water pressure in the shower, though, let’s quickly go over about, exactly, water pressure is. After all, water pressure is one of the easiest things homeowners can take for granted, so it’s worth taking a good look at what water pressure is, where it comes from, and how it works.
What Is Water Pressure And Where Does It Come From?
Water pressure is the force that keeps the water in your home’s pipes flowing along without trouble. It’s what’s created by the weight of a flowing stream of water that is flowing down to a height lower than where it currently is.
Since streams of water naturally tend to flow downhill, a reservoir that can hold a large amount of water is needed to generate water pressure — the total weight of water that a reservoir holds can provide enough pressure to keep water flowing through pipes all the way down to a lower height.
Generally speaking, the water that flows through the pipes in your home comes from a few different places: most often, though, we get our water from reservoirs as well as lakes, streams, groundwater, and rivers. The water that comes from these different sources first flows to water treatment centers and then is pushed on the pressure tanks that you can find at the highest places in your area. Ever seen a water tower near your home? Then you’ve seen the same pressure tanks that water is pumped to after it’s sent to a treatment center.
Now that you know what water pressure is, how it works, and where it comes from, let’s cover the top four reasons you’re likely experiencing low water pressure in your shower. The pros at Best Home Services think it’s worth noting that, while some of the most common causes for low water pressure can be fixed yourself by following DIY repair methods, other problems may require that you contact teams of plumbing professionals like ours to sort things out properly.
1. Your Home’s Water Pressure Regulator Device Is Malfunctioning
First up when it comes to reasons you’re experiencing low water pressure in the shower is your home’s pressure regulator device. If you’ve noticed that your shower head pressure suddenly isn’t quite what it used to be and you aren’t sure why, then it may be worth taking a look at your home’s water pressure regulator.
Your home’s water pressure device, under normal circumstances, is set to keep your home’s water pressure between 45 and 60 pounds per square inch (PSI). When your pressure regulator device starts to malfunction, though, it’s not uncommon for that pressure to dip far below 45 PSI.
When this happens, the team at Best Home Services recommends that you contact trained professionals like us to fix the issue for you — trying to repair your pressure regulator device on your own can, more often than not, lead to more extensive and pretty expensive drain repair issues that you more than likely want to avoid.
2. Your Home’s Water Valves Have Accidentally Turned Off
Another common reason for a sudden drop in the water pressure in your shower head can be that your home’s water valves have accidentally shut off. Abrupt drops in your shower head pressure can happen when your water’s main control valves unexpectedly shut off.
Since you can usually find your main control valves in the water meter box in your home, you can try to locate your valve and set it to “on”. If your main control valves are even slightly set to the “off” position, your water pressure can suddenly drop without you expecting it. The good thing about having an accidental shutoff of your water valves is that, although annoying, you can easily set them back to the “on” position without the help of a team of professionals.
3. You’re Using Your Shower Early In The Morning Or Late At Night
Although it’s a less common reason for low water pressure in the shower, it’s possible that you’re using your shower during peak periods like early in the morning or late at night too frequently. Your shower head’s water pressure can unexpectedly decrease if you’re using it during peak periods, since the water use in your neighborhood during the early morning or night can affect your shower head’s performance.
If you think there’s a chance that you’re using your shower during peak periods like early in the morning or late at night, you can try testing your shower head’s water pressure during other, lower-use periods when the water use in your local area is likely to be a lot lower. If you find that your shower’s water pressure is normal during low-use periods, you can more than likely safely assume that your low water pressure issue is directly attributed to you using your shower during peak periods of peak water use.
4. Your Pipes Are Leaking Or Have Fractured
If you’re still unable to track down the source of your low shower water pressure, then you may have a case of leaking or fractured pipes on your hands. When the pipes in your home are leaking or have become fractured, the water that’s flowing through them can easily escape and won’t be able to make it all the way to your shower head.
Unfortunately, when homeowners are dealing with leaking or fractured pipes, there isn’t much they can do to resolve the issue all on their own. A case of leaky pipes needs to be handled by a team of trained and experienced professionals like those at Best Home Services — attempting to resolve leaking pipes with DIY methods nearly always leads to further damage that can simply cost you more money on repairs down the road.
Still Have Low Water Pressure In Your Shower? Contact Us Today!
If you’re still experiencing low water pressure in your shower, it’s time to contact Naples’s premier team of plumbing professionals: Best Home Services. With more than 40+ years of servicing Naples homeowners, we’re confident that we can get to the bottom of your low water pressure issue, and fast. Call us at (833) 263-3097 to see how we can resolve your low water pressure issues today!
