mrs.cos Posted December 2, 2013 Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 Scenario. When we moved into this house 10 years ago, i noticed the water pressure in our master bath was not great. It also had a low flow head on it, so i attributed it to that. Eventually, i replaced it with a regular super awesome head and just deemed it not good enough pressure for me, so i switched to our hall way bathroom (on same floor). Fast forward many moons.. I was doing some work in my bathroom so i went to take a shower in his bathroom and thought something has to be wrong, the batter is barely arcing out of the shower head. I turned the faucets all the way up and it seemed almost usable. I decided to keep an eye on this and finally told nathan to stop using his shower and just use mine. I took the head off the shower and if i turn on the water, it comes out but just barely; just barely enough to wash your hands. The flow in the of the house is fine. The water in the bathroom directly behind it (what we have used for 2 years now) has no issues. We are on city water, and we have a Tri-Level. There is no pump to push water upstairs (that im aware of). We do have some serious lime issues due to living basically on top of a quarry, but this doesn't seem to be that (i don't think) I have yet to call in a plumber as im afraid they will want to rip out our shower enclosure in there and cost me a million dollars. So this leads me into what should i try before i decide to rip out the enclosure myself and see wth is going on. I have a plumbing snake if that helps at all, but im not sure it would do any good at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbs3000 Posted December 2, 2013 Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 What are the sink and toilet in that bathroom like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.cos Posted December 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 Normal - no issues with either of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig71188 Posted December 2, 2013 Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 Turn off water, take control head apart, look for dirt/obstructions. If it is lime build up, soak internals in CLR. If water pressure is fine in the rest of the upstairs, even in the same bath at the sink, it would seem to be at the control head. All the internals should be removable through the front without disturbing the enclosure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wnaplay1647545503 Posted December 2, 2013 Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 Back track the plumbing until you see where the low pressure starts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.cos Posted December 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 Turn off water, take control head apart, look for dirt/obstructions. If it is lime build up, soak internals in CLR. If water pressure is fine in the rest of the upstairs, even in the same bath at the sink, it would seem to be at the control head. All the internals should be removable through the front without disturbing the enclosure. I have removed all parts up to the wall. I'll take video today of what's going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cordell Posted December 2, 2013 Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 Turn off water, take control head apart, look for dirt/obstructions. If it is lime build up, soak internals in CLR. If water pressure is fine in the rest of the upstairs, even in the same bath at the sink, it would seem to be at the control head. All the internals should be removable through the front without disturbing the enclosure. This was my first thought, has to be right there at the controls or within a couple feet of that shower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.cos Posted December 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 It has been suggested to me to look at the pressure balance valve- and after watching a YouTube vid- I think that may be the culprit. I'm going to tear the faucet handle apart today and replace that and see if it fixes anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted December 2, 2013 Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 Turn off water, take control head apart, look for dirt/obstructions. If it is lime build up, soak internals in CLR. If water pressure is fine in the rest of the upstairs, even in the same bath at the sink, it would seem to be at the control head. All the internals should be removable through the front without disturbing the enclosure. +1. If it's not the shower head/aerator, it's the cartridge that controls the water temperature and flow. Look up the make/model online and see about any repairs that can be done. EDIT: just saw your post. I had the same thing happen to me: 8-year old Delta showerhead/handle. Water drizzled out of the head even after I cleaned it with CLR. Found a post on how to replace the cartridge. $40 later, 30-minute easy repair, and I thought the "new" shower pressure was going to rip flesh from my bones.:thumbup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustlestiltskin Posted December 2, 2013 Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 I took the head off the shower and if i turn on the water, it comes out but just barely; just barely enough to wash your hands. Turn off water, take control head apart, look for dirt/obstructions. If it is lime build up, soak internals in CLR. If water pressure is fine in the rest of the upstairs, even in the same bath at the sink, it would seem to be at the control head. All the internals should be removable through the front without disturbing the enclosure. This was my first thought, has to be right there at the controls or within a couple feet of that shower. +1. If it's not the shower head/aerator, it's the cartridge that controls the water temperature and flow. Look up the make/model online and see about any repairs that can be done. EDIT: just saw your post. I had the same thing happen to me: 8-year old Delta showerhead/handle. Water drizzled out of the head even after I cleaned it with CLR. Found a post on how to replace the cartridge. $40 later, 30-minute easy repair, and I thought the "new" shower pressure was going to rip flesh from my bones.:thumbup: ... Anyways, I would run a snake down your water line to see if that clears up any obstructions that might be dwindling your water pressure. Could be a lime problem. If the pipes are clear you might have to invest in a water pressure regulator/booser and install it on that line. Also try what Jason said and back track to see where your low pressure starts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macpyro2 Posted December 2, 2013 Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 I Would start with your shower cartridge in the shower valve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XChris1632X Posted December 2, 2013 Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 I am not just a couch plumber but a full time plumber. Turn the water off coming into the house and drain the pressure off. Swap in a new cartridge to the shower valve and call it a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cstmg8 Posted December 3, 2013 Report Share Posted December 3, 2013 agreed, change cartridge and enjoy showers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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