How to Improve Your Shower Head Output

Here at Clean Water Store, we are happy to answer any questions as we often get many through our website. Someone else may have the same question, so below we have posted an important recent question asked by one of our customers.

“Will rearranging pressure tank, NAOH mixing tank, iron filter, and softener to reduce tube runs and increasing associated pipe diameters from 3/4 to 1 inch significantly improve shower head output?”

It is possible.  There can be a lot of pressure drop through ¾” pipe, and often by increasing the pipe size, the pressure and flow will be increased.

However, other areas may also be source areas for pressure loss and decreased flow, including:

• By-pass valves on the softener and iron filter
• Filter media in the softener or iron filter
• Stuck check valves
• Partially closed or clogged gate or ball valves
• Partially clogged or corroded shower head and/or pipes in the wall

To eliminate some of these possibilities, put your existing iron filter and then softener on bypass. Then see if the shower head flow increases as a result.

Clogging or corrosion in the shower head and pipes are often a major source of pressure drop.  An easy way to test this is by filling a bucket through the shower head. Time how long it takes to fill. Then remove the shower head and repeat the process. Comparing the two numbers will tell you whether the shower head is part of the problem.