Enhance Your Shower Experience Safely with a Shower Pump

What you need is a measuring jug, a timer and a calculator to help you determine if you are having a low water pressure.  And then you can do these step by step:

First, place a 1-litre measuring jug under the shower. Second, turn the problem tap or shower on full, Third, time how long it takes to fill the jug; Fourth, calculate if it takes more than 6 seconds to fill the jug, then for sure you have a low water pressure.

So the next question you might ask, what causes low water pressure?  The answers are varied of course, but the main reasons might be the following:

• Your mains water system may be using old piping, well this is true if you are living near a city or town center, because mains water system in these areas are using older pipes or small ones designed long ago, when the population is not as big as today, and also harder for the local government to replace the piping due to the disruption it would cause in the center of the city or town.
• Undersized water supply pipes, as I have said one of the common reasons for low water pressure is undersized or smaller pipes being used in old houses where the original plumbing system is still in place.  This will restrict the amount of water coming into your home, and to your shower.
•  Obstructive shut off valve, this is true to some newly bought home, or you have recently had a building work done.  It is better to check that you shut off valve is fully open, to ensure the good water flow in your home.  It is usually located under the kitchen sink, and if you believe that the water valve is broken, contact a plumber immediately.
•  You have a “flow restricting” or “water saving shower head”.  This is often overlooked by some owners, because modern shower often use “flow restricting” or “water saving” shower heads.  According to some data flow restricting shower heads were first used in the US, and many manufacturers in the Ireland and UK followed in an attempt to help homeowners reduce water bills and stop people from wasting water.
•  Your home water system maybe clogged, again if you live in an older house, your piping maybe made by iron piping, and we know that iron is vulnerable to rust, and can cause obstruction within the pipe, especially when the iron pipes break off due to old age.  Plus it will be aggravated if dirt, gravel or sand enters your system through older entry pipes.

Now, let us know how to increase water pressure in the shower, without thinking first of a replacement or major repairs, in order not to spend a single penny.  This is after you have done checking if the shut off valve is fully open, and you’re not using a “flow restricting” shower head, then it’s probably the low water pressure is caused by low pressure in the mains supply.  

We will try some of the solutions below, starting from a cheap and simple solution first. If that doesn’t work then, we will try another one until it is resolved.  Before buying a shower pump or replacing any piping, first try cleaning the dirt and sand out of the shower head.  Fine sediments can enter home water system via the main supply and often build up over time and may reduce water flow at the shower head. Cleaning a shower head can cost less than replacing it, and you can do it yourself. You can always refer to some DIY videos if you don’t have any idea.  If you cannot remove your shower head then you need to have a rubber band and a sandwich bag.  You have to fill the sandwich bag with vinegar, and use the rubber band to attach the bag to the shower head, and you can remove it.  This can also help in removing the lime scale and break down some sediment.

If your shower head has a special “water restrictor” in place, you can remove it by following the instruction manual, but if you happen to lost it and can’t find any, you have two choices to make.  One, hire a plumber to find and remove the restrictor or two; purchase a special low-pressure shower head.  It is also worth remembering that you still need to fit the shower head, so it’s better to buy a special low-pressure shower head since it is much cheaper if you shop around.  But then it is not a guarantee that the new shower head may improve the water pressure, if the problem is due to the mains supply.

So, if you are serious in fixing water pressure in the shower, you need to purchase a high quality shower pump, so that you can have a peace of mind that your shower will not be interrupted.  A shower pump is a small mechanical device fitted to your home water system.  

It will work when you turn on the water in the shower, the pump is activated giving you improve water pressure once you take a shower or a bath.  Before the water leaves the tank and travel to your shower, it goes first to the shower pump where it uses an impeller (like an aero plane engine) to boost the pressure of the water before it reaches the shower.