Showers save water by conserving your water supply versus a bath. By saving your water supply, you will be able to save a ton of money on your water bills. However, when you have a showerhead that is dripping water constantly, this doesn’t happen. When your showerhead is dripping all day and all night, your water bill will be very expensive, and wastes water unnecessarily.
Luckily for you, there is an easy way to fix a leaky shower head. The steps involved in fixing a leaky shower head includes turn off your water, remove your showerhead and inspect it, clean it, replace parts as needed, and reattaching it.
Why do I have a leaky shower head?
There are many reasons why you might have a leaky shower head. The first common and main problem that might cause a shower head to leak is that it’s clogged with mineral deposits. The second common and main problem that might cause a shower head to leak is that the O ring inside the showerhead is too old.
Step-by-step guide on how to fix a leaky shower head
Step 1: Turn Off the Water
The first step to fixing your leaky shower head is to turn off your water. To do this, you need to close the water source for your entire house. You can do this by going to your water main. The water main for each house is in a different location. Therefore, you may need to take your time to find where the water main for your house is located. It’s recommended that you have towels with you while you do this as since water is involved, there’s a great possibility that you will get wet.
Step 2: Remove and Inspect
The second step to fixing your leaky showerhead is to remove your showerhead and inspect it. You must inspect your leaky shower head to find out what the problem is so that you can take the proper course of action to fix it. To remove your showerhead you must unscrew it from the shower arm that it’s attached to. To do this, gently twist the showerhead at its base until it comes off of the shower arm. If this is hard, you can use a pipe wrench or a socket wrench to assist you. Just whatever you do, don’t force your showerhead to detach as this could further damage your showerhead.
After you have detached your showerhead from its shower arm, inspect your showerhead. First, check to see if your showerhead has a buildup of mess inside of it. Next, check if the O ring in your showerhead has lost its color or has become dry. If your O ring in your showerhead has lost its color or has become dry, remove it from your showerhead.
Step 3: Clean the Showerhead
The third step to fixing your leaky shower head is to clean your shower head from mineral deposits. To clean your shower head, you can either wipe it down or submerge it in a cleaning solution. Every time you clean it, even if no repairs or placement are needed, you’ll improve the flow of water greatly.
You can buy a cleaning solution at many home hardware stores. On the other hand, you can make your cleaning solution using a 3:1 vinegar to the water mixture.
If you choose to wipe down your showerhead, apply a small amount of your chosen cleaning solution to a scrub brush or a stiff plastic brush. After this, you can wipe the inside and outside of your showerhead.
If you choose to submerge your showerhead, place your chosen cleaning solution in a moderate-sized bowl. After this, place the whole showerhead inside the bowl with the cleaning solution. You should let your showerhead sit in the bowl with your chosen cleaning solution for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes have passed, remove your showerhead from the bowl with your chosen cleaning solution and rinse it with water.
As a side note, this would be a great time to wash the rest of your shower. Feel free to apply a small amount of your chosen cleaning solution to a scrub brush or a stiff plastic brush and wash your faucet valve, shower faucet handle, the valve body, shower arm, and any other place in your shower.
Step 4: Replace any parts as needed
The fourth step to fixing your leaky showerhead is to replace any parts as needed. If you’ve found that you have a leaky showerhead as a result of your O ring in your showerhead having lost its color, cracked into more than one thread, or has become dry, you need to throw out your old O ring and insert a new O ring.
To remove your old O ring, you need to take it out of your showerhead. To do this, loosen the clips that hold your O ring in your showerhead in place. These clips can take on many different forms. After all, all shower models are different. Your O ring could be held in place with a handle screw, a washer such as a rubber washer, an escutcheons plate, a gasket, or some other tool. After this, use a knife or scissors to cut off the old O ring in your shower head. When this has been accomplished, insert a new O ring into your showerhead. Once this is done, tighten the clips inside your showerhead so that they can hold your O ring in your showerhead in place.
Step 5: Reattach the Showerhead
To reattach your showerhead you must screw it onto the shower arm. To do this, gently twist the showerhead at its base until it becomes attached. If this is hard, you can use a pipe wrench or a socket wrench to assist you.
Call a Professional Plumber to Fix a Leaking Shower
If these steps do not work, you can hire a plumber to replace broken showerheads or investigate the problem further to make sure there is not a bigger issue at hand.
