How to fix a leaky shower head?

Is your leaky showerhead’s constant water dripping sound keeping you up all night? If that is the case, we have you all covered. Our expert plumbers have some advice to help you deal with a shower leak.

Signs of a leaking showerhead

Plumbing problems are an inevitable part of daily life. It simply depends on how quickly the problem is noted and how quickly it is resolved. If the problem is caught in time there is an opportunity to solve it in a hassle-free manner. Always look for signs such as a slow or constant water dripping sound from the bathroom or taps. Dry rot can also start to develop on the showerhead; this could also be one of the indicators. With water seeping through the showerhead, each second increases your bill, which can be quite heavy on the pocket. Our plumbers look for these signs first so they can diagnose and fix the problem.

What causes a showerhead to leak?

Our plumbers at Richmond daily deal with various cases of leaky showerheads. There might be numerous reasons behind a leaky showerhead which might differ according to how serious the damage is. But here are some of the most common problems that lead to a showerhead leaking.

• There might be an issue with the shower faucet or the shower valve.
• The water spray holes in your showerhead might be clogged.
• The water handles of the shower might have worn out.
• Worn-out rubber rings allow water to flow through the showerhead.
• Inner seals decay because of hard water deposits.

Why is it important to know the causes behind your leaky showerhead?

We can not fix anything if we do not know the reason for the issue. Once we have figured out the cause, it becomes easier to solve the problem. The next step is to find a solution.

Solutions to the problem!

1. If there is an issue with your shower faucet or shower valve, you should replace it. This might sound a bit tedious, but with just a few steps you can be good to go

• To begin with, you need to first shut down the water supply
• Then you are supposed to unscrew the showerhead and faucet handle
• To remove the shower valve, you will have to cut a piece of drywall where the valve is fixed.
• There will be a string along with the valve which could be detached by cutting the copper pipes.
• Next you need to install the new valve
• The last major step requires soldering the pipe to ensure it is leak-free. To avoid using a torch in this process you can use fitted seal joints instead.

2. Clogged shower holes not only cause leakage of water but can also disrupt your calming shower time in the mornings. As they cause changes in the water pressure which might be too harsh on the skin or maybe too slow. As difficult as it might sound, unclogging the shower holes has by far been the easiest one-step solution to this problem.

• First you need to remove the showerhead
• fill a container with white vinegar
• dip the showerhead in the container for 4-5 minutes; you will notice some bubbles coming out of the holes that means you are on the right track.
• clean the surface area of the showerhead with the use of a toothbrush
• Rinse the excess vinegar with water
• reinstall the showerhead and you are done

3. A loose handle could cause constant leakage resulting in wastage of water. To avoid this, you just need to replace the shower water handle with a new one.

• First unscrew the old water handle to remove it
• Second replace it with a new water handle
• You will immediately see a difference in the grip of the new handle which will ensure that it will not allow water to seep through the shower holes.

4. As small as the damage is, the cause may not be as small. A worn-out rubber washer that is placed inside the showerhead can result in continuous leakage of water, but with just a few simple steps you can stop it.

• To begin with, you need to separate the showerhead
• Once you have done that you need to then check for the damaged O-ring and simply replace it with another ring.

But the thing you need to be careful about is buying the right size of O-rings, which is why the rubber washers our plumbers at Richmond provide are the ones that are most suitable for your showerhead and are of the best quality.

5. Inner seals decaying can be a big cause of the leakage of the showerhead. Prevention of that leakage is often easier than others would think. By following a few simple steps, you can prevent these damages. Metal parts wear down with time and need to be replaced now and then. The gaskets inside the showerhead and other seal connections can be an issue of the leakage too; so, you should make sure to look out for those when fixing the showerhead.

Basic must-have tools to have for plumbing

Our plumbers at Richmond provide the best services in dealing with every kind of problem. Plumbing might come as a horror to a lot of people because the work often seems technical and hard but with basic knowledge and tools in hand, we can recover many issues ourselves.

 These include:

• Screwdriver
• White vinegar
• Replacement material
• Teflon tape

These are the most basic tools that one might need, and these may vary according to the problem we are facing. Replacement material can either be a water handle or a new shower faucet.

Why is it important to fix your leaky shower head as soon as possible?

Not only is the continuous dripping sound annoying, but it also wastes water and money. Constant leaking can cause mold to grow on the showerhead which can later create health issues like skin rashes, or eye irritation. We do not only have to pay to fix those problems, but the wastage of water also increases water bills. This is why as professional plumbers in Richmond, we try our best to deal with such issues head-on rather than delaying them to increase their adverse effects.