Method 1: Clearing out the Shower Head Holes
- Stop the flow of water to your shower head.
If you are just changing the head or checking it, you may first simply turn the shower off at the knob. Clogged holes in a shower head might be the consequence of lime and other mineral deposits that accumulate there over time.
Start here if you’re unclear of what may be causing your leaky shower head. You can repair it quickly and affordably without disassembling the complete shower installation. Before you begin, turn off your water supply.
You have two options for doing this: either find and shut off the bathroom cutoff valve or shut off the main water line.
Instead of turning off the water supply to the whole home, it will likely be simpler for your family to turn it off only in the bathroom.
While not all houses have a bathroom cutoff valve, if there is one, it is often in the basement or someplace close to the shower.
- Either remove the shower head in its entirety or the faceplate.
The shower head will need to be separated from the remainder of the shower fixture so that you may soak and clean the areas that have lime and mineral deposit accumulation.
If you can, unscrew just the faceplate. If you are unable to, completely detach the shower head from the fixture. The brand and type of your shower head will determine how you should go about doing this.
Look for screws that are encircling the shower head faceplate or the shower head itself to remove while disassembling a standard shower head. Twist or pull the faceplate or shower head anticlockwise once the screws have been undone to remove them.
- Soak the shower head or faceplate in white vinegar for eight hours.
Get or purchase a container that can hold the shower head or faceplate. Otherwise, if the bathroom sink is big enough, you might use it if you and/or your family have access to more than one bathroom.
Add some coarse salt and white vinegar to your container or sink. You should be able to completely cover the faceplate or shower head with the vinegar you apply.
Set a timer for 8 hours or subtract 8 hours from when you submerged the shower head or faceplate in the vinegar. The vinegar will work to dissolve the buildup and deposits as it soaks.
- Manually take out any lingering deposits.
The layers of lime and other minerals had disintegrated after 8 hours. You must now take it out. A toothpick or a nail that will fit in the shower head holes should be found first. To remove the debris, insert a toothpick or nail into each hole in the faceplate. After that, use a stiff plastic brush to thoroughly clean the faceplate.
- Verify that the leaky shower head has been repaired. Reattach the faceplate or shower head to see if clearing the blockage in the shower head holes has stopped the leak. Restart the shower head’s water supply while making sure the faucet is off. You’ve found the solution if the leak is no longer visible. If the leak from your shower head persists, think about another explanation.
Method 2: Changing a Rubber Washer that’s Broken
- Disconnect the shower’s water source.
A worn-out rubber washer may also be to blame for a leaky shower head. The washer, or “O ring,” begins to shatter over time. These flaws allow water to flow through, resulting in a dripping shower head. This washer has to be replaced to fix the issue. Turn off the water supply to your bathroom, which you may do in either your basement, if you have one, or just next to your shower.
Applying lubrication is recommended for maintaining O rings.
You must feel the water dripping from your shower head to establish whether the leak is coming from the cold-water valve or the hot-water valve if your shower faucet is a compression faucet, which has two faucet knobs to independently regulate the cold and hot water.
- Choose the rubber washer that has to be changed.
Either the rubber washer in your shower head or the one in your shower faucet may be changed. Which rubber washer has to be changed depends on the kind of shower faucet you have.
It’s probable that the rubber washer within your compression faucet, commonly known as a two-handle faucet, has to be replaced. If your faucet just has one handle, it’s most likely the rubber washer within the shower head that has to be changed.
For more tips and knowledge around plumbing questions, visit this local plumber website here.
