What to do About a Leaking Shower Head

Is your shower head constantly drip, drip, dripping even when it’s off? Or is water leaking from your shower head connecters every time you fire up the shower? Sounds like it’s time for some TLC.

Common Leaks

The bathroom is the most common area in your home where leaks often happen. Some leaks are considerably large and may originate under pipes or from within the walls. But sometimes they may be smaller leaks that can be easily fixed by a handy homeowner–a good example is showerhead leaks. These common and annoying types of leaks happen as your plumbing ages and becomes worn out. It’s important to never let these small leaks escalate, so here are a couple reasons why it may be leaking and how you can fix it.

Causes and Solutions

Issue #1: The holes in your showerhead are clogged

• Cause: Many showers use hard water instead of soft water. Hard water contains more dissolved solid minerals such as magnesium and calcium. Over time these dissolved minerals can clog the holes in your showerhead and inhibit the flow of water.
• Solution: The most popular fix for clogged showerheads is to soak them in hot vinegar. The acidic nature of the vinegar will help break down the hardened minerals. Simply heat up your vinegar in a bowl or pot, then disassemble your showerhead and submerge it in the vinegar. If disassembling the shower head isn’t an option, you can attach a bag of hot vinegar to the mounted shower head. After 5-7 hours of soaking, gently scrub any excess debris from the shower head then run clean water through it.

Issue #2: The rubber rings are worn out

• Cause: Within your showerhead are small circular rubber rings called “O-rings”. The purpose of these rubber rings is to seal parts together and prevent leaks between attachments. Unfortunately, rubber breaks down over time which could lead to water seepage.
• Solution: These rubber rings can’t be restored once they are damaged and worn out. Instead, these small parts must be completely replaced. They can be found at any home hardware store, or plumbing tool shop near you. It may sound like a confusing or daunting task, but fortunately new O-rings are inexpensive and easy to replace.

Issue #3: The diverter valve isn’t working

• Cause: The diverter valve is a metal component in your shower that allows you to redirect the flow of water. By turning this small knob, the water running from the main faucet could now be directed to a main shower head or even a handheld shower head. Similar to the holes in your shower head, mineral deposits can lead to a clog and break down the mechanism. When this happens, your valve will not be able to divert water properly and continue to leak when the shower is off.
• Solution: Before attempting to tackle this problem, it’s important that you shut off the water supply to your bathroom. Once you have, you can then remove the hot and cold handle(s) to access the valve directly. From there the valve should be assessed for damage so you can determine whether it needs cleaned or replaced completely.

Get Super Terry Today!

If you are not confident in your ability to assess the problem, it may be more beneficial to search online for a “licensed plumber near me”. Super Terry is available for 24/7 services in the Pittsburgh area, whenever you need us!