Water pressure issues - in one part of the house

stream41

Hi guys. Here's a quick diagram of our house to illustrate my point. Obviously it's simplified, but here it is:




We get pretty good water pressure in the kitchen, and it's great in the spare bath. However, it's pretty awful in the master bath. I just ran a bath in the master bath, and it's noticeably weaker than it was when we moved in 2.5 years ago. The master bath shower is just dismal - it's like a small insect is spitting on you, whereas in the spare bathroom it feels like a fire hose. It has been a gradual thing - it didn't happen overnight. I assure you that we aren't just imagining things. Also, I can swear that sometimes the water in the master bath doesn't get as hot as it does in the rest of the house, but that's another story.

We just got a new water heater a few months ago, so that shouldn't be the problem. Our house is only about 8 years old, so I wouldn't think it would be a bad pipe issue (or would it?). Also, our water bill hasn't gone up since we moved in (it averages about $25/month), so I don't think we have a leak. I spoke with our local water department in 2007 when we first really started noticing it, and they said that if the water on/off switch in the front yard is fully open (which it is), then there's really nothing they can do. Are there any other potential problems that could cause a loss of water pressure in only one part of the house?

We do have a pretty good home warranty that covers some plumbing issues, but I'm not sure they'd cover something this vague. Thanks in advance for any advice!

Mike Swearingen

Remove your shower head and try the water pressure without it. If the pressure seems as strong as at the open tub spout, soak the shower head in vinegar overnight to dissolve the minerals that are clogging it. rinse it out good and re-install it. Use new teflon tape on the shower arm threads by wrapping 2-3 flat wraps clockwise only on them before tightening on the shower head.
If you've lost water pressure in your bathroom sink, remove the aerator and clean out any debris in it.
If that doesn't do it, you may have to dismantle the faucets with the water OFF, place a towel over the dismantled sink faucet, turn it on briefly to flush out any debris in it, and then re-assemble.
The distance between a water heater and a fixture has a lot to do with how long it takes for the hot water to get there, but it shouldn't have anything to do with the pressure.
Good Luck!
Mike

stream41

Thanks for the response Mike.

The weird thing is that the bathtub pressure has diminished as well, so I'm pretty confident that it's not just the shower head. All three water sources in the bathroom - shower, bath, sinks - have diminished in pressure, seemingly at the same rate. I'm not sure why I mentioned the hot water heater - I know it doesn't affect the water pressure.

I will fool with the shower head to see if I can improve things.

stream41

Hahaha, I feel like an idiot. Took the shower head off, and the mesh thing was clogged to high heaven. Took it out quickly just to test, and the pressure was great.

Do I soak this in vinegar or what?

biggles

quick fix their...remove all the air aters and heads do all the sinks and showers flush them with cold then especially that hot...since that HWH change out.