Low Water Pressure in Shower/Tub - HELP!

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brickhouse

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I can't believe I made an account here just to reply to this, but here it is. I wanted a new showerhead. My water pressure isn't terrible, but isn't great; I want great. I travel a lot and every time I am in a hotel I am jealous of the shower quality. So I searched around and stumbled upon all this conspiracy crap about takeashower.com. I checked out their website and claims, and decided I have to know for myself. For $46 including shipping, I am about to put a rest to this stupid, stupid conversation, at least in my own mind. The way I see it, they are either a total scam, mediocre, or great, and perhaps guilty of some misguided self-promotion. It is worth the small monetary risk to me to find out. I ordered a chrome fire hydrant shower head a couple days ago and I am in MA, so hopefully I get it today and can install it and post a review tomorrow. Wish me luck.
 
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brickhouse

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final verdict: it works as advertised, but it's not working miracles - most of the improvement is likely due to the fact that there is just no restrictor plate. it does have a highly adjustable range of sprays though (i got the fire hydrant model), including the max point that felt great but blasted out so much water i did not have enough hot water to finish a shower. i was able to find a nice happy medium between a good strong pressure and not using up all the hot water. i'm not sure if something for $25 at home depot or lowes would have done the same trick, so it's still possible that it is overpriced, but i can definitely say my shower is probably twice as good as it was with my old head.
 

Jeff Schiff

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Low Pressure Shower Head

I also have the "low pressure well water problem" and read every article I could find about Shower heads, etc. I was very concerned about the discussions regarding phony posts and wasn't sure what to do. I took a chance and bought the shower head from Takeashower.com. The following is the letter I wrote to the President of that company.

"A couple of weeks ago, I bought the Spa head for my house in N.C. We have very low well pressure there and I've been suffering with miserable showers. The Spa head is terrific. I couldn't believe the difference. I had read a lot of stuff on blogs about phony posts; however, I took a chance on you and I'm glad I did. I don't know how it works and don't care. I get to take great showers and that's all that counts. Well done guys.
Thanks again."
Jeff Schiff
Whittier, NC

Bottom line - it works.
 

schtuka

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takeashower experiment

Well, I decided to try this Spa shower head from takeashower.com. I live in the city and have very low preassure in the shower and my wife is constantly complaining. When I receive and install it I will report here.
I also registered here just to help other with my good or bad experience.
About me:
I design high end kitchens and bathrooms. In bathrooom designs I use mostly German products.
 

schtuka

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Ok Guys and Gals I suppose.
I ordered Fire Hydrant September 6th with Priority Mail delivery option. Almost 2 weeks later still was waiting. Wrote a letter to company. The guy answered, appologized for mishap, sent me confirmation with tracking number. I got it yesterday. I have installed it in my wife's shower which has pretty bad preassure. I think this bad boy increased preassure about 2.5 times. Not bad. You can actually feel water hitting your body. I was so impressed that immediatelly took my clothes off and went for it.
I have no affiliation with this company and thinking about taking short video and youtube it. I have to take it down this week cause wife wants previous shower head with hose to clean the shower walls, this gives me an opportunity to shoot the video.
End of story. It works, at least in my case of vintage condo bathroom with shower stall build off the tub plumbing.
 

Lucem

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Another p.o.v.

Well then, will add my two cents - I live in Lagos, Nigeria. As you can imagine low water pressure here is pretty much everyone's problem, but that usually doesn't matter as most people simply bathe from a bucket. Unfortunately having lived in the UK most of my life, a bowl and bucket simply won't cut it for me :)

My shower on the first floor simply does not work at all - the pressure just about gets to the hand basin and toilet, so I shower downstairs - but the pressure is soo low that a shower there is such a disappointing start to everyday.

Anyway, after talking to several semi-qualified plumbers, and installing all sorts of crap - pressure pumps (which burst my pipes), big shower heads, small shower heads, etc, I finally decided to ask the all knowing Google, and stumbled across this forum. After reading all the above comments, I have now ordered several fire hydrant handheld shower heads and faucet aerators from Water Management Inc/takeashower.com and have also registered on this forum to let you know how it all turns out.

Will update you all in a couple of weeks when the units arrive. I think the "Africa test" should just about put to rest the question of whether or not the company sells a decent product or not.
 

Lucem

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Another p.o.v. revisited...

So, my shower heads from Water Management Inc/takeashower.com finally arrived Lagos last week. I fitted one Spa Deluxe Hand Held Shower Head in the upstairs bath, and a second one of the same model shower head downstairs where the pressure is a little better. Verdict? EXCELLENT. I also bought and installed a couple of the Swivel-Jet Faucet Aerators for the kitchen sink and master sink, and it's pretty amazing how much better the flow is. Back to the shower heads - they look pretty much like any other shower heads, in fact I would say slightly smaller than usual, but the key as to why they work better is they seem to force the water out of fewer holes in the head while interspersing the water with tiny air bubbles which are allowed to pass through at the same time, and the arrangement/pattern of the spray is made for minimal dispersion of the water. I was amazed really - it just gives a better shower experience for low pressure users. The pressure doesnt actually change, it just sends it through the shower head differently, and that's what gives you the better flow. About the faucet aerators - only cost about $10 each, and it's worth it - lets you adjust the angle and flow in the sink, quite convenient really. Hope that's helpful to anyone thinking of purchasing from takeashower.com!
 

hj

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faucet

Now that we are getting more, and better information, such as good pressure at the sink next to the shower, it limits the possible causes. Inside the valve where the pipes go up to the shower and down to the tub, there is a "restrictor" device. It has a fairly small annular ring around ti and that can get clogged causing symptoms such as yours. One possible cure is to blow compressed air into the spout opening while the two stems are remove so any movable debris can be blown out. If that doesn't do the trick, then I usually have to disconnect the shower riser, remove the restrictor, then connect the spout with a "twin ell" and repipe the shower riser down to the back opening of the twin ell. You also have to use a 3/4" diverter spout, which sometimes comes with the ell.
 

pitonyak

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After all the doom and gloom

I currently have a removable shower head that works poorly. I don't mean that it was manufactured junk, just that it works poorly now. Not sure if it gummed up inside or if something broke inside.

After all of the doom and gloom and concern over who is posting what, and who is a fraud, I may try one of those takeashower.com heads. Would have already ordered it if their site were not down for maintenance.

So, if I actually do get one of these, should I video the installation and use (no, I don't mean you can watch me take a shower :eek:, no one wants to see that).

After I have a new one to install, I will probably take apart my current head to see what the problem is. I expect, however, that if I take it apart:

  1. I won't be able to get it back together
  2. I won't be able to return it to waterpick under their "lifetime" warranty.

One of my biggest complaints about my current system is that I want the shower head higher. I had always assumed that the stem coming out of the wall was one piece, now that I think about it, I should check; I might be able to use an "S" head thing to mount the head higher. Hmmm. Any idea if that would work with a removable shower head?
 

Jadnashua

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I had always assumed that the stem coming out of the wall was one piece, now that I think about it, I should check; I might be able to use an "S" head thing to mount the head higher. Hmmm. Any idea if that would work with a removable shower head?

There are 'S' shaped shower arms. Keep in mind you have to screw the thing in, so there's a limit how high up you can go before it will hit on the ceiling instead of letting you screw it in.

An alternative is to use a handheld on a mount or a sliding bar.

One interesting solution (not inexpensive), is the Grohe Freehander. It comes in several mounting configurations. http://www.groheamerica.com/p/25_7848.html
 

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pitonyak

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That is interesting...

I understand that all shower heads in the USA must be low flow to save water. Now, the pictured unit two shower heads. Can each shower head put out the "maximum". My guess is yes.
 

pitonyak

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Jim,

My shower head from takeashower.com still has not arrived (2.5 weeks), so I was looking for closely at the Grohe Freehander that you suggested. The more I look at it, the more I like it... Except, as you say, it is not inexpensive. It was not clear to me how true this was until I started looking more seriously.... Over $300, Wowser! The nice thing, however, is that each head is independent... Hmmm. Now that would be nice.
 

cactus70

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Hi, I ordered a shower head from TakeaShower.com based on this thread back in December. I asked for expedited service on web site and after 4 weeks did not receive the shower head. Thinking I had been frauded out of $100 I looked up the contact info and called the number. To my suprise someone actually called me back (left a message) and profusely apologized, returned my money for the expedited service (about $15.00) and told me some story about a problem with their ordering system (not sure I bought it). In two days there it was on my doorstep. I ran upstairs and installed it immediately.

Now does it work? YES! I had pretty low water pressure in my main shower (1942 Dutch Colonial with a bunch of additions) Amazing the difference, the only problem is, it dumps water so fast, I actually run out of hot water if the wife and I shower back to back. BTW - I bought it based on reviews from this forum, so I thought I should come back and report my experience. Feel free to email me and I will email you back to confirm I am real person.

-Some guy in Hartford County, CT
 

pitonyak

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I ordered on January 13. Had not received on February 8, so, I called. They had an interesting list of dubious reasons that they had not yet shipped. I could explain why I consider them dubious, but that is not very important. They were very polite, refunded my shipping costs, and my stuff arrived on February 10 with a post mark of February 8.

I removed the previous attachment from the water pipe, and found out why I had barely a trickle of water. It was not because my head was clogged, it was because there was a flow restricter that was full of calcium crud. In other words, I probably did not need to purchase a new head after all.

The items were packed very well. The hose was separated from the removable head. I really like the hose, it feels sturdier than others I have used, yet, it is very flexible and hangs well. It should be noted that I really dislike my previous hose, a replacement I purchased at a local store.

The hose has two different ends. The directions indicate which end connects to what, but, they do not tell you to remove the clear plastic piece that covers the end that attaches to the removable head.

Installation was very easy. I used Teflon on the threads, and things just went together. My previous water pipe is a bit low. This new unit sticks up a few inches, which is just enough for me to be able to angle it in place as I desire and have very nice directional water flow. This is an unexpected bonus.

The adjustment range goes very nicely from off, through a very strong massage. I was very impressed with the quality of the shower. By this, I mean that it just felt like I had a lot of water hitting me. I have very thick slightly curly hair, and normally it is a bit arduous removing all the soap from my hair. I will admit lingering a wee bit longer than usual in the shower this morning because I was enjoying it so much.

I asked my wife how she liked it, and I received a similar reaction from her. She said that the kids were banging on the door telling her to come out.

I had not expected the difference to be so distinct. After all, this shower head (about $69 I think) is less expensive than my previous water head (about $79 five years ago if my memory serves me correctly).

If I require a new hose, I will definitely order a replacement directly from them (because I really like the hose). The same is true for the head. This makes me wonder about their shower heads that are not removable. I wonder how they differ from their removable units.

Two weeks ago, my wife dropped our old unit and it fell on her toe. The new unit is much smaller in size and lighter. Just a thought....

They included two extra rubber gaskets in case they are needed. That surprised me. Do not be fooled by the inclusion and assume that you must use them. These are SPARES. Nice touch.

I am sold. Buy one of these and give it a try. I have a feeling, however, that the order speed may be slow. If I choose to order another, I will probably call them.

Side note: I ordered two of their faucet aerators. These are on pivots, so that you can move them around to spray all around the sink. I have not tried them yet. If there is interest, I will install one and post a review of that. The shower head was a higher priority for...
 

Sky

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Fire Hydrant Showerhead -- back to a real shower!

Visiting my daughter in a rural area -- well-water on a pump. I tired of showering with only a dribble of water.

Google quickly pointed me toward the Fire Hydrant Showerhead and I decided to give it a try. I goofed on her address when ordering online, so had to call after the order was placed. They made the correction and even though the error was mine, they expedited the order. Great -- that meant it arrived today while I was here to install and give it a try.

No tool installation, and .... I don't know how they do it, but the showerhead creates a real shower. Even the various settings work, and this is very low pressure. Guess we'll order for her second bathroom, and probably one for myself even though I don't suffer from low pressure. This is the solution to low pressure problems in the shower.
 

raygunclan

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i come to this website whenever i need advice on my old house's plumbing. so when i needed a new showerhead for my 3 daughters' bathroom, i began my research here.

this is my experience with takeashower.com's hand held showerhead.

i will say that when i read posts written by people who clearly are associated with the company, i automatically assume that the product is crap. but for some reason, i decided to purchase anyways. however, before i purchased, i emailed them to see how long it would take to ship (somewhere in the northeast to central florida). it was a saturday and they told me that if i placed my order before 3 that it would ship out the same day. as long as it shipped out by wednesday, i was ok, but saturday was good too. :) i place my order at 2:55 on saturday. (i'm kind of a brat.) i am not kidding when i tell you that it was delivered around 2 pm monday afternoon. i was shocked. i almost came on here to post this before i even had a chance to use it, but decided to only post once. (our handyman was fixing a leak in the shower that was leaking onto our plasma tv downstairs. not good!!!)
so that i wouldn't be considered a plant, i took video. i turned on the shower with the old head (which was actually a brand new american standard head that came with the handles and spout that said handyman had just replaced.) and videoed the water coming out. it was coming out so slow that the water didn't even fall in a straight line for a full foot. i then switched out the heads (having never tried the new one before) and turned it on. it took a couple of seconds to get the water through the hose to the head (which caused me a monent of "crap!!!") but i have to say that this showerhead is the real deal! although the waterpressure wasn't incredible, it was significantly stronger than before.
so for me, INCREDIBLY fast shipping and an honestly great product that does exactly what it says it will.
if anyone is interested in the video, let me know. i tried to figure out how to put it on here, but i'm just not that bright. :)
 

fuel to fire

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low hot water pressure at shower only

I am a newbie to the forum but I have been having this problem for quite some time , I have good hot water at the sinks but at the tub and shower I have very low hot water pressure , i have delta faucets that use cartridges so after I turned off the hot water supply , I removed the hot water shower cartridge and plugged the tub and shower spouts and I then opened the cold water side , this forced cold water back through the shower and tub heads backwards through the body of the hot water fitting forcing all the sediments that was causing the problem out the hot water valve , removed the plugs reinstalled the hot water cartridge and WALA ,, so far so good ,, awesome forum by the way
 
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