Low Water Pressure After Professional Remodel (twin ell issue?)

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Jennifer Johnson

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Our shower head water pressure is nearly non-existent after remodel. A tub/shower/hand held wand moentrol system was installed. We purchased a twin ell as recommended by Moen. Our plumber said he has never used this part and did not use in the installation. Could the fact that he did not use this part be contributing to the fact that our shower head does not have water pressure. The wand pressure seems to be okay.
 

Jadnashua

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It's hard to say without knowing what he used. Not all valves will work with a tub spout diverter without a twin-el. If the instructions say to use one, what you have may be one of them.
 

Reach4

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I doubt it.
Our shower head water pressure is nearly non-existent after remodel. A tub/shower/hand held wand moentrol system was installed. We purchased a twin ell as recommended by Moen. Our plumber said he has never used this part and did not use in the installation.
The symptom of not having a twin ell when you need one is water dribbling out of the showerhead when you just want water coming out of the spout.

Try removing the showerhead from the shower arm as a test, and see how the flow is then.
 

Jennifer Johnson

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Thank you both for your responses. To be more clear, water is not dribbling out of the showerhead when I want warwe coming out of the spout. It is dribbling out of the showerhead when I want it coming out of the showerhead.
 

Jadnashua

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A twin el has a larger outlet for the spout, and a slightly smaller, restricted one for the shower head. Those differences are what allows it to work properly. ON many valves the outlet to the showerhead has a smaller port, but some of them are the same size, and the head does need the restriction to allow it to direct the water where you want. On many of those valves, both outlets are open all of the time. When they are the same size, some water will go out both. WIth the restriction, there's not enough pressure to get to the showerhead, and all of it will go out the spout (the water will rise towards the showerhead, but not far enough to come out)

Stated another way, unless there's a hard diverter in the system, on most valves, there are two outlets, and if they are the same size, water will flow to both of them. There needs to be some restriction in the one going to the showerhead so that the elevation and flow isn't enough for it to get all the way out unless you intentionally divert it. That can be done with a twin el if the valve doesn't have the restriction or a hard diverter that controls the flow to both the tub spout and the shower head directly.

It irks me when installers refuse to read and heed the manufacturer's instructions. They wouldn't say you must use a twin el unless it needed it. Most installs don't, but some do.
 
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