As a plumbing business that offers residential services, it’s safe to say there are a wide range of potential projects we may encounter throughout the year. Obviously, you have the routine ones, like drain cleaning and water heater installations, that you’ll see just about every single week. On the flipside, there are also projects that are fairly common, but don’t necessarily happen every single day too. Think of something like a sewer line repair for this category! Long story short, the point I’m trying to make is your plumbing system is intertwined in many different places throughout one’s home. The secret to a professional and reliable plumber is having the knowledge to solve these various problems and troubleshoot through any unique situations.
In this week’s blog post, we’re going to take a peek at a fixture that certainly gets used on a regular basis and that happens to be your shower, specifically the showerhead. As can be said about many other plumbing components around the house, you have plenty of options when it comes to showerheads nowadays. Whether that be in reference to the brand, finding a style that matches the rest of your bathroom, having a personal preference for spray style options or even finding one with a built-in bluetooth speaker, the showerhead world has also grown over the years. We’ll kick off this blog by talking about the importance of cleaning your showerhead and then dive into some more fun topics as well.
Does My Showerhead Need Cleaned?
As mentioned above, we’ll start with a basic question: Does my showerhead need to be cleaned? While plumbing generally operates without any added work from a homeowner, routine maintenance is the secret to keeping your plumbing system running efficiently AND effectively. Even though water pressure can be dependent on a few different factors, one potential reason for lackluster water pressure in your shower is simply because of mineral deposits on your showerhead. For those that have read some of our prior blog posts, you’ve likely heard the term “hard water” from time-to-time. Between the above average levels of hard water here in Kansas City and the increasingly popular water softener systems, it’s no surprise why this is a frequent topic of discussion on a Kansas City plumbing blog. Well…one downside to hard water is the mineral deposits it can leave on your showerhead. I mentioned water pressure above because when these deposits build up on your showerhead, it will make you think you’re experiencing low water pressure. After all, the deposits are clogging up some of the openings in the showerhead and will inevitably impact the water pressure one is receiving.
Luckily, cleaning your showerhead is a very easy task and something you can complete relatively inexpensively. There are two options you can take for this. First, if you feel comfortable removing the showerhead, that is the first of two options. You’ll simply remove it and soak it in white vinegar overnight. Then, in the morning, you should be able to simply poke out the deposits with a toothpick. However, for those that prefer to not remove the showerhead completely, there is an alternative cleaning technique that works just as well. This solution simply involves you pouring the vinegar into a plastic bag and soaking the showerhead in it. Keep in mind that you’ll need something to secure the bag to the showerhead too. Whether that be tape, a rubber band, or anything else, the same logic from the previous strategy holds true with this one. Let it sit for a handful of hours, and then remove the bag before poking out the mineral deposits. After doing so, you should notice an instant improvement in the water pressure coming from the showerhead. Simple enough, right?
Which Showerhead Brands Should You Consider?
When it comes to plumbing fixtures, selecting a reliable brand is more important than you might think! Fortunately, like I mentioned in the opening paragraphs, the showerhead world certainly has no shortage of quality options to pick from and with this, comes more than a few brands possessing decades of experience. Listed below are a few of the more notable brands with showerheads available. As you’ll see, most of these names should sound familiar, as they also sell a variety of other products, including faucets.
Delta
Moen
Kohler
Speakman
To sum it up, if you go with one of the major brands in the plumbing fixture industry, that’s a great first step in your showerhead shopping journey!
What Features Mean the Most To You?
Just like we’ve highlighted with faucets many times before, showerheads have also evolved significantly over the years. That being said, if you already have a brand you would like to stay with, it’s now time to consider the different added-features and styles you have to choose from.
Music While You Shower – We briefly hinted at this one above, but it’s definitely a cool enough feature that it doesn’t hurt to bring it up again! After all, who wouldn’t want a bluetooth-enabled showerhead where you could play your favorite tunes? HERE is a link to KOHLER’s showerhead with a speaker in case you’re interested in learning more!
All About the Styles – For most homeowners, the style of showerhead is going to be the primary deciding factor that’ll narrow down your potential options. While there’s certainly a handful of brands you can instantly narrow down to, the various styles may take a little more time. You obviously have the wall-mounted showerheads that tend to be the most common. Another possibility is rainfall showerheads, which are quickly growing in popularity and add a unique hint of elegance to them. Detachable showerheads are another common option, as they add some flexibility not available with the traditional wall-mounted options. Even though these are the most common options we come across, a quick browse through the different brands’ websites will likely reveal some more possibilities.
Low-Flow – Over the years, fixture brands have continued to emphasize efficiency with their products. We’ve featured this on numerous occasions in regards to toilets, which have seen massive improvements. Nonetheless, the same logic holds true when discussing showerheads. Low-flow showerheads possess the ability to provide the same showering experience while using much less water. In turn, utilizing showerheads that use less water is not only good for water conservation efforts, but also could save you a few bucks on your monthly water bill. A win-win, right?
Plumbing Services in Kansas City
We hope you enjoyed this inside look at a few different showerhead-related topics. Showerheads are obviously an important part of one’s plumbing system and clearly something that you need working on a daily basis. As such, it’s no surprise as to how it can be frustrating for homeowners to deal with either less-than-normal water pressure from their showerhead or one that’s not working altogether. Being a plumbing business that has a residential service department, showerheads are something we come across fairly often.
Our team at Stine-Nichols Plumbing provides residential, commercial and new construction plumbing services throughout the Kansas City area and many of the surrounding cities. If you’re interested in a free estimate on a potential project, don’t hesitate to give us a call at (816) 348-3481 or fill out the form HERE. We look forward to helping you with any plumbing-related projects!