Last Thursday night, I was asked about a plumbing problem on Facebook by a follower named Carly*. It was an enquiry about ‘why do I have no water coming through my shower head?’

The water pressure in the shower had progressively started to decrease from normal pressure to a dribble in the last week. The water pressure was fine coming through all the other taps in the house – including the taps in the bath. From that information I knew that the washers had most probably disintegrated and needed to be replaced.

I was sent this photo to confirm my suspicions.

I told Carly, that once the new washers were replaced, the shower would work as normal. I also told her that she may need to call a plumber to reseat the taps if the shower rose started to drip after the washers had been replaced.

Carly’s husband, a tradie himself, showed his 14 year old how to replace the washers and the shower worked full bore, with no drips when the taps were turned off.

I asked Carly if I could share her photo and her story on the blog firstly to let you know that I’m always available for plumbing advice via the blog or through messages on Facebook. I also wanted to share the simple solution to a common problem with showers. In most circumstances I will recommend a plumber come out and fix a problem I’m asked about because by law, the installation may need to be done by a licensed plumber.

Changing washers doesn’t have to be done by a plumber, but I do recommend it if the taps need to be reseated.

Generally there are three reasons why there is no water coming through your shower head

1. The tap washers have disintegrated, stopping the flow of water to the shower head.

2. There is grit stuck in the water saving filter in the shower head that is stopping the flow of water. (Simply unscrew the shower head and removed the grit.)

3. The water main has been turned off. There will be no water to all tap outlets in the house if this happens.

If there is little hot water coming through the shower, but the cold water pressure is fine, the problem will be related to the hot water unit. Again, check out the hot water taps in the house and if the hot water pressure is fine to those taps, it will the washers in the hot tap of the shower that will need to be replaced. If the hot water to every tap is reduced in pressure, get a plumber out to check your hot water unit and test the tempering valve.

After my Facebook conversation with Carly, it got me thinking about what plumbing essentials are good to have in the tool box for tap emergencies. It’s always good to have few spare tap washers or ceramic disc spindles, multi-grips and long nosed plyers to retrieve the old washers.

It’s always a good practice to check the taps around your home to check for drips and make sure there is good pressure in all the taps when turned on. Make sure the taps are easy to turn off as well and don’t overtighten the handle when turning the tap off.

After Carly’s husband replaced the tap washers, I told Carly to go and enjoy a full bore hot shower. She told me her 14 year old had exclaimed, “wow, that is the hardest pressure ever” after the washers were replaced.

Glad I could be of service, while sitting at my dining room table.

Ever had issues with water pressure in your shower?

*Carly is not the real name of the reader that reached out to me.