My Showerhead Is Leaking! What Can I Do About It?
Water leaks are a big problem, especially if you’re trying to keep your household bills low. A leaky shower isn’t merely inconvenient; it’s wasting water and money. If your shower head is leaking, you don’t want to ignore the problem. It’ll only get worse, and more costly, the longer you delay.
We specialize in helping people with plumbing issues across Victorville, Hesperia, and Apple Valley – including dripping showerheads. These are some of the most common causes we see.
Five Causes of Leaky Showerheads
1 – Physical damage
Before calling a plumber, inspect your shower head for cracks or other obvious physical damage. If it’s cracked, it probably can’t be repaired. Just buy a new one. (Modern low-flow showerheads are much more water-efficient too!)
2 – Clogged shower head
If the showerhead has become too clogged, it can cause the water to leak out in other places. In this case, there’s an easy DIY fix – simply soak your shower head in vinegar for a few hours. This will loosen up any mineral deposits, and make them easy to scrub away or poke through with a toothpick.
3 – Broken handles
If your showerhead is leaking, the handle(s) controlling your hot and cold water may also be to blame. Try moving the handles back and forth and seeing if the leak is consistent with both hot and cold water. If one leaks more than the other, the problem is with the handle. Fortunately, fixing this often just involves replacing the washer or gasket.
4 – Worn down rubber seals
Most of the seals in your shower assembly are using standard rubber gaskets, and rubber breaks down over time. Does the leak seem to be coming from only one particular joint or connection in the plumbing? If so, there’s a good chance the gasket just needs to be replaced.
5 – The diverter valve or cartridge valve are broken
These are the valves that control the flow of water and determine whether it’s coming out the faucet or the showerhead. Unfortunately, these valves are inside the wall and will be very difficult to fix without professional plumbing help. If you’ve tried the other ideas in this article, and none have worked, you’ll probably need a plumber to dig into the wall.
Fix That Dripping Showerhead with Roto-Rooter
Roto-Rooter High Desert can fix your leaky showerheads and fixtures in the Victorville, Hesperia, and Apple Valley Region. If you have a leak or a dripping showerhead, you can call us any time, 24/7!
