How to Remove a Piece to Get More Water Out of a Shower Head

Get the shower you deserve by increasing the water flow.

Low water pressure can make showering a miserable experience. Many shower heads have a little removable piece that helps conserve water. Remove this piece if you want to get more water out of the shower head. If you have hard water, it's possible that the tiny holes in the regulator piece have plugged up over time. You might be able to simply clean the piece and reinstall it. A properly working flow control piece should allow for a minimum of 2 gallons per minute.

Things You'll Need

• Fabric
• Channel-lock pliers
• Flat-head screwdriver

Instructions

1. Wrap the shower head nut that holds the shower head to the shower arm with a piece of fabric. This will protect the metal finish from scratches.

2. Place channel-lock pliers over the fabric-covered nut and grip it with the jaws.

3. Turn the nut in a counterclockwise direction until loose. Remove the pliers and untwist the nut with your fingertips.

4. Close the plug in the bathroom sink.

5. Turn the sink faucet on. Hold the shower head beneath the water flow with the nut facing the sink basin. Allow the water to back-flush the shower head. This will allow any free pieces blocking the flow of water to come out.

6. Turn off the sink and look inside the nut-end of the shower head. Pry the wire mesh screen out with a flat-head screwdriver. Remove the little disc-shaped piece with tiny holes in it with a flat-head screwdriver. Place the tip of the screwdriver in toward the edge of the disc and pry it up. Hold the shower head nut-side down and shake the piece out.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep the screwdriver away from the threads of the nut to avoid damaging them.

References

• High Sierra Shower Heads; Showerhead Pressure Regulators in Low Flow Shower heads Are a Problem; David Malcolm; January, 2011