Your sleep may be interrupted by the repetitive drip-drip of a leaky showerhead. However, the issue goes beyond simple discomfort. A showerhead drips once every three seconds and loses approximately 700 gallons of water annually, although one drop may not seem like much. Your money is essentially wasted if your community charges domestic water use. Therefore, repairing your leaky showerhead reduces frustration and conserves resources and cash.
It is possible for a showerhead to leak due to a faulty joint at the shower arm—the angled pipe that supports the showerhead and leads into the wall—but it is much more likely that the issue is with the showerhead itself or the faucet valve that regulates the shower.
Follow the below instructions to service your showerhead:
Take the shower head off.
Ensure that the handle on the shower faucet is entirely in the OFF position. Showerheads shouldn’t leak any water.
Turn the showerhead off the threaded end of the shower arm by turning it counterclockwise by hand. Removing the showerhead with channel-lock pliers is necessary, but this usually means it is extremely old and rusted and should be replaced. Use a moist towel to grasp the showerhead if you need help.
Examine and Clean the Shower Head
The showerhead contains a screen, rubber O-rings, and maybe other components. Make sure they are not obstructed by silt or damaged in any way. If your showerhead’s interior is filthy, you can clean it by soaking it for an hour or two in a bowl of white vinegar. Before putting the parts back together, give them a cold water rinse.
Pipe Threads Wrapped
With a small scrub brush, scrub the shower arm’s threads clean. Next, wrap the threads in one or two loops of thread-sealing tape, occasionally marketed as Teflon tape. As you look at the end of the shower arm, wrap the tape in the same direction as the threads—clockwise.
Showerhead installation instructions
Reattach the showerhead to the shower arm and hand-tighten it. Watch how the water stream functions by quickly turning on the shower faucet.
Consider changing the complete showerhead if it drips when the faucet is turned on. It’s simple threading on a new showerhead rather than reattaching the old one.
