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5 Common Causes of Clogged Showerheads and How to Prevent Them?
A showerhead is vital in every household since it provides a great showering experience. Showerheads come in various shapes and sizes, but the goal stays the same. Another common thing among showerheads is their getting clogged, which ruins that great showering experience.
The situation may get frustrating, but you don’t have to deal with all that if you know the cause, fix, and prevention measures.
5 Common Causes of Clogged Showerheads and How to Prevent Them?
The top 5 causes of clogged showerheads, their quick fix, and the long-term prevention measures are discussed below.
1. Hard water deposits
If your place has a hard water supply, it can be the most common cause of your showerhead clogging repeatedly. The thing about hard water is that it has high contents of calcium, magnesium, and some other minerals.
As you keep using the showerhead, these minerals keep depositing in the openings on the showerhead, and over time, there will be multiple blockages. The result is gradually lowering the shower’s pressure, leading to a clog.
Tip: To check if your place has hard water, add a few drops of dish soap or any liquid soap in one-third of the bottle and vigorously shape it for a few seconds. Milky water with a lack of bubbles tells that the water is hard. Hard water also has a salty taste.
How to Fix and Prevent?
It would be better to fix it as early as possible because if the deposits harden, they will become hard to remove. To fix it, you can soak the showerhead completely in vinegar overnight. In the morning, clean it with a toothbrush and see if it is clean. Repeating the process frequently per the requirements will keep the showerhead from clogging again.
2. Mineral deposits
Mineral deposits can also cause the showerhead to clog with time. It happens when the water at your place is rich in minerals. When the water in the showerhead naturally evaporates, it leaves the minerals behind, and they become hard scales with layers of minerals stacked up. This hardened material leads the showerhead towards clogging.
Mineral deposits are not always caused by hard water, but if your place has hard water, these can be worse, so it is better to treat them frequently. It helps prevent the showerhead from becoming useless and needing a replacement.
How to Fix and Prevent?
You can try the same fixing and prevention technique for hard water deposits, but another solution exists. That is using a combination of baking soda and vinegar. It is much quicker. So, you have to take both ingredients in equal parts and mix them to form a paste.
Now apply this paste on the showerhead and let it rest for 30 minutes at least. Gently rub with a toothbrush, and you will see all the deposits going away. Repeating this once or twice every month will keep your showerhead from frequently clogging up.
3. Aging
A showerhead is usually made from multiple parts, and those are connected with gaskets to prevent leakage. These have a specific lifespan that can be increased with careful usage. However, sometimes the internal components can wear out, and their bits get stuck in the tiny openings in the shower.
It causes the tiny openings to be clogged, and you experience a lower pressure with a not-so-good showering experience.
How to Fix and Prevent?
A quick fix for this issue will be trying to get the debris out of the showerhead with the help of a toothpick or a needle. To prevent this from happening in the long term, there are a few tips, including:
- Ensure that the showerhead does not stay in sunlight for a long time.
- If you have a showerhead with a flexible arm, prevent hitting or dropping it on firm surfaces.
- Don’t use abrasive chemicals for cleaning showerheads.
Such measures can help you increase the lifespan of your showerheads.
4. Rust
Rust can only be found in showerheads made of metal. It is even common in those low-quality showerheads with reactive metal interiors, and the exterior is covered with chrome or brass plating. With rusting of metals, small metal particles can break and accumulate in tiny holes in the showerheads. At the same time, your showerhead will start looking unattractive from the outside.
How to Fix and Prevent?
Trying the toothpick or needle method will be great if you are looking for a quick fix. However, there are no ways to prevent this from reoccurring, as rusting cannot be stopped inside the showerhead.
The only way to prevent this is to get a good quality showerhead made from plastic or non-reactive metals. Replacing the low-quality part with a high-quality one will resolve your issue in the long term.
5. Incompatibility
Sometimes when you replace the showerhead, you note that the pressure is not great out of the showerhead while it was great from the plumbing pipes. The common reason is that the showerhead is incompatible with the prior plumbing. The showerhead is not clogged or bad by any means, but the incompatibility makes you face this issue that feels like a clogged showerhead.
How to Fix and Prevent?
The best fix and prevention technique for such situations is to find a showerhead that meets the exact specifications of the rest of the plumbing attachments. Buying the new showerhead by comparing it with the old one will help a lot. This way, you can prevent any low flow, leakages, and other issues with the showerhead and enjoy a great showering experience.
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Conclusion
Having a clogged showerhead does not necessarily mean it is time for a new one. Sometimes it only needs some cleaning and becomes good again for years. The key to comfortable showers is knowing that is causing clogs in showerheads and the right fix + prevention measures.
If you also face these issues, there are higher chances that the cause is among the ones we shared above. So, we hope you can fix your showerheads and make them work well for a long time.
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