Plumbing question

[john in la]

Is it the shower valve or the shower head that restricts water flow ????

With that in mind can you still buy a full flow shower valve/head ???

 

[Patsdeere]

It can be both. Take the head off, look for a disk with a bunch of holes. That's the restrictor. Or try it with no head. If flow isn't much better, then you know it's the valve.

 

[john in la]

I have not bought the valve or head yet.
New shower install.
So I'm looking for advise on what to look for and buy that will give me the largest flow.

 

[the tractor vet]

I don't know where ya would find a new valve that is not a resister , Been this way for the last 30+ years ,

 

[buickanddeere]

Found a restrictor in both the head and the supply end of the hose . Decent spray now instead of a drizzle .

 

[NDIHC]

I put in a new shower head about 5 years ago. I left the restrictor out. After about 3 days my wife and kids asked me to put it back in. That thing could really sting you!

 

[Ultradog MN]

The US passed legislation about 37 years ago restricting the flow of water in all new residential facuets. It is not done in the shower head but in the size of the ports in the valve itself. They also mandated all shower valves have a balancing/anti scald function built into them.
You may be able to further reduce the flow by changing the shower head but you will never be able to get the flow that was available before about 1987.
About the same time they also mandated the new low 1.6 gpf (gallons per flush) toilets.

 

[john in la]

Thanks Jerry
I was hoping you would see this post as I know you do bath remodels.

[b:654c4848f0]mandated all shower valves have a balancing/anti scald function[/b:654c4848f0]

Even in two handle faucets ????

[b:654c4848f0]not done in the shower head but in the size of the ports in the valve itself[/b:654c4848f0]

So you saying I should be looking for a tub valve and just divert the hose up to the shower head instead of a tub spout. Then I can just worry about the flow rate of the shower head.

 

[da.bees]

If restrictions on plumbing fixtures and water consumption fail to make you feel warm inside maybe this will. A several acre marsh and lake mysteriously appeared near downtown Dallas several years ago. Having seen the marsh from the interstate overpass an outdoor enthusiast took his kayak there for weekend camping and bird watching. After noticing absence of certain plants and amphibians he suspected pollution and took water samples. State water resources lab found chemicals that could only be present in treated public water. You guessed it,city of Dallas public water main had been leaking billions of gallons for years. After layers are peeled back and costs estimated maybe Santa Clause will reimburse 100%. I believe some holes need reamed out and I'm not talking about those in shower fixtures.

 

[MarkB_MI]

Pretty much every shower head has a restrictor you can remove. Remove your existing shower head and you'll probably see a plastic doohickey inside the female pipe fitting. Grab it with a pair of needlenose pliers and it should come out.

 

[Ultradog MN]

Sorry,
It has been so long since I installed a two handle faucet that I kinda forget about them.
The two handle valves do not have the balancing function. But they did restruct the flow.
Are we working on a tub? A tub with shower? Or just a stand up shower ie no tub?
Most valves will have an outlet on both top and bottom. I can't tell from the photo if that has the bottom outlet. If you want it for tub with shower you need to use a spout with the diverter valve.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

With that in mind can you still buy a full flow shower valve/head ???

If you can't buy one, make one. Start out with the smallest drill bit and work our way up.

 

[john in la]

I am replacing a tub only with a stand up shower with a seat in it. So it will be a shower only.

The picture is just a quick look on internet.

The existing valve on the tub it 3 pieces. 2 valves and a tub spout. They are connected by hoses not the brass fittings in the picture. It has good flow. I could use similar and just run the hoses to the shower head.

Im thinking a tub valve doesnt restrict water flow because it is not like a shower or kitchen sink where you run it for an extended time. Plus with restrictions it would take forever to fill the tub.

I was looking on the net last night and it seems pretty easy to bypass the shower head restriction.

 

[Russ from MN]

We bought a new bathroom vanity faucet recently and the supply tubes are only 1/4, that pretty much restricts the flow to what they want!

 

[Stephen Newell]

Could be either, the shower head could be plugged up or the valve may be plugged up. Calcium deposits build up on anything. Take the shower head off and see if the holes look restricted. If you have another shower head you might stick that on and see if there is any difference.

 

[DoubleO7]

You could always make your own valve arrangement.
No restrictions here.
I would not use hoses.

 

[ss55]

We have very good luck with Niagara brand shower heads, I prefer the 1.5 and 1.75 GPM models. Good coverage at low flow rates.

www.amazon.com/s?k=niagara+shower+head&crid=2BAP0HNDG4SE5&sprefix=niagara+shower%2Caps%2C129&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_14

I install adjustable flow valves with a large handle so each person can fine tune to whatever they prefer.

www.amazon.com/Watflow-Shower-Garden-Control-Restrictor/dp/B08S334FDH/ref=sr_1_31?crid=188PZIKX5DAV6&keywords=shower%2Bhead%2Bflow%2Bcontrol%2Bvalve&qid=1692028656&sprefix=shower%2Bhead%2Bflow%2Bcontrol%2Bvalve%2Caps%2C150&sr=8-31&th=1

 

[1948CaseVAI]

Prolly just a restrictor washer in the shower head, easy to pull out with needle nose pliers. No worries. I always had my plumber remove them before installation but I saw how trivial it was.

 

[shaun wallace]

I had shower head that would hardly get you wet. Took apart, had 5/32 hole in it, drilled out to 3/16 then it got you wet.

 

[steve_in_mo]

It's not that simple.
The shower valve might have an anti-scald setup inside.
They don't work properly with a flow-restricted shower head.
You have to go over things carefully.