As a homeowner, one of the most important numbers you need to have on your phone is your local, reputable, Sydney emergency plumbing firm. This is important, if something goes wrong at home you’re not going to want to take the time to find a plumber.
In fact, you’re likely to ring the first number you can find. If you’ve already got a plumber that you like and trust, you’re going to feel a lot more confident contacting them in an emergency.
Your shower head leaking may not constitute an emergency, only you can decide if it is and whether you should speak to a plumber.
Turn It Off
A leaking shower head means you have a leak from the piece that lets the water out for you to shower under. Clogs can force the water out of the head in the wrong places. Minerals and other contaminants can gather in the showerhead and gradually block the openings. When this happens the water must find an alternate escape route, that’s the leak.
Shut the water off to your bathroom and then unscrew the showerhead from its pipe. You can then disconnect the pipe from the shower controls and remove the head from the other end of the pipe. Run water through the pipe to ensure it is clean and clear.
Next, unscrew the cover of the showerhead, it should just twist apart. This facilitates access to the showerhead. It’s worth taking a few moments to clean it and remove all the dirt and grime inside. This will unclog the pores which can resolve the issue.
Soaking
The simple method is as above, remove the head and empty it. Of course, sometimes the debris is too contained to simply brush or rinse off. If this is the case unscrew the showerhead and place both parts in a bowl of white vinegar for eight hours. This will dissolve the contaminants on the showerhead and allow you to rinse the head, removing all the debris and leaving it, and the shower holes, clean.
If you have any issues after eight hours then you’ll need to use a toothpick or something similar to poke the debris through the holes and clean the shower head properly.
If this doesn’t work an air compressor should, just keep it on a low setting.
Your Showerhead Seal
A shower head seal is made from rubber and will deteriorate over time, this can create a leak. This means that the water will continue to leak out of the showerhead even after you’ve cleaned it thoroughly.
To deal with this you’ll need to replace the washer in your shower head or the seal around the edge. All you have to do is purchase the correct replacement washer and exchange it with the defunct one.
Check after each repair attempt to see if you’ve solved the issue. Knowing what caused it will help you deal with future issues.
