George Stanford
Low water pressure can feel like one of those mysterious problems that just pop up out of nowhere. But I’ll tell you from experience, it always has a reason. And usually, that reason is hiding behind your walls or deep in your pipes.
“Why is the shower barely dripping?”
That’s what our customer asked when we showed up at their home. They were frustrated, and honestly, I would be too. You expect a nice hot shower after a long day, not a lukewarm trickle.
Recently, I was called to a two-story home here in Tulsa. The upstairs shower was acting up: lukewarm water and barely any pressure. At first glance, this sounds like a water heater issue, right? Not quite. Their other fixtures were fine. It was just this one bathroom.
There were two likely suspects:
1. A faulty shower cartridge
2. Hard water buildup clogging the plumbing
Let’s break those down in plain English.
Inside your shower valve, there’s a piece called a cartridge. Think of it like a traffic director for hot and cold water. It tells the water where to go, how hot to be, and how fast to flow.
When that cartridge fails, all bets are off. The water might come out too cold, too hot, or not at all.
In this case, it was letting some water through, but not enough hot water, and the pressure was weak. That little cartridge had basically quit on the job.
Now here’s the more sneaky culprit: mineral buildup.
Tulsa’s water can be pretty hard. Over time, calcium and lime deposits collect inside your pipes, especially in the bends and elbows where water slows down. We’ve pulled 90-degree fittings from behind walls that were almost solid white inside. No room for water to move.
In the customer’s case, we suspected the rough-in valve or the nearby piping was clogged with hard water minerals. That restricts the flow just like a kink in a garden hose.
First, we pulled out the cartridge and tried flushing the valve. That means turning the water on full blast with the cartridge removed to see if we could dislodge any debris. Sometimes that does the trick!
But if it doesn’t? You might need to cut into the wall to get access to the pipe. That’s a bigger job, but it’s often necessary if the clog is deeper in the line.
And here’s where I always tell folks: Please don’t try this yourself. I know YouTube makes it look easy, but you can do way more harm than good. I’ve seen walls ruined, valves broken, and even homes flooded by a well-meaning DIY attempt.
At Spot On Plumbing, we don’t just fix the issue, we back our work. All our repairs come with a 2-year parts and labor warranty. That’s peace of mind. And no guesswork.
If your home’s water pressure is starting to fade, don’t wait until it becomes a full-on problem. Give us a call. We’ll figure it out the right way, no fluff, no wasted time.
And remember:
We’re Your Dog’s Favorite Plumber!
Need help with low water pressure?
Call Spot On Plumbing today, Tulsa’s trusted plumbing pros.