shower water pressure

One of the most common questions we get asked by our customers is about water pressure and whether or not a shower water filter will reduce the water pressure in homes.
In this article we will be discussing what water pressure actually is, how it is measured and how it is effected by a shower filter.


What is water pressure?

 

Simply put, water pressure is the word we use to describe how strong water is flowing through our shower heads. The actual pressure itself depends upon how much flow is getting through the shower pipe or shower head, the more water being pushed through the more pressure you will get.


The actual water pressure that we receive in our homes comes from our connection to the municipal water supply. Water that travels from the water company through large pipes and eventually into our homes is all pressurised, that is why if there is a break in the water pipe outside your home and you turn on the tap, then you will only get a trickle until that break is fixed.

 

Water pressure is measured in PSI (pounds per square inch) and the water companies deliver pressurised water at very high levels for their own needs, such as getting delivering water to fire hydrants.  Often water companies will deliver water over 150psi and this can actually be a bad thing for our homes, because at this high pressure it can cause major leaks and pipe damage.  In our homes water pressure should never be set higher than 80 PSI.

 

For homes which are not connected to the municipal water pipes, such as homes with well water and gravity feed water systems. Unless these homes have water pump of some sort they will not reach very high PSI levels.

 

You can test the water pressure in your home by using a simple water pressure gauge that you can get from a local hardware store.


Water Saving Considerations

 

These days most shower heads have a water saving device installed in them. This will generally limit the amount of water that flows through the shower. This saves a lot of water and is good for the environment, especially in homes that have high water pressure. A standard shower head can use 15 to 25 litres of water per minute but a water saving shower head uses as little as 6 to 7 per minute. So having high water pressure without a water saving shower head is going to cost you a lot of money.


Water Pressure and Shower Filters


Water pressure in showers is such a contentious issue, the amount of pressure desirable is often a matter of personal preference.  If you had two people and let them use the same shower with the same pressure, one person might think that the pressure was too low whereas another person might think it too high.

 

So when it comes to answering whether or not installing a shower filter will reduce the pressure so much that it no longer is adequate for a desirable shower experience, that's like asking how long is a piece of string.

 

As a rule of thumb, if you have at least 40 PSI in your home you should be OK to use any kind of shower filter and you probably will not notice a difference. If you have less than 40 PSI then you have very low water pressure in your home and any type of shower head is going to start to give very low shower pressure experience.

 

Most shower filters on the market will work with pressures that range from 20 - 80 psi. The lower the PSI the more chance you will notice a reduction in pressure in your shower after installing a shower filter.

 

We hope this article has given you a good understanding of water pressure in your home and also how that can affect installing a shower filter. If you're looking for a shower filter for low to high water pressure please do not hesitate to look at the high quality and affordable range of shower water filters from PureShowers.co.uk - the UK's number 1 shower filter store.