Shower restrictors help people conserve water. Water restrictors, commonly called flow restrictors, are designed to reduce the water flow in a shower head to 2.5 gallons per minute. The National Energy Act requires that shower head manufacturers install a flow restrictor or flow controller in shower heads. The water restrictor is intended to save people money on water and energy bills, but if you live in an area with low water pressure, the flow restrictor can reduce your shower to a thin drizzle of water. Removing the water restrictor will return your shower pressure to normal, but it may also increase your water bills. Remove the shower head from the shower arm pipe with a wrench. If the shower head has a nut that is plastic or you wish to avoid scratching the chrome of the shower head nut, wrap a rag around the nut and use the wrench to turn the shower head nut and remove it. Inspect the shower head connection. Remove the shower screen, if any. Unbend the end of the paper clip and use it to pry up the gasket or black o-ring located inside of the shower head and remove it.

Take care not to damage the gasket as you do so. Remove the flow restrictor, which is a plastic disc that covers the shower head inlet located behind a star-shaped metal piece in the shower head. Hook the paper clip under one section of the flow restrictor and twist it to pry up and remove the flow restrictor. Insert the gasket into the shower head and slide it back down into its seat. Place the shower screen back into the shower head. Remove the Teflon plumber's tape from the threaded end of the shower arm. Wrap a new piece of Teflon plumber's tape around the threaded end of the shower arm. Screw the shower head connector back onto the shower arm with a wrench. Things You Will Need Wrench Rag Paper clip Teflon plumber's tape Warning References Shower Store: All About Shower Head Water Pressure Photo Credits Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images Suggest a Correction My mom has very thick hair and typical low flow shower heads take a very long time to rinse her hair. I decided that I would look online for some high flow shower heads and can't seem to find anything with a flow of more than 2.5GPM.

I've seen some where people have commented that they were able to remove a flow restrictor to improve flow, but no one states what the new flow rate would be. While I would prefer to find a shower head that has a high flow without modification, I would be amenable to one that the restrictor can be removed but would still want to know what the flow rate is once modified. Can anyone provide direction? First as Henry Jackson mentions the low flow shower heads are part of the the water consumption laws passed in the US. I am not sure how the US compares to other countries. I have done construction in France and in Spain and nobody has mentioned this to me and I never really thought about the pressure after installation - if I were to guess they seem to have a lot of pressure. Removing the restrictor (sometimes referred to as the flow control by some manufacturers) is probably the easiest thing to do. Actually let me take it one step further. Given the green restrictor you see in the picture above, I don't want to totally take it out.

This is because the depth of the gasket that is over this may not match up well with this out and could be loose. Prefinished Engineered Hardwood Flooring ReviewsSo I like to just remove the center part of the restrictor and put it back in how it was. Gun Safe Movers NjBoom - half of the shower heads I had issues with are fine after this.Patio Furniture Cushions Montreal The next factor we have to think about is how much water is making its way to the shower valve. The size of the plumbing will determine how much water your shower is getting. Most showers in the US are fed with 1/2" PEX or copper. This should be plenty to get a pretty powerful shower. If you have 3/8" or 1/4" feeding your shower this could cause low flow.

But this is usually pretty costly to fix and includes opening bathroom walls. Some people will differ with my take on the 1/2" being enough and say that a shower head needs 3/4" - this is more personal preference but you can get a good shower from 1/2" in my opinion. Then to go along with the amount of water pumped to the shower head another restriction point is the filter of your shower valve shown below. If you have a newer shower valve they will come with on or two filters (hot/cold). These become clogged and restrict water flow. In the picture below there would be a mesh filter under the two smaller gaskets. These can get clogged with mineral deposits or "dirty" water. To clean these you can get a new filter from manufacturer or often you can just soak the screen in vinegar. If the filters are really clogged often they will have damaged the filter mechanism enough that you will have to replace. The next factor is if the head pressurizes the water. Some manufacturers do a turbine type of effect that pushes out the water faster.

Others restrict the water before outputting which increases pressure. Others add air into the mix to create pressure. And others do something else or a combination. This is really "what to buy" thing. I don't want to get buying advice but I have bought these types and have been happy. The last factor that I can think of is how many outlets the shower head has and how big they are. The less outlets for water to go through and the smaller they are will lead to more PSI output. This is really a buying question too and one where you want to read specs and reviews on a shower head. I tend to go for the mulit-function ones below that can adjust through 5-10 stages. Usually 2-3 of them outputs pretty high. (The picture below is not a recommendation, just an example) In the US the low-flow shower heads are mandated by federal law, so it may not be easy to find a non-restricted one. I am not a lawyer but I would think that advertising the un-restricted flow rate would be a subversion of the law and therefore unlikely to be legal.