Low water pressure in shower…

[Doc Daneeka 6769]

… just started today, out of nowhere. 

Figured the shower head might be clogged so I cleaned it. No difference. I took it off. No difference. 

Everywhere else in the house, including everything else in the bathroom, has the same pressure as always. 

Water in the shower is controlled by a single lever to mix the hot and cold. Everything is original and more than 25 years old, if that might indicate something worn out somewhere  

Is there anything feasible for me to try or do I just need to call a plumber?

Thanks…

[Bevo 13560]

53 minutes ago, Doc Daneeka said:

… just started today, out of nowhere. 

Figured the shower head might be clogged so I cleaned it. No difference. I took it off. No difference. 

Everywhere else in the house, including everything else in the bathroom, has the same pressure as always. 

Water in the shower is controlled by a single lever to mix the hot and cold. Everything is original and more than 25 years old, if that might indicate something worn out somewhere  

Is there anything feasible for me to try or do I just need to call a plumber?

Thanks…

 

It seems to me that it would have to be scale at the shutoff (if there is one - usually there isn't} or in the diverter. If the diverter has a cartridge, soak the shower diverter cartridge in a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar for at least 30 minutes. White distilled vinegar is best.

Unfortunately, when doing this you should shut off the water. Unless you happen to have a separate cutoff valve installed in the bathroom, you will have to shut off the water to the whole house. And that requires a tool.

If you aren't real handy, and don't like what you have anyway, I wonder if you can buy a new shower diverter from home depot and have them install it. It may be cheaper than whatever the plumber charges. If you are handy, you should probably google your make and style (single handle) of diverter and see what youtube videos pull up.

Scale or corrosion can also occur in the pipes if they are galvanized but I think that is unlikely. And I'm not a plumber so <disclaimer>.

Edited October 19 by Bevo

[Doc Daneeka 6769]

That makes sense. Copper pipes. I’m fine with the diverter but I have too much college football to watch to mess with it a lot today. I did figure which size hex wrench gets the handle off, so I’m going to call that a win, top off my Bloody Mary, sit back down. 
 

I feel like if it were something tragic with the lines I’d know that by now, so we’ll see what Monday brings. 
 

Thanks.

[Mother mopar 3318]

The only change to upthread is to forget soaking the cartridge. Change it, the orings are rotted, cracked, elonagated due to time, and when you soak it in harsh chemicals it makes.a bad oring worse It's gonna leak, just change it and be done. 

You could technically bounce check the orings for hardness for resuse. However, that's not common practice outside the industrial sector.

Edited October 19 by Mother mopar

[HOOKEM4 5036]

This maybe doesn't fit your symptoms, but had a prv go bad by the meter. Pressure would start high and taper down as water ran. Are you sure everywhere else is fine pressure wise? New prv installed and everything is great now.

[jimmyjazz 45880]

Is the low pressure on both the hot and cold sides?  Hot side only could indicate a mineral buildup in the valve or even upstream at a junction.

[AnTiM 1666]

Maybe due to my pet peeve, a plumber somewhere upstream who does not open the first faucet downstream of a repair before turning the supply back on.  This allows most scale dislodged during the job to exit the system before entering the house fixtures, some of which have very small orifices and are easily blocked.

[Muny_Tex 293]

Didn't read the thread, but never seen a pressure issue that the Commando 450 shower head could not easily solve.

[HornOnTheBayou 8905]

55 minutes ago, Muny_Tex said:

Didn't read the thread, but never seen a pressure issue that the Commando 450 shower head could not easily solve.

They're all made in the former Yugoslavia, and from what I hear the Serbs are fanatic about their showers.