How does changing the shower head increase water pressure? Shouldn’t the water be coming out at the same pressure throughout my house in spite of what shower head I have?
In: Engineering
Different shower heads have different flow rates, and some shower heads restrict the flow before it gets to the final nozzle, which results in a lower pressure stream. You get the best pressure when the restriction in flow is at the very end.
Diameter affects water pressure. If you have a single story home and the pipes are all the same diameter then the pressure will be even throughout up until the point where the diameter changes, such as a spigot or faucet. It’s like putting your thumb on the end of a hose. .the less space you allow water to escape through, the more the pressure builds up and forces the water out faster in a stronger stream. The pressure only changes at the point of restriction.
The shower head changes the nozzle size that the water comes out.
Pressure is force over an area . The force of the water doesn’t change, but the area that it occupies does.
Smaller nozzle means smaller area, smaller area means pressure increases.
You have a constant volume and pressure coming from your well or municipality.
Changing your showerhead changes the size of the exit hole. Doing that while still pushing the same volume and pressure will increase that pressure as the water tries to escape.
Think of it like exhaling. When you exhale out of a wide open mouth air really doesnt come out that “hard” now purse your lips and exhale the same and you’ll notice a dramatic increase in air moving out of your mouth.
When flowing through a pipe, water loses pressure proportional to how fast it is flowing (plus other factors). If you have a shower head that keeps a large diameter until small holes at the end, the water pressure is close to your main line, and the water comes out fast. If your holes are bigger, then water flowed faster getting to your shower, so it loses pressure. If the holes at the end are longer (as in, the water flows a longer distance while in the holes), the water loses pressure there. If your shower head has internal buildup, that causes pressure loss.
Thanks for the explanations, everyone!
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