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How To Fix Low Water Pressure in Bathroom Sink?

Don’t you hate it when you enter your bathroom after a long day and witness the water trickling at a slow stream? It affects your daily activities, but it also drastically affects your bathroom activities. Low water pressure is often a common issue in several households.

But, do you even realize why it happens? The issue could be due to issues with the shutoff valve, wrongly fitted valves, and issues with the faucet aerator. Sometimes, a clog or leak in the pipeline can also affect the water pressure.

This article will explore everything about low water pressure in the bathroom sink and how you can fix the issue with a few simple steps.

Reasons For Low Water Pressure in Bathroom Sink

Lower water pressure in the bathroom sink could be due to malfunctions in the bathroom faucet or other associated leaks. We’d recommend you check the water pressure in the kitchen, not just the bathroom. Sometimes, the issues lie in the entire house and not just in the bathroom.

Let us explore some of the common reasons for low water pressure:

1. Flow Restrictor

The easiest way to check the reason behind the low water pressure in the bathroom sink is by assessing the flow restrictor. If a flow restrictor is in place, it could drastically reduce the water pressure.

If you aren’t aware of a flow restrictor, it restricts the water flow by creating an obstruction. Generally, it is shaped like a small, round plastic disc with an aerator mesh.

While it reduces the water flow, it shouldn’t reduce it drastically. For example, if you notice that the water pressure in the bathroom sink is too low, there could be further issues. Ideally, if the hole in the flow restrictor is too small, it can lead to poor water pressure.

Additionally, a clog in front of the hole of the flow restrictor can also lead to low water pressure in the bathroom sink.

2. Clogs in the Water Aerator

If the flow restrictor is in place, the next factor worth looking at is the water aerator. The mouth of the aerator features a wire mesh that contributes to consistent flow by aerating the water.

Clogged Bathroom Sink

Besides aerating, the component also filters the water to ensure clean water output. If the water supply in your area is very unclean, the collection of debris in the mouth of the water aerator can lead to clogs and hence lower water pressure.

Clean the aerator as frequently as possible. Sometimes, you have to run it underwater to get rid of the excess dirt, and you are good to go.

3. Shut-off Valves aren’t Fully Opened

The water shut-off valves underneath the bathroom sink play multiple functions. However, if the valves aren’t completely open, it can restrict the water flow drastically.

If you have had maintenance recently with the valves closed, we’d recommend checking them now. Sometimes, the incomplete opening of the shut-off valves makes the water trickle slowly out of the tap.

This is a very simple reason and often one of the most common ones that people brush aside and don’t pay much attention to.

4. Clogs in the Pipeline

Have you checked all the taps in your bathroom and kitchen? Is the water flow less and trickling in those areas as well?

Ideally, if that is the case, the chances are that there are clogs in the pipeline. However, if you aren’t skilled enough to tackle those issues, we’d recommend hiring a plumber to check the entire pipeline.

The clog could be due to the accumulation of construction debris, leaves, dirt, and even mineral deposits that build up over time. Prolonged deposition of the minerals can eventually narrow the supply lines, slowing down the water pressure in the pipeline.

How To Fix Slow Water Flow in Bathroom Sink?

Once you determine the cause of low water pressure in the bathroom sink, the next thing to do is find quick fixes. There are quite a few temporary and permanent fixes available, depending on the cause affecting the low pressure.

Here’s what you can do:

1. Open the Shut-off Valves

If your sink’s shut-off valves aren’t fully opened, the first step is to find them and fix that. You can find the valve underneath the bathroom sink. However, if you have a separate vanity cabinet, the shut-off valves could also be inside.

Shut-off Valves

While keeping your bathroom sink’s tap open, turn the shut-off valves counter-clockwise. Do this until the valve is completely open. Then, if the water pressure increases gradually, you’d know that was the reason.

2. Remove the Water Aerator

If the shut-off valves weren’t the issue, the water aerator’s next factor worth considering. Use a rug to fix the faucet outlet when taking out the water aerator.

Parts of Water Aerator

For removing the aerator, use tongue and groove pliers with a good grip to take out the aerator comfortably out of the pipeline. You have to twist it in the counter-clockwise direction to unscrew the aerator.

Once done, open the sink tap and check if it improves the water pressure or not. If you take out the aerator, clean it too before putting it back inside.

3. Turn off your Water Supply

As weird as it sounds, you need to do that if the issue with low water pressure is around the entire pipeline of the house.

The main household of the water shutoff valve is generally near the water meter. So, check around that area. Once you find it, you can shut it off until you can fix any clogs or leaks preventing the normal water flow.

4. Remove the Shut-off Valve

Sometimes, issues with the sink shut-off valve are beyond a simple switch on and off. In such cases, we’d recommend eliminating the entire shut-off valve for easy functioning.

To start by opening the bathroom sink faucet to prevent trapped water pressure that might burst out. Next, you need to loosen and remove the flexible hose attached to the shut-off valve. This is your first step.

Take the compression fitting using an adjustable wrench and then fix it around the valve to remove it entirely.

5. Flush or Clean the Water Supply Lines

If the issue is with the main pipeline or water supply line in the house, you need to pay attention to the bigger picture. The most common issue is with possible clogs or deposits in the pipelines. What you can do is tend to the issue directly.

The easiest way to flush the water supply line is by following the steps mentioned:

  • Start by switching off the water supply lines by turning off the main valves.
  • Once done, you need to turn on the hot and cold shut-off valves using a wrench or manually.
  • Once the valves are open, direct them to a bucket to collect the water.
  • Switch on the main water supply and let the water run for 10-15 seconds.

This will flush out clogs, dirt, debris, and other obstructions in the pipeline, thereby improving the low water pressure in the supply lines.

6. Replace the Water Supply Lines

If the basic cleaning and flushing of water supply lines don’t work, be assured that the problem is bigger than it looks.

Sometimes, the mineral deposition is beyond normal, leading to irreparable obstruction. In such cases, you can change the entire water supply line instead.

These can be expensive, but it is always better to get the issues fixed in the primitive stages before they turn for the worse.

7. Get Professional Help

If you aren’t equipped enough to understand and fix the pipeline issues, we’d recommend calling a plumber. They can run thorough testing and check throughout the housing pipeline to find the cause and fix the issue accordingly.

Do Sink Faucets Have Flow Restrictors?

Water conservation is a need of the hour, especially with climate change’s alarming issues.

Laws now suggest that any new faucet manufactured and sold after 1994 has to be sold with flow restrictors as a mandate. So, every sink faucet you buy now comes with a built-in flow restrictor for water conservation.

If the built-in flow restrictor isn’t working in your faucet, you can get it replaced without any hassle.

How Do I Increase Water Pressure in My Sink Faucet?

The easiest way to increase water pressure in the sink faucet is by following the common fixes that we have recommended above. Ideally, we’d recommend that you first check the cause of low pressure in the faucet before implementing any fixes.

The first thing you want to do is check for possible clogs or leaks. Sometimes, the most common issue is with the obstructions inside the pipeline.

We’d highly recommend hiring a plumber to check the issue instead of doing it manually. DIY procedures offer temporary fixes and not long-term solutions.

How Do I Remove the Aerator from My Bathroom Sink?

The water aerator is present at the end of the faucet. So, if you presume the issue is with the water aerator, we’d recommend removing the aerator first.

You can reach the end of the faucet and manually remove the aerator by unscrewing it. If the aerator is tightly bound, we’d recommend using a wrench to loosen it.

Once you take out the aerator, you have to check for mineral deposits or debris in it. The most common reason behind low water pressure is a clogged aerator.

How Do You Fix a Clogged Aerator?

If you live in an area with extremely hard water, mineral deposits are very prevalent on the water aerator.

The easiest way to fix that clog is by assessing the level of damage first. If the layer of debris isn’t that thick, we’d recommend using a toothbrush to clean off the clog.

How Do You Clean Bathroom Sink Aerator?

If it’s not a simple clog but thick mineral deposits, you’d have to work harder to clean it. Once you remove the clogged water aerator, soak it in vinegar-water solution.

You should leave it in the solution overnight for better results. Doing so will allow the acids from the vinegar to dissolve the mineral deposits from the mesh, opening up the clogs.

Once you are done cleaning, rinse it thoroughly under normal water before plugging it back into the faucet.

Wrapping Up

Low water pressure in the bathroom sink can disrupt your daily routine. From brushing your teeth to doing your daily makeup routine, there’s a lot you have to compromise. So, finding the cause and fixing the issue should be prioritized. We hope this article gives you all the information you need to fix the low water pressure in the bathroom sink.