Why Is My Shower Head Squealing?
Have you ever gotten into your shower and, a few minutes in, started hearing a shrill, squealing noise coming from your shower head? If you don’t find that very annoying, good for you, but you should find it concerning. These are a few reasons why your shower head might be screeching at you every time you try to get clean.
If you have hard water in your home — meaning it has traces of minerals and sediments — that can be a problem for your plumbing. Those mineral and sediments can build up on the inside of your showerhead and make it harder for water to flow through it, causing the squealing.
Short-term: You can wrap a plastic bag of distilled vinegar around the showerhead for an hour to remove the buildup.
Long-term: You should add a water softening system to your home to prevent this (and other) plumbing problems from happening again.
Water pressure can vary in homes, and while low water pressure isn’t that great, high water pressure can be much worse. If the water pressure in your shower is too high, the strong force can move through your shower head too quickly and make it squeal.
Installing a water pressure regulator can control your pressure levels and help stop the squealing.
If you’ve had the same shower head for a while, it could be damaged or have a broken part. If there are any stray items in the shower head stem, such as a rock or screw — yes, it happens — your shower could be a noisy one.
After a while, it’s best to replace your shower head and choose a low-flow model anyway.