You picked a new showerhead, installed it, turned on the water… and it’s just not what you expected. Maybe the pressure is weak. Maybe it sprays weird. Maybe it takes forever to heat up. You start thinking: did I buy the wrong one?

At Golden Valley Plumbing, we’ve been called to dozens of Sacramento homes with that exact question — and we’ve seen how often the showerhead isn’t the real problem. The good news? It’s usually fixable.

It’s not always about the showerhead

Here’s something we explain to customers all the time: a fancy showerhead can only perform as well as the system behind it. If the pressure’s low, the water lines are clogged, or the valves are old, even the best showerhead won’t feel great.

We’ve seen brand-new showerheads connected to:

• Old galvanized pipes full of mineral buildup
• Low-flow restrictors combined with already-low city pressure
• Valves that only open halfway due to corrosion or wear

In those cases, replacing the head changes nothing — and we get the call.

What we actually check (before blaming the fixture)

When we’re called out for a shower head that’s underperforming, we don’t just swap the fixture. We:

• Check static and dynamic water pressure
• Inspect the internal valve behind the wall (the real flow controller)
• Flush the lines for debris or sediment
• Make sure there’s no cross-connection stealing hot water

Sometimes, the fix is as simple as removing an extra flow restrictor. Other times, we end up replacing a valve that’s decades old and halfway shut.

A better install from the start

We’ve found that most showerhead issues can be avoided with a bit of planning. When we do a new install, we ask about water pressure, pipe type, heater distance, and what you actually want the shower to feel like. Then we recommend fixtures that match your setup — not just what’s trendy in the aisle.

Bottom line

If your new showerhead isn’t living up to the promise, it might not be the showerhead. Sacramento homes often have older plumbing that needs a closer look. At Golden Valley Plumbing, we don’t just install fixtures — we make sure they work. Let us figure out what’s really slowing down your shower.