Water pressure using larger hose

[ewaldo]

Would going from 1/2" water hose to 3/4" hose give me more water pressure. I have 2003 Itasca, water pressure in shower very low.

 

[Sammie-WO]

Nope! Try cleaning the shower head restrictor. Sometimes there will be a buildup of calcium and or sand and dirt.

Sammie.

 

[Mr_D]

No, pressure will be the same, but the flow MIGHT increase. It depends on the smallest opening (restriction) to the flow.

 

[tom chelbana]

If you have a water filter in the system check it our replace. We have this to be a very common problem. Number 2 would be to go CW and they have special shower hose that also increase water flow. Tom

 

[#1FordFan]

I Haven't seen a shower head I liked out of the box in YEARS. To me even new ones area big fail. All these Water saver heads are terrible. Usually its not a big thing to fix with a 5/16ths drill bit and some times a dremal.
If you pop one apart and then see a 1/8th inch hole where all the water must go though you tknow that is where the problem is.

 

[sswilson]

Have you done anything with the pressure regulator at the source? If you are using a standard inline regulator sold at RV stops, they keep the pressure to 45# but also restrict the flow. There are adjustable ones out there which will allow much better volume thru at the same pressure eg: http://www.amazon.com/Valterra-A01-1117VP-Lead-Free-Adjustable-Regulator/sim/B003YJLAIK/2

 

[bukzin]

By the way, what is the name of the aftermarket shower head
many folks put in there coaches?

 

[Mr_D]

If you have a water filter in the system check it our replace. We have this to be a very common problem. Number 2 would be to go CW and they have special shower hose that also increase water flow. Tom

The shower head does not increase water flow, it simply adds air to the flow to make it seem like there is more water. In actuality it has less water flow than most other heads. We have two of them, one in the MH and the other in the stick house. In fact I plan on getting one for one of the other bathrooms.

 

[Mr_D]

By the way, what is the name of the aftermarket shower head many folks put in their coaches?

Body Spa RV Shower Kit by Oxygenics, white one on sale at CW right now for 32.99.

 

[SteveSkinner]

Would going from 1/2" water hose to 3/4" hose give me more water pressure. I have 2003 Itasca, water pressure in shower very low.

Short answer is no
Your pressure may be being reduced by aged filters or some external reason
I've noted that the cheap pressure reducers also limit volume.
Changing the hose will make no difference whatsoever.

 

[LandKinaMoho]

Review all above collective thoughts, good luck.

 

[TXiceman]

One big killer of flow is the little cheapo in line water regulators. Get a larger whole-house regulator.

Ken

 

[HOHDR]

Would going from 1/2" water hose to 3/4" hose give me more water pressure. I have 2003 Itasca, water pressure in shower very low.

Technically, the answer is yes. According to a table I found via Google, the pressure drop through 1/2" I.D. hose at 2.5 gpm is 7.75 psi per 100 feet of hose. Under the same conditions, pressure drop for 3/4" I.D. hose is 1.08 psi.

I suspect your supply hose is not 100 feet long! If it's 25 feet, the pressure drops become about 2 psi for 1/2" hose and 0.25 psi for 3/4" hose. Therefore, you probably wouldn't notice much difference if you switched to the larger diameter hose (if you could find it).

 

[ga traveler]

The shower hose on most showers in RV's have a fitting at the end of the hose that is very small. usually about a 1/8 in. hole. Check yours. If it has this end, replace the hose with a house type hose. I am speaking of the shower hose, not the garden hose. Also check the spud. The first thing I do when purchasing a new motorhome is to replace the shower hose and the spud. The spud is the fitting that screws into the shower faucet. Then the shower hose attaches to it.

 

[RGFlinn]

The other reason water flow won't increase with the larger hose is it is still connected to the water lines in the RV, which are 3/8 - 1/2" at best. In addition, fittings, shut off valves, all restrict flow more. You could use a 3" fire hose and water flow wouldn't increase in the RV. As suggested, start at the shower valve and hose, look for blockages or mineral deposits blocking the flow. Then move on to filters and operate all shut off valves to make sure they aren't causing issues.The Oxygenics shower head is a big improvement over the standard shower head, It seems like it's more flow when really it's just more air! You didn't mention a water regulator, so I won't jump on that one.

 

[flaggship1]

Every time flow and pressure comes up I remember garden hose 101. Stick your thumb in the hose - flow down pressure up. works with pipes - graduate them down and the pressure goes up - the water shoots out further from the end of the pipe but the flow would be somewhat diminished. Drainage pipes are big to move volume - flow. Irrigation pipes need pressure and are smaller and less flow to keep from flooding the field. While flow and pressure are not the same, they are related. The tables posted above surprise me a little as there seems to be more difference in flow than I would expect from an incremental change. But stands to reason more water can flow through a larger diameter. If you were emptying a large volume of water through a very small hose there would be lots pressure at the full diameter of hose. If the same water were moving out a 4 foot diameter pipe it would quickly flow out and pressure drop rapidly.

As others said - an adjustable water pressure regulator is first step. Next is cleaning screens etc. Next the Oxygenic's shower head. Also as said - the MH plumbing is going to limit things so not much you can do to change flow or pressure under those constraints.

 

[Triker56]

Therefore, you probably wouldn't notice much difference if you switched to the larger diameter hose (if you could find it).

Take your pick.
Don't know what ones are safe to drink from though.

If more is better here is a 1"

 

[NC Rob]

Based on experience I do the following: Replace small screen in hose annually, I use a pre-filter on the hydrant and a regular tank filter in the coach. Change per directions as they can clog. Also, if you have plenty of water available, run the internal pump when you are hooked up to well or city water for tons of pressure when you shower. I also purchased a $60.00 pressure regular with a gauge which also reduced the restriction on a cheaper restrictors.

 

[flaggship1]

It can look similar or better than this. Eek - can't get connection to hold to post pic.

 

[flaggship1]

It can look similar or better than this. Eek - can't get connection to hold to post pic.