A flow restrictor is a device or a tool that is installed in almost all of the faucets in your household.
The purpose of the tool is to limit the water that is flowing through the faucet in order to, both maintain the water pressure that is generated in the faucet and also to reduce the amount of water that is being consumed.
This way, it also saves you a lot of cash that you would have to spend paying the water bill due to extra consumption of the water.
Why Would You Need To Remove The Flow Restrictor From The Bathroom Faucet?
Sometimes the pressure of the water or the rate at which water is coming out of the faucet is not enough or too slow, and so it gets really hard to operate with it.
In such a case, you might feel the need to remove the flow restrictor from the bathroom faucet.
How To Remove The Flow Restrictor From The Bathroom Faucet?
There are two basic ways of how to remove the flow restrictor from the faucet in your bathroom.
One of the most basic ones is by simply using your fingers. All you have to do is unscrew the flow restrictor if it’s a single flow restrictor and then pull it out.
However, in some cases, people such as me prefer not to put their fingers in there.
And also, if the flow restrictor is an aerator flow restrictor, then due to the aerator, you might find it difficult to remove the flow restrictor using your fingers.
Therefore, another technique that I have personally tried and you can try as well is given below, with each step explained in detail for both a single flow restrictor and an aerator flow restrictor.
How To Remove A Single Flow Restrictor From The Bathroom’s Faucet?
Step 1:
The first step is to identify which type of flow restrictor is installed in the faucet. Once you are sure it is a single flow restrictor, you can begin the process of removing it.
Step 2:
For this step, you are going to need an adjustable wrench and do not forget to use protection; otherwise, you might cause damage to the faucet.
Once you have the protection on, twist the faucet head and then easily remove the flow restrictor without causing any damage to the faucet’s surface.
Step 3:
Now all you have to do is clean the flow restrictor and take out all the minerals etc. that have clogged in it and are causing the low pressure of the water.
Once it is cleaned, you can put it back in there.
How To Remove An Aerator Flow Restrictor From The Bathroom’s Faucet?
Once you are done inspecting the flow restrictor, and you are pretty sure that it is an aerator flow restrictor, you can begin the following steps.
The process of removing it becomes slightly complicated as the restrictor is now inside the aerator, and that results in complications.
But don’t worry because I will guide you through each step of the way.
Step 1:
The most important step is to block the drain as opening up the faucet will involve some pretty small-sized pieces that fit here and there, and there’s a possibility they might fall through the sink.
If you block the drain, you will be ensuring that they stay in the sink.
You can do so by simply putting anything that covers the holes over it or by using the drain blocker if you have any available.
Step 2:
Now you can proceed onto the process of removing the flow restrictor.
For that, you will need to locate the aerator, as the flow restrictor is inside the aerator.
Once you have located the aerator, start unscrewing it.
Step 3:
If the aerator is hard to unscrew, it is probably due to the fact that it is clogged due to the minerals that are deposited around it all the time.
In such a case, the best solution is to use an adjustable wrench. This way, you will be able to pull the aerator out without causing any damage to any of the other parts.
If you are using a wrench, then as we mentioned earlier, it can cause damage to the parts, so it’s important to use some protection such as rubber.
Now rotate in a counter-clockwise direction with the wrench to pull the aerator out.
Step 4:
Now turn the aerator upside down and see if you can find any flat-screen type object, that’s the flow restrictor.
If you see it, detach it. You shouldn’t have any difficulty in doing so.
Step 5:
If you don’t want to touch the flow restrictor with your fingers, you can take it out using a screwdriver.
For this, the simplest way is to use a flat head screwdriver and to apply a little pressure on one side of the flow restrictor, and the other side automatically pops out.
Step 6:
Once you are done, just like in the last process, clean out the flow restrictor, wash all the clogged minerals off of its surface and then put it back in the aerator and again with the screwdriver apply a little pressure and it will fall back into its place.
Conclusions
If you feeling like the pressure of water from the faucet is not good enough, the major problem could be that the flow restrictor is clogged.
In this case, the best thing to do is to take it out and clean it and then install it back in place. This should increase the water pressure.
While doing it, make sure that you use protection while using the wrench or screwdriver so you don’t damage the surface of the flow restrictor and also don’t forget to block the drain before starting the process.
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