Why Is My LED Showerhead Not Working?

Like all technology, LED Showerheads can occasionally stop working. Most often caused by a build-up of limescale and grime, it’s possible that by giving your showerhead a good clean it will work just fine and you will prevent yourself from spending money on hiring a professional.

The most likely cause is that a build-up of grime is preventing the full functionality of your LED showerhead. Giving it a thorough clean is likely to fix the issue, but if your showerhead still fails to work there could be a problem within the internal machine that may require a professional.

Several problems could affect your LED showerhead. Read the article below to explore what causes those problems, what actions you can take, and how you can prevent them from recurring in the future.

You will find information on how LED showerheads work, what prevents them from working, how to fix them – whether you can do it yourself or need to call a professional – and how to stop the problem from recurring in the future. By reading this article you can save yourself time and money by knowing how to troubleshoot your own LED showerhead.

When Should LED Showerheads Be Replaced?

LED showerheads do not require being upgraded at any more of a regular frequency than an ordinary showerhead.

Though many websites offer suggestions around how often to replace your showerhead, the times can vary from a few months to several years, so ultimately, it is up to you to make the judgment on when it needs to be replaced.

Professionals settle on around 6-8 months because of a showerhead being the perfect place for bacteria to thrive.

If you feel comfortable deciding when your ordinary showerhead needs replacing, you should be fine to decide when to replace your LED showerhead.

The only circumstance you would need to replace an LED showerhead more frequently than a regular one, would be due to a fault in the circuit, preventing the lights from working properly. In this instance, you may find that you are covered by a warranty.

Bear in mind with only around 2-3% of LED bulbs that break, you are unlikely to experience this problem. LED lamp failure has an industry standard of 3%.

If you clean your showerhead regularly and take preventative steps to stop calcium and grime build-up, you may find that you can extend its life.

By acting before there is a problem, you increase your chance of sustaining the quality of the product for longer. Continue reading below for tips on how to maintain a clean and healthy showerhead.

How Can I Maintain My Showerhead?

Due to the tiny bits of dirt, debris, minerals, and organic matter found in our water, it does not take long for a showerhead to become built up in grime.

It’s important to maintain a clean showerhead, not only to keep it working efficiently but also to protect your health. The humid bathroom environment creates the perfect breeding ground for bacteria to thrive. Do you really want to clean yourself with mold-infested water?

The best way to maintain your showerhead is to clean it regularly. Once a month is sufficient, but cleaning it once a week will eliminate build-up, and could further prolong its life.

A good way to decide on whether to clean your showerhead where it is or remove it completely is to assess the water flow. Does water still come out of each nozzle consistently? And is it maintaining its regular water pressure?

If the water flow is normal, you can leave the showerhead where it is and clean it with the tips I’ll describe further down in this article. However, if the nozzles are clogged, you may want to completely remove the showerhead for a deeper clean of the internal head as well as the external.

Using a natural solution can help protect your showerhead against the effect of harsh chemicals. Bear this in mind when cleaning your shower in general. The use of harsh chemicals can impact their surrounding products, whereas natural remedies are likely to keep products stronger for longer.

Make a note of the material that comprises your showerhead, if it is a protected metal surface such as chrome, harsh brushing could damage it.

Applying this method to an LED showerhead, carefully research the materials that your particular brand is made of. Any chemical substance has the potential to damage or wear the material down.

In regards to an LED showerhead, it is particularly important to ensure that your showerhead and seal remain strong as you need to prevent any liquid from damaging the inside mechanism or LED microchip.

To maintain a tight seal on your showerhead, wrap plumbing tape around the threads of the shower hose before screwing your showerhead onto it.

Why Is My LED Showerhead Not Working?

One of the most common reasons that an LED showerhead will stop working is because of a build-up of gunk, grime, and dirt behind the showerhead itself.

This clogging can cause the generator inside to stop spinning, no energy will be produced, and therefore, your lights will not work.

If your showerhead stops working it is a good idea to initially remove the showerhead and clean it. If this doesn’t fix the problem, you can explore other options.

It is an unlikely occurrence, around 2-3% of LED shower heads, that there is a problem with the lights themselves.

The LED is powered by a microchip smaller than the end of your little finger, if this is damaged or infiltrated by water, the lights will stop working, but this is a fault in the circuit, not the bulbs themselves. If the internal area of the showerhead has been damaged, you may not be able to fix it yourself.

Check your warranty and find out if you still qualify for a replacement product.

A problem with the wiring could also cause your LED lights to stop working, but it is important to remember that you shouldn’t try to repair damaged wires yourself unless you are an electrician. With a technical glitch, it’s always best to let a professional fix the problem for you.

If your LED lights begin to flash, it would suggest that the bulbs still function, but there is a problem with the power supply.

First, check your water supply and if that is at a consistent pressure, you may consider the fact one of the components inside (such as the turbine or rectifier) may not be working correctly.

How Can I Clean My Showerhead?

The best way to clean your showerhead is to remove it from the shower and soak it in a warm water solution.

CLR or calcium, lime, and rust remover is a popular product for cleaning a showerhead and will be effective in a 1:1 ratio with warm water.

Alternatively, you can make a natural solution with white vinegar in the ratio of three parts vinegar, to one part water.

For an even deeper clean add a couple of tablespoons of baking soda, being naturally abrasive it will help to remove any stubborn deposits.

As previously mentioned, when cleaning your showerhead, you need to check for leftover deposits in the head nozzles. You can gently remove these with a toothpick, just be careful not to poke it too far into the internal structure of the head.

Additionally, a tip on your safety is to work in well-ventilated areas any time that you are working with chemicals.

How Long Should You Soak A Showerhead In Vinegar?

Leave your showerhead soaking for several hours. If it has an extensive build-up of grime you can leave it overnight unless it is coated in brass, gold, or nickel.

If your showerhead has one of these coatings you will need to remove it from the vinegar after half an hour to prevent damage to the finish.

If you are worried about the effects of vinegar on your showerhead, you can create a natural cleaning solution without it:

Add a small amount of water to baking soda and work it into a paste. Apply this paste to your shower and leave for 30 minutes to one hour. Scrub the showerhead with a hard sponge to work away the grime and rinse thoroughly.

As an alternative solution, you can soak the showerhead in a bag of coca-cola as this can help to shift stubborn stains.

How Does An LED Showerhead Work?

LED showerheads do not require the use of electricity or batteries, instead, they contain a self-powered machine. This machine consists of a tiny turbine – similar to a waterwheel, – a rectifier, and the LED lights.

Each of these components is linked together by simple wires contained within the showerhead.

When water flows through the showerhead it turns the turbine, creating energy that the rectifier converts into hydroelectric energy, which powers the tiny lights in the microchip of the LED, causing it to glow!

Damage to any of these internal components will prevent your LED showerhead from working correctly. It is important to determine whether a component is broken, or whether something is preventing it from working correctly, such as a blockage.

Are LED Showerheads Safe?

As LED showerheads do not have electricity or battery power running through them, they are perfectly safe to use and carry no risk of electrocution.

Though hydroelectric power is created, it is only just enough to light the bulbs; not nearly enough to cause electrocution.

Additionally, LED showerheads can provide extra health benefits, such as built-in temperature control, or, a range of colored lights, the natural vibration of which can increase your wellbeing through chromotherapy.

Does My Shower Affect The Efficiency Of The Product?

Whilst LED showerheads are designed for all shapes, sizes, and designs of the shower; the functionality of your shower can play a vital role in the overall effectiveness of your product.

The biggest way in which your shower affects the LED shower lighting sits in its power capability. The stronger your water pressure, the more energy it will generate, and the brighter your bulbs will shine.

In comparison to an incandescent bulb, an LED sends out its stream of light in one direction. When you bear this in mind, you can appreciate that a greater strength of lighting will increase the distance that light can travel and the overall effect that it creates within your shower.

Lacking sufficient power through your water supply can prevent the LED showerhead from working, causing the bulbs to flicker or stop working entirely. We will explore the effects a lack of water pressure can have further down in the article.

What Do You Do If Your LED Showerhead Isn’t Working?

If your showerhead isn’t working, your first step should be to give it a good clean. An LED showerhead can be removed by unscrewing it, just the same as any other type of showerhead, but before doing this ensure that your faucet is turned off!

You don’t want water to come blasting out of the hose.

It is also important to ensure that you have everything you need to remove and refit the showerhead before you begin working on it. For example, many LED showerheads use plumbing tape for sealing, do you have this available?

You might find that the head is hard to unscrew if there is a build-up of limescale or calcium. There are different tools you can use to effectively remove a showerhead as described below.

Use pliers or a wrench to loosen the connection between the showerhead and the hose. If this doesn’t work try adding a spot of CLR to the connection. Then resume using your tools to gently release the showerhead.

Once removed the simplest and most efficient way to clean it, is to soak it in a warm water solution of vinegar in a 3:1 ratio with water, or, CLR in a 1:1 ratio with water.

Alternatively, you can leave your showerhead exactly where it is and still get it sparkling clean. If you don’t want to mess around with the plumbing of your shower, find a plastic bag with no holes (sandwich bags work well).

Fill it with one of the solutions mentioned above. Immerse your showerhead fully into the bag and use elastic bands or similar to hold the bag in place. Leave to soak.

Leave for a few hours before removing the bag. Then use a small brush – such as a toothbrush – to clean the remaining residue from your showerhead.

If cleaning the showerhead does not fix your problem, check your water supply.

Is the water pressure strong enough? If you don’t have enough water running through to generate the hydroelectric energy, the bulbs will not light up. Check that your water pressure is strong and stable.

A good indicator of an unstable water flow is that the bulbs flicker on and off, though flickering can also be caused by damage to the circuit.

If your bulbs are flickering, you can be sure that they are not the issue though.

If neither cleaning nor a water pressure check fixes your problem, you may require professional help. As many LED showerheads come with great warranties, your next step should be to contact your supplier, and if it cannot be fixed, ask them for a replacement.

But what do you do if you can’t fix it yourself and you have no warranty? Your easiest option in this scenario may be simply to buy a new showerhead, otherwise, you may end up calling on the services of a plumber and an electrician before you can establish what the problem is.

Weighing up the cost of your product versus the potential cost of professional services may help you to make this decision.

What Should I Do If My LED Showerhead Is Making a Noise?

An LED Showerhead is not so different from a regular showerhead, but, an LED showerhead does contain a mini turbine.

The fact that this turbine spins and turns every time you take a shower could create a whiny noise. Depending on the quality of the LED showerhead you have purchased, this function could be virtually silent, or it could make a significant noise each time you use it.

If your showerhead has made the whiny noise since you bought it, it’s quite possible that is how it is designed and there’s not a lot you can do about it, other than to upgrade your product.

However, if your showerhead is quiet when it arrives but becomes noisier over time, it is likely an indicator that the mechanism is becoming clogged and needs to be cleaned.

Conclusion

When experiencing problems with the functionality of your LED showerhead, the primary solution is to give the showerhead a good clean. Only if this does not work will you need to explore further whether there is a problem with the internal mechanism.