A weak jet: the aerator screen

Introduction

A crooked, pin-like or thin jet from one tap starts at the aerator screen, not at a tap you throw away. Undo it, rinse it, measure the thread. If every tap in the home is weak together, the screen is not the job.

How to tell it apart

One outlet, the others normal: it is the nozzle on that tap. Basin, bidet and handset are separate checks.

The jet leaves sideways or in a fan: the mesh is crusted. It is not the mixer cartridge.

With the tap shut, a drop falls from the spout: that is a dripping tap. Tape on the jet will not stop it.

Every tap weak, shower included: pressure or the system. Do not buy a screen for each outlet.

Likely causes

• Limescale in the aerator screen.
• An aerator screwed on askew, or the wrong size, after an earlier swap.
• A concealed aerator, which will not undo by hand and so never gets washed.
• Debris in the pipe after work on the plumbing.
• Low pressure in the whole home, or an isolator left half shut.

What to do now (€0)

1. Count the weak outlets. If they are all weak, stop: there is no nozzle to undo.
2. On a single tap, wrap a cloth and undo the nozzle by hand. The cloth saves the chrome. Pliers are not the first move.
3. If you see no thread, it is concealed: you need the kit key, not a wrench.
4. Rinse the mesh under the tap. If it is crusted, soak it in vinegar or citric acid, in a cup, then rinse. Do not pour the acid on the worktop if it is marble or stone.
5. Refit by hand. If the male thread weeps, two or three turns of PTFE with the screw. If the spout weeps, the tape is the wrong tool.

A small DIY step

1. Before you buy, see whether the thread is male or female and read the size: M22, M24 or M28. They are not a guess.
2. A multi-pack is a category example, not an order to buy ten. One piece is enough, in the size you measured.
3. The cards, if the quiz shows them, follow the thread. If you have not measured it yet, do not pick a card.
4. A stripped thread or a tap in the wall: do not keep forcing it. That is not a small DIY step.

Mistakes to avoid

• Pliers on the chrome at the first try.
• A “universal” aerator with no measurement.
• PTFE on the spout, where you need a washer or a cartridge.
• Vinegar or acid left on marble or stone.
• Descaler mixed with bleach.
• Treating a drop across the whole home as a dirty screen.

When to call a professional

A plumber if the thread is stripped, if the tap is in the wall, or if a clean screen still leaves a poor jet.

If the neighbours are weak too, or the whole flat is, the building manager and a plumber: pressure or the system, not your basin.

Safety

Do not mix bleach with ammonia or with acids and descalers. Gloves, air, read the label, stop if you smell fumes. Vinegar and acids do not go on marble or natural stone: soak the screen in a glass, not on the worktop.

Questions people ask