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Cleaning a Blocked Aerator
If one tap is weak and the rest of the house is fine, start here. It costs nothing and it works more often than anything else on this site.
Free to homeowners in Cleaning a Blocked Aerator — the contractor pays us for the introduction, you never do.
The short answer
When one tap is weak and the rest of the house is fine, the small screen in the end of that spout is the first suspect, and checking it costs nothing. It unscrews, soaks clear of grit and scale, and refits — no parts and no visit.
What this site is
PressureTrace is a referral service, not a plumbing contractor. We connect homeowners with independent contractors. Contractors are required to hold whatever credential their state or municipality demands. Every state page sets out who licenses plumbers there and where to check, so you can confirm before work begins. We do not perform plumbing work, we do not set prices, and we never charge homeowners anything — the contractors in our network pay us when we route them a call.The aerator is the small screened insert in the end of the spout. It mixes air into the stream and it catches everything the water carries — grit, scale, fragments of pipe. As it blocks, the stream weakens and often sprays sideways.
How to do it
- Put the plug in, so nothing small disappears down the drain.
- Unscrew the aerator by hand, counter-clockwise looking up at it. If it is tight, wrap a cloth around it first and use pliers over the cloth so the finish is not marked.
- Note the order the parts come out in. There is usually a screen, a plastic insert and a rubber washer.
- Rinse it. If it is furred with scale, soak it in white vinegar for an hour and rinse again.
- Refit in the same order, hand-tight. Run the tap.
If it does not help
Try the fixture shut-off valve underneath — it may not be fully open. If the tap is still weak with a clean aerator and an open valve, the restriction is further back, and the other single-fixture causes are here. If every tap in the house is weak, this was never the problem — start with the whole-house checks instead.
Still not sure whether it is the whole house or one fixture?That distinction decides who you need and what it costs, and it takes one conversation. We route you to a contractor who covers your ZIP code, you are never charged, and if the answer turns out to be an aerator we will say so. And it need not be pressure — this number takes any plumbing problem.
Call (866) 838-2750