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winonelson

Rain shower head drips when other heads are turned on. Ideas?

8 years ago

I just moved back into my completely renovated house. I added a master bedroom suite with a beautiful bathroom (all new construction). Put California Faucets products in the bath, including a "regular" shower head, a hand shower, and a rain shower head. Usually, I just use the regular shower head. But whenever I'm standing there, the rain shower head starts dripping cold water on me. Mind you, this happens only after a few minutes in the shower and it happens whether I've turned on just the primary shower head or just the hand shower - and despite the fact that I've not turned on the rain shower head in weeks. California Faucets set me a replacement cartridge for the rain shower head and this was installed - but if anything the drips are more frequent. What might be the problem?

Comments (15)

  • 8 years ago

    My California Faucet rainhead does the same thing....

  • 8 years ago

    MongoCT - if water is held in the head and warms and then starts to drip would it be cold? Because this is cold water dripping on me. And it drips even if the rain shower head has itself not been used in weeks.

  • 8 years ago

    Could it be condensation? Steam on the cold (and large surface) rain head turning into cold water and dripping down on you?

  • PRO
    8 years ago

    This is pretty common, particularly with the rubber tipped rain heads. The surface tension of the water helps the rain head hold the residual water CT mentioned. When not in use, the residual water cools to room temperature. When used again, the hot water provides the heat needed to warm the system just enough to cause the residual water to expand enough to cause a few drips.

  • 8 years ago

    So is there no way to prevent this? Does everyone with a rain shower head in addition to a main shower head suffer through this? I hate getting that cold water dripping on me and not standing under the rain shower head is not a practical solution if I want to take a shower under the main shower head.


    TIA for your help.

  • 8 years ago

    well, good idea but here's the problem - the faucet for the main shower head is just inside the shower door and I can turn that on and not get wet when the cold water comes down and wait for the water to warm up. But to turn on the rain shower head (or the hand shower - each water source has its own faucet), I have to be standing at the end of the shower where the three water sources are located - so I'd get doused with cold water turning on the rain shower head. In fact, even after the water coming out of the main shower head is warm, the rain shower spits out cold water at first. So what I've been doing when I can't stand being dripped on by cold water is endure a dousing in cold water in order to have those incessant drips be warm. Not a happy solution.

    It drips all the time once it starts. It doesn't start until a couple of minutes have elapsed. It drips even if I've not used the rain shower head in weeks (I tried not turning it on for awhile yet it dripped cold water on me daily).

    I guess I do have a diverter (sorry, I don't know all the technical lingo) - I know that I just inside the shower (imagine a long shower with the door at one end and the bathing area at the other end) I have a faucet that turns on the regular shower head. At the other end on the wall, there's the faucets for the rain shower head (on the right), the hand held (on the left) and to set the temperature for all of them (in the middle).

  • PRO
    8 years ago

    Try tilting the head or removing a few of the rubber tips

  • 8 years ago

    "MongoCT - if water is held in the head and warms and then starts to drip would it be cold?"

    It'll be room temperature compared to the 100-degree water coming out of your other shower head, so comparatively, it'll be cold.

    "It doesn't start until a couple of minutes have elapsed."

    The delay is the room temp water held in the shower head plumbing warming and expanding a bit due to warming.

    My main shower and my rain head are also on separate supply valves, but the valves are on the same wall. My main shower head is wall-mounted, my rain head comes out of the ceiling. I had the same issue with dripping. Tilting my rain head to drain some of the held water and then leveling it stopped the dripping. My rain head has a ball/swivel mount so it can be tilted.


  • 4 years ago

    I have the same situation. Two separate valves and two separate shower heads (normal shower head) and ceiling mounted rain head. When I just run the traditional shower head, in a minute or two, cold water starts dripping from the overhead rain head. I believe it is condensation gathering on the flat surface of the rain head and dripping down on us when enough condensations builds up. It is so annoying and how do we get it to stop?

  • PRO
    4 years ago

    I’m dealing w the same thing and thought I was going crazy. It’s like Chinese torture

  • 3 years ago

    After using the rain shower head, after shutt off the water, hold the diverter in ”open” position(the position which, if the water was on, would cause it to come out of the rain head). This should “vent” the pipe and allow the water to drain. Next time you use the rain head there will not be water in the head or the line, so no dripping

  • 3 years ago

    Did you ever find a solution to this problem? I just moved into a brand new home and have the EXACT problem with my rain shower head. I called the plumber and he said it was the nature of the beast. Wish someone explained that to me in the showroom before I bought this.

  • 3 years ago

    I put a shower cap on the rain shower head. Easily holds the few drips that come out.

  • 3 years ago

    Try using a level and set the rain head dead level in all directions