Yep, learned this the hard way myself—installed both at once and ended up with a shower that felt more like gentle rain than a proper rinse. Definitely test one at a time unless you enjoy surprise disappointments mid-reno...
Actually, installing both at once isn't always the issue—it's more about balancing your water pressure and flow. I've seen setups where both a low-flow showerhead and a new toilet valve worked fine together, but the home's plumbing was solid and pressure-balanced valves were installed. If your pipes are older or undersized, yeah, you'll probably run into trouble. But with decent plumbing and the right valves, you can definitely avoid the gentle drizzle scenario...just takes a bit more planning upfront.
Interesting points, especially about the plumbing quality and pressure-balanced valves. I recently moved into an older home (built in the early '70s), and I've noticed exactly what you're describing—every toilet flush turns my shower into a brief ice bath. The pipes are definitely older and probably undersized, which makes sense given what you've said.
I'm wondering though... is installing pressure-balanced valves a straightforward DIY job? Or is this something typically best left to a professional plumber? I've done some basic plumbing tasks before, like swapping faucets and showerheads, but haven't tackled anything valve-related yet. Wouldn't want to dive in over my head and end up with a bigger mess than I started with.
I tackled something similar in my 60s-era house a couple years back. Thought it'd be straightforward since I'd swapped faucets before, but valves turned out to be a different beast entirely. Ended up with water everywhere and a frantic call to a plumber friend...lesson learned, haha. Curious though, have you checked if your pipes are galvanized steel or copper? Mine were galvanized and pretty corroded inside, which made the pressure issues even worse.
"Curious though, have you checked if your pipes are galvanized steel or copper? Mine were galvanized and pretty corroded inside, which made the pressure issues even worse."
Yeah, galvanized pipes can be a real headache. When we moved into our place (built in '58), I was convinced we'd just swap out fixtures and call it a day. Nope. Turned out we had galvanized pipes too, and they were so corroded inside it looked like something from a horror movie. Seriously, the plumber showed me a cross-section of one pipe he cut out—it was like 80% rust and gunk, barely any room left for water flow.
We ended up biting the bullet and replacing most of them with copper. Not cheap, but honestly worth it in the long run. The water pressure improved dramatically, and no more surprise ice-cold showers when someone flushes. Plus, copper's recyclable and lasts forever, so my eco-conscious side felt a little better about the whole ordeal.
But before you jump into anything drastic, maybe check if it's just a valve issue or something simpler first? I mean, plumbing always seems straightforward until you're ankle-deep in water yelling for backup (been there too, haha). If you're lucky, it might just be a mixing valve or something minor causing the temp swings.
Either way, good luck—plumbing projects always seem to escalate quickly...
