Just had a similar issue myself. Not quite Niagara-level drama, but my shower pressure gradually turned into this sad drizzle—like trying to rinse shampoo out with a water pistol. Checked the regulator and sure enough, it was ancient and clogged with scale. Swapped it out (YouTube tutorials FTW), pressure's back to normal, and showers are actually enjoyable again. Definitely agree that replacing sooner saves a ton of hassle later.
Had a similar issue a while back, but honestly, swapping the regulator didn't do much for me. Turned out the real culprit was the old galvanized pipes in my place—they were corroded and narrowing inside. Ended up biting the bullet and replacing them with PEX piping. Bit more involved than just a regulator swap, but man, night and day difference afterward. Sometimes the quick fix isn't enough if your plumbing's ancient...
Galvanized pipes are notorious for causing pressure issues over time. Seen it plenty of times—folks swap out regulators or even pumps, but the real bottleneck is usually corrosion buildup inside those old pipes. If anyone else is troubleshooting this, I'd suggest checking your aerators and showerheads first (easy fix), then move on to inspecting exposed pipe sections. If you spot rust or corrosion at fittings, odds are it's worse inside. Hate to say it, but replacing with copper or PEX might be your best bet long-term...
Good points—seen plenty of corrosion nightmares myself. One thing I'd add: before jumping into pipe replacements, have you checked your main shut-off valve? Older gate valves can get stuck partially closed, causing pressure drops...might save you some hassle.
