- The weather outside is frightful… Jan 19
- Green getaways Jan 17
- Eating well all winter… Jan 15
- Warm on the inside Dec 09
- Give the Gift of Green Gadgets Nov 14
- See all posts
The GreenYour Blog
Oct 07, 2009
Low-flow shower got you grumpy?
Let me say it, a really low flow shower head can put you in a terrible mood.
I am not advocating the rain shower "deluge" variety that was heavily promoted a decage ago, but there is nothing worse than a light spray of water when you're looking for a splash.
Most showerhead fixtures installed before 1992 have flow rates over 5 gallons of water per minute- more than necessary. The federal requirement now is 2.5 gallons/minute for shower heads and 2.2 for faucets. It's a very acceptable level but if you choose to not upgrade to low-flow you can still save water and your conscience.
Consider these scenarios:
BASE CASE SCENARIO
Assume shower head releases 4 gallons /minute. Shower 7 minutes. You use 28 gallons
LOW FLOW SHOWER HEAD ROUTE
Install low flow shower head that releases 2 gallons/minute (slightly below the max requirement). Shower 10 minutes (because of longer time required to get soap out of hair with limited shower head flow). You use 20 gallons
TURN OFF TAP PERIODICALLY
Keep your 4 gallons /minute showerhead. Shower 7 minutes, but …cut water running time to 3 minutes (turn off to sudse up, shave and shampoo). You use 12 gallons
Turning off the tap periodically wins! So yes, keep the old shower head if you must, but then commit to lathering up water-free. Deal?
Comments
11:01am
What about the time that takes the heater to heat the water again, every time you turn off and on the tap?
1:11pm
Good point, but if you only have it turned off for say a minute or so, then there will be minimal drop in temperature. It's a bit like the arguement that keeping lights on is more economical than turning off b/c of the energy req'd to "start them up", but the truth is the start up energy is minimal. Turning off is BY FAR a more economical route to go than keeping turned on.