Low flow shower head?

Leeraar · Post by **Leeraar** » Sat Mar 26, 2016 11:47 pm

We need a new shower head. Nothing fancy, no real need for massage or ability to detach as a hand-held spray. A shut-off to soap up would be nice.

I found this $35 option in a previous thread:

http://www.amazon.com/High-Sierra-Effic ... B001W2CEYA

But there is also this for $8:

http://www.amazon.com/Niagara-N2915CH-C ... B009HXAP9C

Any thoughts?

L.

123 · Post by **123** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 12:59 am

I've been looking at shower heads as well. That $35 "High Sierra" model at Amazon caught my attention too, the reviews sound great but I just can't bring myself to pay $35 for what should be a simple item. That other Niagara model for like $8 is more to my liking price-wise. I just hate to overpay for anything. The last time I looked for shower heads at Home Depot and Lowes I saw lots of shiny and fancy shower heads but nothing simple and cheap like the old basic locker room shower heads.

I wonder if there's a less expensive clone of that $35 "High Sierra" shower head around. I think the $35 price is just to make it seem exclusive, I can't see that it would have any rocket scientist engineering.

Edited to add:
I googled "High Sierra Shower Head" and found out the company has their own website with more info as well as alternate models that include a "trickle valve". Now I'm less inclined to believe that "High Sierra" is just repackaging a product that's available elsewhere for a lot less. Maybe I'll get one but $35+ still seems expensive.

Another edit:
There's a review of that $35+ shower head on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1abtjOSmqfs

HoopDiddyDiddy · Post by **HoopDiddyDiddy** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 6:53 am

Replaced all of mine with units from http://www.highpressureshowerheads.com/ and have been thrilled.

gd · Post by gd » Sun Mar 27, 2016 7:02 am

I've got two Niagara Earth Massage 1.5 gpm handheld shower heads, and recommend them. Listing at about $15 as I check, and 1.6 gpm measured. I do not recommend buying anything that doesn't state its flow rate, one purchase from amazon claimed it was low flow but measured standard (2.6 gpm, just spray into a bucket for 1 minute). When I returned it and reviewed it accordingly, they played games trying to block the negative review and the claim disappeared from their amazon listing (just checked a year later, it's back as "water-saving"!). Any hardware store managers out there, I would have happily paid more to buy local, but not a single low-flow to be found in small or big-boxes in my area. I assume the non-handheld are equivalent without the hose.

Get a separate flow control valve to screw in just before the head. They *should* still leave a trickle, although the last one I bought cut flow off completely, not to at least some building codes, to prevent people from using them as long-term water shutoff.

cheese_breath · Post by **cheese_breath** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 8:32 am

You can easily get low flow heads at Home Depot and the like. I got one a couple years ago for < $10. No fancy adjustments or settings. It just lets less water through, period.

tim1999 · Post by **tim1999** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 8:48 am

I feel fortunate to live in a state where water is cheap and plentiful. Give me the Commando 450 from Seinfeld. When I replaced a toilet recently, I made sure it was not a low-flow model.

joebh · Post by **joebh** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 8:56 am

My advice - buy inexpensive unless you have already used the particular shower head you intend to purchase (perhaps in a hotel or friend's house).

I purchased a nice $30 shower head after reading many reviews. It was an efficient low-flow head and I liked it.
Unfortunately, my wife hated it. She went and purchased a $10 shower head that she liked.

The $30 shower head sits in my garage now, feeling forlorn and unloved.

cheese_breath · Post by **cheese_breath** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 9:07 am

joebh wrote:My advice - buy inexpensive unless you have already used the particular shower head you intend to purchase (perhaps in a hotel or friend's house).

I purchased a nice $30 shower head after reading many reviews. It was an efficient low-flow head and I liked it.
Unfortunately, my wife hated it. She went and purchased a $10 shower head that she liked.

The $30 shower head sits in my garage now, feeling forlorn and unloved.

Maybe you can hook it up to the garden hose and give the flowers a treat.

Fieldsy1024 · Post by **Fieldsy1024** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 10:00 am

Cherokee8215 wrote:I feel fortunate to live in a state where water is cheap and plentiful. Give me the Commando 450 from Seinfeld. When I replaced a toilet recently, I made sure it was not a low-flow model.

hahahaha, the Elephant unit that Kramer and Newman wanted.

CABob · Post by **CABob** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 10:11 am

Check with your local water or other utility company. They may have free low flow shower heads. I have one that looks a lot like http://www.amazon.com/Niagara-N2915CH-C ... B009HXAP9C except that it is plastic that I got for the Boglehead favorite price that I've been using for a couple of years.

Mudpuppy · Post by **Mudpuppy** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 1:35 pm

I personally will only buy shower heads that have a "trickle" (mostly off) option. It saves a lot more water (which is very expensive these days in CA) to turn off the shower head while I am lathering, shampooing, etc. than any low-flow shower head saves. And I prefer to turn off the shower head rather than the taps so I don't have to find the right mix of hot/cold water when I turn it back on. Part of the reason the shower heads trickle instead of turn off completely is to keep the water temperature mostly the same, which is for safety reasons to avoid accidental scaldings, but is also nice from a comfort perspective.

hectorochoa · Post by **hectorochoa** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 6:15 pm

I have the Niagara shower heads and have been satisfied using them for about 15 years. You can adjust the water pattern and it also has a massage setting which is nice.

gd · Post by gd » Sun Mar 27, 2016 7:50 pm

I've bought a handheld with trickle-flow button, it was hard to press and we just stopped using the button. A separate flow control valve device inline with the head, having a rotating stopcock, worked much better, only adds on maybe 1.5", and gives you more options for the showerhead itself. $10.

PhysicsTeacher · Post by **PhysicsTeacher** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 5:53 am

We replaced the showerhead that came with our apartment with this Niagra 1.5 gpm handheld: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002KTQF ... UTF8&psc=1 . It was $15 and works well. I have waist-length hair and find it has sufficient pressure for rinsing out shampoo and conditioner.

Boglenaut · Post by **Boglenaut** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 6:54 am

FREE

CABob,

Correct. Our natural gas company gives a 1.75 gpm shower head out for free. Just go to their web page and order one if you are a customer. They ship it for free even. It says the regular cost is $10.50.

Or, you could buy up to three on your own and get a $10 rebate on each.

http://www.energyfederation.org/columbi ... heads.html

likegarden · Post by **likegarden** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 8:55 am

Why buy a new shower head when all you have to do is turn down the water to get that 'low flow'?

Mingus · Post by **Mingus** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 9:51 am

I used to think a shower head was a shower head.

When doing my downstairs bathroom remodel, begrudgingly I went ahead and got the matching Kohler shower head that matched the rest of the fixtures just knowing I was wasting money. It's low flow. I now use it in the master bath because it is so much better than anything, especially those cheapos that the utility companies give away.

Unless one is living on beans and rice, a good shower head is worth the money. At least if its made by Kohler from my experience.

masteraleph · Post by **masteraleph** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 9:54 am

likegarden wrote:Why buy a new shower head when all you have to do is turn down the water to get that 'low flow'?

3 reasons:

1) As some have noted, some of these are handheld and have a feature to turn off the water flow, which is useful if you don't want to fiddle with the faucet and you turn down/off the water when lathering up.

2) A good low flow showerhead will increase the pressure, so it doesn't feel like you're "turning down the water."

3) Depending on how your faucet is set up, you may not be able to have the temperature adjusted properly while turning down the water.

Mudpuppy · Post by **Mudpuppy** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 11:02 am

likegarden wrote:Why buy a new shower head when all you have to do is turn down the water to get that 'low flow'?

Low flow shower heads are designed to really spray the water at you, so it feels like "normal" flow even while saving water. You don't get that by turning down the water on a regular high flow shower head. If you turn down the flow on a regular shower head and you have an appreciable amount of hair, you're going to have a hard time rinsing the shampoo out.

Romad · Post by **Romad** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 12:37 pm

Low flow? I don't like the sound of that.....

lthenderson · Post by **lthenderson** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 1:32 pm

masteraleph wrote:
likegarden wrote:Why buy a new shower head when all you have to do is turn down the water to get that 'low flow'?
Depending on how your faucet is set up, you may not be able to have the temperature adjusted properly while turning down the water.

I solved this problem when I remodeled my bathroom a couple years back. I put a thermostatic valve inline so once the ideal temperature is dialed in, it stays that way no matter how much flow and also if you turn the shower off, it gets back to the ideal temperature within a second after turning back on. I don't think I will ever go back to the old fashioned two knob system again.

As for the low flow heads, I can't stand them. When I get a new head, I chuck up a drill bit in my drill and immediately drill out the orifice inside the head so that I can adjust the flow according to my desires. Takes about 5 seconds to drill it to a larger sized opening or remove it completely.

clutchied · Post by **clutchied** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 3:00 pm

Romad wrote:Low flow? I don't like the sound of that.....

Hi Flow!!

I shouldn't admit this but we're on well water and I like as much flow as I can get. Restrictors are out.

Fieldsy1024 · Post by **Fieldsy1024** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 3:43 pm

Romad wrote:Low flow? I don't like the sound of that.....

Fieldsy1024 · Post by **Fieldsy1024** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 3:44 pm

Maybe just speed up your showers

cheese_breath · Post by **cheese_breath** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 3:48 pm

clutchied wrote:
Romad wrote:Low flow? I don't like the sound of that.....
Hi Flow!!

I shouldn't admit this but we're on well water and I like as much flow as I can get. Restrictors are out.

You're not on the Ogallala aquifer are you?

About 30 percent of the aquifer’s water has already been pumped out of the ground. An additional 39 percent is expected to be gone in the next 50 years. Replenishing it would take millennia.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... s-farmland

Leeraar · Post by **Leeraar** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 4:52 pm

Fieldsy1024 wrote:
Romad wrote:Low flow? I don't like the sound of that.....

Kramer enters.
Kramer: Hey. Super's in my bathroom changing my shower head. Have they
changed your shower head?
Jerry: No, he's doing mine next. They're low flow you know.
Kramer: Low flow? Well I don't like the sound of that.
Kramer exits.

L.

Toons · Post by **Toons** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 5:39 pm

Get the Best Quality at the Best Price,that you can afford.
Do not cut corners.

island · Post by **island** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 9:06 pm

HoopDiddyDiddy wrote:Replaced all of mine with units from http://www.highpressureshowerheads.com/ and have been thrilled.

Which ones did you use? Thanks.

Leeraar · Post by **Leeraar** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 12:28 am

For now, I'm going to go with one of the Niagara heads.

When we redo our bathroom, we will have a real shower stall in the same footprint as the tub. I think I will do his and hers faucets and shower heads at each end.

L.

uclalien · Post by **uclalien** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 1:02 am

My city's water utility was giving away the 1.5 gpm version of the following shower heads as part of a water conservation measure. I have been very happy with mine and love being able to control the flow of the water with the on/off switch.

http://www.nrgideas.com/shower-pro-mass ... gpm-white/

My suggestion would be to get the 2.5 gpm version if there are women in your house. 1.5 gpm is a little low for my wife. And you can reduced the flow for your own showers via the on/off switch. I shower with the on/off halfway off on my 1.5 gpm shower head.

Alternatively, you can find a shower head you really like and buy an on/off attachment from Amazon. That's what I did for the handheld unit in our second bathroom.

Fieldsy1024 · Post by **Fieldsy1024** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 3:50 am

Leeraar wrote:
Fieldsy1024 wrote:
Romad wrote:Low flow? I don't like the sound of that.....

Kramer enters.
Kramer: Hey. Super's in my bathroom changing my shower head. Have they
changed your shower head?
Jerry: No, he's doing mine next. They're low flow you know.
Kramer: Low flow? Well I don't like the sound of that.
Kramer exits.

L.

I loved when they showed Jerry's parents hair lol

IowaFarmBoy · Post by **IowaFarmBoy** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 4:56 am

I originally tried a low flow shower head from one of the big manufacturers that I bought at Home Depot but can't remember which it was. It was disappointing- water flow was anemic and it seemed flimsy. I found and bought two of these (I think I have the Atlas model), and have been using for years. I honestly don't notice it is low flow- I actually did a test to make sure. They are good quality- lots of brass inside. I think I found them for around $30 on ebay at the time 9 years ago so you may want to shop around for a better price.

http://www.jet-streamshowerhead.net/products.html

HoopDiddyDiddy · Post by **HoopDiddyDiddy** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 6:57 am

island wrote:
HoopDiddyDiddy wrote:Replaced all of mine with units from http://www.highpressureshowerheads.com/ and have been thrilled.
Which ones did you use? Thanks.

I got the "Premium Massage" Hand-Helds with the longest hoses available.
The pressure is exceptional for a low flow head.

Leeraar · Post by **Leeraar** » Wed May 11, 2016 10:13 am

I could not find Niagara shower heads at any local store, including Loews and Home Depot. I called them, they now only sell online. Sorry, Charlie, I am not going to pay double the price when you add shipping.

L.

jebmke · Post by **jebmke** » Wed May 11, 2016 10:24 am

likegarden wrote:Why buy a new shower head when all you have to do is turn down the water to get that 'low flow'?

This is basically what I do. Also keep them short. I have a well - water consumption is not a huge issue. But I also have a septic tank so water disposal is an issue.

An alternative is use boat shower method. Turn the water off while soaping. Then quick rinse and get out.

czeckers · Post by **czeckers** » Wed May 11, 2016 4:50 pm

I have these in my house. Love them -- they don't feel like low flow.

http://www.amazon.com/Niagara-N2515CH-F ... hower+head

Also have these to stop the flow while soaping up:

http://www.amazon.com/Sumnacon-trade-Sh ... toff+valve

jjface · Post by **jjface** » Wed May 11, 2016 5:06 pm

You can add this to any head turn off and on
https://www.takeashower.com/store/store ... off-button

I bought this a long time ago when it was less expensive. It didn't have the on-off switch. Very happy with it though but it does look a lot like the niagara one. Not sure what the difference is if any.
https://www.takeashower.com/store/store ... -heads-spa

Bengineer · Post by **Bengineer** » Wed May 11, 2016 5:38 pm

czeckers wrote:I have these in my house. Love them -- they don't feel like low flow.

http://www.amazon.com/Niagara-N2515CH-F ... B0089CGG9K
...

I chose this one as well. I was looking to save water and/or energy and I like a large area shower spray head vs a needle jet or massage jet head.

I had been using a 2.5 GPM showerhead with a similar ~4" diameter and this regulator valve to turn down the flow (this one doesn't cut off, but varies the flow from full down to < 1 GPM), which saved water, but dropped the spray pressure down to a soft spray.

The Niagra gives me invigorating spray over the ~4" area, which I like. I measured the flow and got 1.5GPM at our 60-80psi water pressure. The force of the water @ 1.5GPM isn't the same as 2.5, but much nicer IMO than a 2.5 turned down to a soft shower. I like it.

bobat · Post by **bobat** » Wed May 11, 2016 10:00 pm

This is the best shower head I have ever owned: http://www.amazon.com/Faucet-75152-Ampl ... detailpage

This thread reminded me to order another one to have on hand should they ever stop making it (although it's been around for a long time!)

gd · Post by gd » Thu May 12, 2016 6:17 am

(deleted, already posted same thing at least once a month or two ago)

clutchied · Post by **clutchied** » Thu May 12, 2016 9:07 am

cheese_breath wrote:
clutchied wrote:
Romad wrote:Low flow? I don't like the sound of that.....
Hi Flow!!

I shouldn't admit this but we're on well water and I like as much flow as I can get. Restrictors are out.
You're not on the Ogallala aquifer are you?
About 30 percent of the aquifer’s water has already been pumped out of the ground. An additional 39 percent is expected to be gone in the next 50 years. Replenishing it would take millennia.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... s-farmland

It's in Ohio.

We're 100% recycled though. Pump it out put it back into the septic leach field.

N1CKV · Post by **N1CKV** » Thu May 12, 2016 10:39 am

Of the two models mentioned by the original poster:
the $35 model is going to be a solid brass body. Very sturdy and should last a lifetime.
the $8 model is chrome plated plastic. It will work find if you never touch it, but if people are constantly adjusting it don't count on longevity.