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A while ago, I did a poll on the site, trying to figure out how I could write content that was more relevant for you all – my awesome readers. One of the thing you all were curious about was more DIY projects that could make you more sustainable around the house. Since most of my projects recently have had nothing to do with sustainability (making a beer bottle crate, putting knobs on cabinets), I’ve been waiting to write something.
After a few weeks, an opportunity fell into my lap. I got contacted by the people at Niagra Conservation, who asked if I would like a shower head to review. I was slightly skeptical at first, because, who gives away a shower head? (and also because we just finished our upstairs bathroom, complete with a new shower head. After a little inner reflection, some extra prodding from the company and talking with my dad, I decided that I had very little to lose so I told them yes. I had initially offered it to my dad, but when I got it in the mail, I called him right away and told him that he’d have to get his own, because this thing looked awesome and I wanted to keep it.
Since the shower head in the upstairs bathroom is pretty new, I put it in our basement bathroom. This was the better choice because the downstairs shower was pretty old, and used about 3.5 gallons per minute and wasn’t all that great. It wasnt bad enough for us to replace it on our own, because as of now that shower is used pretty infrequently as it is. However, it was free so I decided what the hey. They estimate that you can save approximately 5,500 gallons of water per year, which is a lot of water and a big deal out here. It could potentially save you even more if you have tiered water pricing like I do (where you pay more per gallon once you cross a threshold of water used for the month – ours is 6,000). If you can stay in the first block of water usage, it could save you quite a bit of money. Even if you’re already pretty good with you water bill wise, this will help you save even more water – always a good thing.
Sustainable projects like this are my favorite. I can work for a bit once, and just keep reaping the benefits of saving water throughout the lifespan of the item with little fuss going forward. It doesnt take constant maintenance or really any work in the future on our part, except cleaning at times. This one was even better because the total time from start to finish was about 10 minutes.
One thing about this project – While this is low hanging fruit in that it’s relatively cheap to do and easy to do, it’s not going to save you a ton of water. Things like a dishwasher and washing machine will save you more water, but cost a lot more money. The frequency of use here is also something to consider, as in some households, a more efficient toilet will get you further.
Installing the Low Flow Shower Head
This is what our downstairs bathroom looked like before I started. This is the old shower head, which was pretty inefficient. That’s not something that we want in the house, because it wastes so much water compared to what we put in there. The first step in the process is to take off the old shower head. Some are hand tightened so you can just used your hand, but mine was a little tighter so I used a pair of pliers to get the old one off. Once the old one was off, it was time to prep the pipe for a new shower head.
Once the old shower head was off, I got a wet rag and wiped off the remnants of the plumbers tape that was on there, as well as a little bit of junk that had gotten in the threads over the years. Once that was all done, I took some nylon plumbers tape and wrapped it over the threads. The new shower head said that you didnt have to do this, but because we had so many very small leaks during our upstairs plumbing I just went the safe route. Once the tape is on if you choose to use it, you’re ready to put the new shower head on.
Now it’s time to install the new shower head. Take the shower head and screw it on to the pipe with your hands. Make sure not to over tighten the shower head as you’re putting it on. There’s no need for pliers for step, so just go easy on it and test it to make sure it doesnt leak. Below is a picture of the shower head in action.
Bottom line: This shower head is pretty awesome. It’s great that we are saving about a gallon per minute while showering with this shower head, and the pressure is great too. I’ve heard the low flow shower heads described pretty poorly before, but that’s not the case for this one. The rainfall is awesome, and it makes you feel like you are in a luxury hotel hotel when you’re showering with it. I cant seem to find the exact one they gave me online, but I dont think that it will cost more than $40 at the store. With the potential to save about 5,500 gallons per year, the paypack period will be pretty quick with this unit. If you’re in the market for a new shower head (or just tired of your inefficient old one) give this a try.
Note: While they did give me this unit for free, it didnt influence my decision. I wanted one of these style shower heads for the upstairs bathroom, but we couldnt find one that matched the fixtures for the sink and tub that we had already purchased.
Readers: How are your shower heads? Do you have any that could be replaced, or are there other projects around the house that will save more water that you’re interested in tackling first?
We bought one from Costco but it had a very long arm on it, meaning it stuck out way too far into our shower, which is pretty small, so we took it back. I bought a flow restrictor which takes about 20% of the flow away within the current head, and it works great. The only thing is that at certain temperatures it makes a slight whistling noise, but I was able to adjust it somehow so that it only does it on cooler temperatures that we really don’t use.
Sweet MB. Those flow restricters are pretty handy and save a lot of water. This and a few other changes we made have caused us to stay on the lowest tier of the water bill for the last few months!
That’s the first thing the comes into my mind when I first saw it. It looks awesome. And the rainfall must feel great. Okay I’m a bit jealous I’d probably get one myself.
I think you can get them on Amazon KC! If you want, email me and I’ll talk to the rep and maybe I can score you a free one.