High VOLUME shower head

[BTEll]

I've done numerous searches for high VOLUME showerheads only to be directed to high PRESSURE shower heads. I assume this has to do with the maximum allowed showerhead flow of 2.5gpm and the myth that increased pressure is better. There's even a website devoted to high pressure showerheads that sells those miserable showerheads found everywhere in CA. Call me crazy but I personally don't want to be excoriated by a few jets of water that make me feel like I'm being assaulted by a cobbled together grouping of waterpiks. Not only is it unpleasant, but the water bounces off the body. Rather than encourage me to "save water" I end up spending more time in the shower and I'm none the happier for it. Experience tells me (I travel extensively and know what I'm talking about--try Claridges Hotel in London to see for yourself) that the key to a truly great shower is VOLUME. Soap is RINSED off, not blasted.

Logic dictates that the answer to my issues lies in a rain shower but my Hansgrohe model has no removable restrictor valve but has simply been designed to be limited to a 2.5gpm. Because the head is so big the water ends up dribbling out of the unit until it's heavy enough to fall. Real crap.

For goodness sake, in spite of attempts to turn this country into a socialist republic, it's still America. How much water I use is my business--I pay for it, after all--surely there are options that will work. And there's no law that says I can't remove the restrictor valve or how long I spend in the shower! And by the way, it's not the plumbing. Pressure into the house is fine and water comes out of the shower (without head) at 6gpm.

 

[Terry]

With some heads you can either take out the restrictor or drill a larger opening through it.
Modifying what you have may be easy.

I have also seen some old heads that dump so much water, so quickly that the complaint has been that the shower were too short. The water heater couldn't keep up. For those people, having the current restricted shower head has been a plus.
At least shower heads are easy to change out; standard 1/2" IP threading on most.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[BTEll]

With some heads you can either take out the restrictor or drill a larger opening through it.

I have also seen some old heads that dump so much water, so quickly that the complaint has been that the shower were too short. The water heater couldn't keep up. For those people, having the current restricted shower head had been a plus.
At least shower heads are easy to change out; standard 1/2" IP threading on most.

Thank you. Water supply is not an issue. Do you have any examples?

 

[Bob S]

With some heads you can either take out the restrictor or drill a larger opening through it.

I have also seen some old heads that dump so much water, so quickly that the complaint has been that the shower were too short. The water heater couldn't keep up. For those people, having the current restricted shower head had been a plus.
At least shower heads are easy to change out; standard 1/2" IP threading on most.

Back in the 80s i did some, house work installing and did service...and repair.Every time i put in a new head....i pulled water saver, Enivetably i would have to share with them,when i went back. .the rules that were taking place on those little brass reducing washers. They didn't want to hear it.If i drilled out the stem today. I wouldn't have a minutes rest, "Why did my shower jus fall off"-cheaper made everything.half inch supply is standard in mich.or oi was 20 years ago before i retired.

Never had the showers that "were to short"that would be a new with me.My water comse out of the ground. I insalled a new softener 6 days ago. My sewer bill has nver been and still isn't in 24 years more than $33.00 every couple months.love the country in that respect...but in truth city water is the easiest to live with. bob s

 

[Jadnashua]

The biggest issue with an unrestricted shower head is the amount of hot water you need...few water heaters can keep up with a long shower and a gusher shower head. Plus, in some states, it's illegal to install, in all, it's just illegal to manufacturer one. How much of an outlaw are you? The design plays a big part in how hard the spray is, regardless of the volume. They are not created equal.

 

[Bob S]

The biggest issue with an unrestricted shower head is the amount of hot water you need...few water heaters can keep up with a long shower and a gusher shower head. Plus, in some states, it's illegal to install, in all, it's just illegal to manufacturer one. How much of an outlaw are you? The design plays a big part in how hard the spray is, regardless of the volume. They are not created equal.

NOT AN OUTLAW no name callin here!lets get that strait aay!You take a slow shower with little water - then take a shower with a large output.I don't like taking lots of time for a shower ,When i don't have to.You can stand in the shower til you get lots of time involved in the process.waiting for water.Mine does the trick with less water . Seems to me its A WASH. THINK ABOUT IT.

 

[Jadnashua]

Most people don't have much restraint...certainly, each could be equivalent, but the feds, and many states, have mandated new ones at least, must be more efficient. Just like cars are more efficient than those of old. With some advanced tech, you don't have to be deprived by using one if you choose carefully, just like you don't have to have issues with performance with many new cars verses the consumption of older ones.

 

[Smooky]

Maybe you need to get a Drench Shower (20gpm with 30 psi and a 1” supply)
http://www.enconsafety.com/en/parts...ewash-assemblies/shower-head-20-gpm/01054005/
http://www.eyewashdirect.com/Drench-Showers-s/3.htm
https://www.bradleycorp.com/spintec/video

 

[Flapper]

Maybe you need to get a Drench Shower (20gpm with 30 psi and a 1” supply)
http://www.enconsafety.com/en/parts...ewash-assemblies/shower-head-20-gpm/01054005/
http://www.eyewashdirect.com/Drench-Showers-s/3.htm
https://www.bradleycorp.com/spintec/video

haha, 20GPM; unfortunately his supply only supplies 6GPM.
Those are emergency shower heads

 

[Bob S]

Most people don't have much restraint...certainly, each could be equivalent, but the feds, and many states, have mandated new ones at least, must be more efficient. Just like cars are more efficient than those of old. With some advanced tech, you don't have to be deprived by using one if you choose carefully, just like you don't have to have issues with performance with many new cars verses the consumption of older ones.[/QUOTE
]
AGREED JADNASHUA!! bob s

 

[Bob S]

haha, 20GPM; unfortunately his supply only supplies 6GPM.
Those are emergency shower heads

Some of you have gone off deepend.Those i don't need the replies from; smookey flappey--Go "drench"yourselfs fellows. I wasn't starting a long involved fight on this. Showerhead. Just know that everytime we agree with the government ..isn't always the best idea.I am good to go now- plenty of hot water . good flow to get the dirt off. Alls good ha ha thank you to all who were helpful bob s

 

[BTEll]

Some of you have gone off deepend.Those i don't need the replies from; smookey flappey--Go "drench"yourselfs fellows. I wasn't starting a long involved fight on this. Showerhead. Just know that everytime we agree with the government ..isn't always the best idea.I am good to go now- plenty of hot water . good flow to get the dirt off. Alls good ha ha thank you to all who were helpful bob s

Hi! OP back. For some reason I didn't get updates to the forum and forgot... Anyway, still looking. I just bought something online. Will let you know how it works. To clarify, it's not PRESSURE, it's VOLUME that matters. Just got back from a business trip to London and stayed at Claridges and was reminded what a really good HIGH VOLUME shower is like. Seriously, even the Seinfeld episode with that Speakman thing...it's crap. Few holes, lots of water equals high PRESSURE equals BAD!!!! So you might be thinking, just dispense of the shower head altogether. No, there has to be some sort of diffuser that spreads the volume. That's all a shower head should do. The water sticks to the body and washes the dirt and rinses the soap. BTW, no, I don't want to spend more time in a shower than necessary. And if I want a massage, I'll go to a spa. And also, don't concern yourself with my water heater. I've made it pretty clear I want VOLUME. Call me fat, call me ugly, or pretty much any other name. But don't imply stupidity. OBVIOUSLY, I'm aware that high volume will use up more hot water. Again, this is America. Boil it down this country stands for basically two things: freedom of religion and freedom to reap what I sow in whatever manner I see fit. I see fit to spend my hard-earned money on water in a shower that has no government restrictions...

Thoughts and, ultimately, recommendations welcome!

 

[Reach4]

recommendations welcome!

Go to an auction site, and do this search: shower head modified

 

[Jadnashua]

It's illegal to sell a showerhead that uses more than 2.5gpm at the standard system water pressure. What you do to modify one is up to you unless it's being inspected or the moral imperative, depending on where you live. As a result, it's kind of hard to recommend something, since none of them off the shelf will do what you want. There's nothing that says you couldn't install more than one, and as long as your valve could supply the requisite volume, you could get it by using multiple heads.

 

[Reach4]

Nutsy scold.

 

[PorcelainVacation]

You can build a new shower with as many heads as you want (assuming you have a big enough drain).

 

[Jadnashua]

Nutsy scold.

I won't recommend something that is illegal, and said modifying is up to him, which is also what Terry generally says. I also said, there's nothing wrong with using more than one head to achieve the end result, and that would stay within the federal mandates. I seriously doubt an inspector would catch that a modified showerhead was installed, but he might, and that could create issues about what else may have been 'cheated' in the installation. One doesn't want to get on the wrong side of an inspector.

 

[Terry]

It's pretty easy to either pull a restrictor or to drill it out a little larger.
I've done that when people want a little more from the head. It beats shopping for something new that may not do it anway.
There have been times when the shower head out of the box would have a high pitched sound like a dog whistle. An improvement was to "tune" the head by reducing the speed of the water passing through it, making the hole through the restrictor a little larger.

 

[PumpMd]

well pump system,

I'm supplying you with about 13gpm at the house valve with a 10gpm pump. Then it gets restricted to a small ID PEX pipe 3/4" that can't carry the 12-13gpm flow without friction loss (PSI loss). This loss in flow and pressure is not much of a problem on city water because of the higher water pressure to push more GPM flow through the small pipes. By doing this on a well pump system, you increase the pressure to make up for the loss in flow and pressure with small pipes. This could also cause you a problem with your drawdown capacity (gallons) to match the gpm pump size. I would rather spend my money on larger PEX pipe, to work my pump at a lower pressure setting, and to get more drawdown out of the pressure tank.

When you see a frostproof hydrant flowing at 13gpm with pressure and you decide to put a shower head on the end of it to see what it does, you will soon realize what the problem is real fast.

3/4" hose bib by the pressure tank can let out the 13gpm with pressure on the 1" well feeder line (test). Tie in a shower head to it and see what it will do with the flow restrictor and without it.

Read all of this and their testing
https://www.huduser.gov/Publications/PDF/pex_design_guide.pdf

 

[Valveman]

All those government officials who made those rules about shower heads being restricted to 2.5 GPM, are standing in a multi-head high volume shower right now, getting ready to go to work and make more rules for the little people.

I agree with the high volume and high pressure shower. I will use the same amount of water using a 9 GPM shower head for 5 minutes as I would using a 3 GPM shower for 15 minutes. Actually will probably use less water with the good shower, because I am not standing there for 15 minutes just trying to get wet.

Without a shower head you are getting 6 GPM. But with the restriction of any shower head, the flow will probably be cut in half. The friction loss from the small pipe size going to the shower is why you can only get 6 GPM. If you could run 2" pipe from the meter to the shower you could have all the volume you want. But without increasing the pipe size you will need to increase the pressure to force more water through the small pipes. Increasing the supply pressure is not necessarily for increasing the pressure to the shower head, it is for increasing the volume through the small pipes. If you increase the supply pressure to be able to force say 12 GPM through the small pipes, the friction loss of the pipes will eat up the extra pressure, but you will be getting higher volume to the shower.

I help people with 18 to 23 GPM showers all the time. It is your money and your hot water, if you want a 23 GPM hot shower you can have it. The problem is not that there are too many people in this world wasting 23 GPM on a shower, the problem is that there are too many people in the world period. Government officials should not be making rules on how many GPM's a person can use. They should be making rules to reduce the total number of people this world must endure.

I will agree that there are human causes for global warming, polluting the air, water, land, etc., as well as shortages of food and just space for humans to live. But it is not 23 GPM showers or the burning of too much fossil fuel that is the problem, it is simply overpopulation. Nothing will get better until we start addressing overpopulation as the root of all problems.