Is there a reliable brand of handheld shower heads?

[Legolad]

I recently wasted an entire weekend trying to replace a handheld shower head and I'd like your help picking a better brand of handheld shower head.

A Little Background
The output of the $30 Delta Faucet 75701 7-Setting Hand Shower has felt weak since I first installed it and recently I decided I wanted to replace it with something better. It just doesn't give me good pressure compared to what I experience in some friends' homes or when I stay in hotels.

• I measured the "raw" output of the pipe to be roughly 2.5 GPM by filling a 5 gallon bucket just under half-way in 60 seconds.
• I did remove the water restricter during the Delta installation.
• I also checked to be sure there are no particulates or blockages on the filter screen (both then and now).

Replacing the Old Delta
I bought a Delta 75589 from Lowes and installed it without even inspecting it. Once I had it hooked up I found that it leaked from the housing. On inspection I found two gaps in the housing caused by warping of the plastic.

I returned the 75589 in exchange for the 75588 the same day.
When I opened the package I found that there was a similar kind of warping of the plastic housing.
I didn't even install it. I took it back.

I then spent way too much time trying to find a package that allowed me to see inside it enough to spot the problems. Long story short, it's impossible to fully inspect the shower heads without opening the packages and the Lowes agent wasn't willing to allow me to break open any more blister packs.

So I gave up.

Since then I've contacted Delta and Moen directly but neither maker was able (willing?) to help me by finding a known working unit and letting me buy it directly from them. (no surprise, really)

My Questions For You Fine Folks

1. Is there a manufacturer who isn't relying on cheap plastic parts for handheld shower heads?
2. If they are all using this, is there a maker who's products are more reliably not warped in storage?
3. To ensure that I get what feels like a higher-pressure shower, what should I look for amongst all the marketing gobbledy gook?

 

[Jadnashua]

Pretty much all handhelds will have at least some plastic in them, otherwise, they'd potentially get too hot to handle...same is true of many valve designs...if the handle isn't plastic, there's a plastic insulator somewhere on the shaft.

My mother has a Delta unit that has been working for a number of years, and I have a Grohe unit that is nearly 13-years old and going strong.

By federal regulations, a single showerhead can output no more than 2.5gpm. If your supply line is already limited to that value, it should not affect the performance, such as it is, of the showerhead. Ideally, the supply can output more, and then, the restriction is in the showerhead which will give it maximum performance for its design.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Legolad]

Pretty much all handhelds will have at least some plastic in them, otherwise, they'd potentially get too hot to handle...same is true of many valve designs...if the handle isn't plastic, there's a plastic insulator somewhere on the shaft.

My mother has a Delta unit that has been working for a number of years, and I have a Grohe unit that is nearly 13-years old and going strong.

By federal regulations, a single showerhead can output no more than 2.5gpm. If your supply line is already limited to that value, it should not affect the performance, such as it is, of the showerhead. Ideally, the supply can output more, and then, the restriction is in the showerhead which will give it maximum performance for its design.

Thanks, Jadnashua!

Good info there. Any advice for how I can evaluate the relative strength of shower heads as I shop? Is there a number to look for or perhaps a good resource where somebody tests these things?

 

[Jadnashua]

Note that the flow rate is specified at a particular pressure. If your home pressure is lower, it will have a smaller gpm output. Also note that water pressure will drop by 0.43#/foot height increase (plus, frictional losses which may be significant if the pipes aren't sized properly), so a shower on the second floor would have less pressure than an identical one on the first floor and even less than one in the basement.

Some of the handhelds have multiple spray patterns. Some of them approximate a rain shower, which will almost dribble out verses have any velocity. That happens when there isn't enough volume to overcome the nozzles. Think what happens when you put your thumb over the end of an open hose...prior to that, it flows out, but as you reduce the opening size, while the actual pressure of the supply is the same, the water comes out faster. Same thing on a shower head. If there isn't some back pressure caused by the supply being greater than what can exit, it will not come out with as much force. If you're getting 2.5gpm out of the open shower arm, most heads will not have great pressure since most of them are designed to output that same 2.5g. If there were more volume available, when it gets restricted by the design of the shower head, it has to accelerate, which you notice as higher pressure from the nozzle.

A low output to the shower head could be caused by using CPVC or pex pipe verses copper, a restriction, or low water pressure. While most shower valves do have a restriction in them to the shower head verses the tub spout, you still should get more than 2.5gpm out of that path most of the time.

As to test results, I've not looked for any. Sometimes, you'll see reports online, but unless the conditions are the same, they're not always reliable or comparable.

Some commercial locations, especially if they have more than a few stories, will have booster pumps to keep the pressure up, otherwise, those on the upper floors would not get great pressure. Say they average 10'/story, that's 4.3# drop per floor. A 10-story building, 43# less without a pump (or a water tank higher). A 20-story building, 86# less...typical supply wouldn't even get it that high. A home on a hill may have a similar problem...those at the base are likely to have lots of pressure.

 

[Legolad]

Note that the flow rate is specified at a particular pressure...

Thanks again, jadnashua. I think I understand everything you said there. So, without a reliable test source using a known environment that documents (and maintains) all the variables across multiple tests, any review I read is kind of useless.

Further, this shower is on the 2nd floor and - even though the 1st floor tankless supply line is directly below it on the 1st floor - it's losing some of the original pressure.

If you will permit me another question, I'm wondering if a shower head rated for 2 GPM would have greater velocity than a shower head rated for 2.5 GPM. In other words, would it act like a thumb on the water hose, increasing the velocity almost like an electrical resistor? (Feel free to ding me if my metaphor isn't apt. I'm a complete neophyte in both electrical and plumbing. ).

 

[Jadnashua]

In general, yes...but, there's a big but in there. You have to take the overall design into play. Having more volume available than the head will pass lets it produce it's best performance, but its design still could be lousy or it could be designed for some other purpose than high velocity. Was at one guy's house who was complaining about his showerhead. Turns out it was a rain shower...it is not designed to have a hard spray, but a trickle over multiple nozzles. He said his wife couldn't rinse the shampoo out of her hair. He was right, but there was not much to do except change the head to one designed for a bit more force.

 

[Legolad]

In general, yes...but, there's a big but in there. You have to take the overall design into play. Having more volume available than the head will pass lets it produce it's best performance, but its design still could be lousy or it could be designed for some other purpose than high velocity. Was at one guy's house who was complaining about his showerhead. Turns out it was a rain shower...it is not designed to have a hard spray, but a trickle over multiple nozzles. He said his wife couldn't rinse the shampoo out of her hair. He was right, but there was not much to do except change the head to one designed for a bit more force.

Roger that! And thanks again.