What is the best shower head for high flow?

[STyler]

Looking for the best flow shower head after removing the flow restrictor.

Also wondering if a 3/4" valve is worth the difference in conjunction with an unrestricted showerhead.

 

[jimbo]

Many shower heads today achieve the 2.2 GPM ( some now even less) by internal design, not a simple restrictor at the inlet.

The best flow is obtained from a garden hose, but there are legal ( meaning 2.2 GPM) shower heads which work quite well. Many Delta and Alsons fall in that category. Major hotel chains are sensitive to pleasing their guests, and among some Flag Specified heads are the Kohler Forte, Symmons S2005, and the Moen Revolution. Among the hotels specifying one or more of the above are Holiday Inn, Hilton, and Marriott.

If you choose not to work within the framework of the law and the water conservation needs of your community, you are on your own.

 

[SteveW]

Well put!

Consumer Reports did a review of shower heads in the last year or two and found a number of them which performed very well despite being low-flow. Don't recall the details other than one of the top performers was a Moen, but not the Revolution. (I have used the Revolution in my home and it's very nice.)

 

[STyler]

Many shower heads today achieve the 2.2 GPM ( some now even less) by internal design, not a simple restrictor at the inlet.

Those are models I wouldn't be interested in purchasing.

If you choose not to work within the framework of the law and the water conservation needs of your community, you are on your own.

Neither water conservation nor energy conservation is really an issue in this case.

Not sure the law necessarily is either since this is an agricultural application and not an actual bathroom shower. If it is, then they're meddling in things that are not their concern and far outside their purview IMO.

 

[jimbo]

Well, you didn't mention the shower head was for the pigs. I imagine the farm supply stores must provide such products? Problem is, if you want to buy it at the human store, it will have human rules. And back to the basic question, I don't recall any shower head today which uses a restrictor at the inlet. There probably are some. You could go to the store and look at them.

 

[Runs with bison]

They have pressure compensators in many of the 2.5 gpm ones I've used recently, but I don't know if the head itself might be designed in such a way that will keep them at the 2.5 gpm limit.

I did have a problem with a pressure compensator on a 1.6 gpm head that was restricting it to about 1.2 gpm (which was too little.) I used a drill to make a 1/16" hole through the center of the restrictor and now it is running between 1.6 - 1.8 gpm. I didn't have a smaller bit or I would have made a smaller hole.

 

[STyler]

Well, you didn't mention the shower head was for the pigs. I imagine the farm supply stores must provide such products? Problem is, if you want to buy it at the human store, it will have human rules. And back to the basic question, I don't recall any shower head today which uses a restrictor at the inlet. There probably are some. You could go to the store and look at them.

There are quite a few with removable restrictors that I know of, but not many that I have any experience with to be able to determine the ones with the best flow.

 

[Runs with bison]

Perhaps if you better explained the usage requirement, someone could help suggest an appropriate product/vendor. Are you showering animals? What size, how many, how long? Or spraying out a pen/spraying off a floor? Do you need good even wetting? Or a lot of flow (as in moving caked on solids)? Or do you need forceful flow to actually blast away grime? (Some animals might rightly object to the latter depending on their sensitivity.) What sort of pressure will you have to work with? What sort of temperature do you really need?

My point is that you might be able to do a whole lot more with several times lower flow than you anticipate...and this could make the whole process a lot easier for you. (Not requiring outsized burner rates, line sizes, or runoff handling.) Spray distribution/quality has greatly improved in the past decade or two. I've seen this in reactor/distillation/scrubber tower design as well as in shower heads and dishwashers. Money might be no object, but if it is then testing some lower flow options could save you a bundle down the road. Note: I am not suggesting sacrificing performance.

 

[STyler]

The shower head will be for people and it will be located in the horse wash stall. It will only be used probably about 26 times a year, but typically it will be removing layers of mud/dirt from clothes before finally cleaning like a normal shower.

Capacity isn't an issue because the system will be designed to accommodate the wash stall so I'll have 80 Gallons of 150 degree water to use for the shower - and what isn't used will go to waste. Pressure from the well is approx. 75 psi.

 

[hj]

shower

quote; It will only be used probably about 26 times a year, but typically it will be removing layers of mud/dirt from clothes before finally cleaning like a normal shower.

Well, I am sure that someone will need a shower if they only take one every two weeks after working on a farm. But I, and most people, take our clothes off before taking a shower, but if we did not, a garden hose with a good jet nozzle would knock the dirt off, and then we would put them in a washing machine, not keep them on while taking a "normal" shower.

 

[STyler]

Well, I am sure that someone will need a shower if they only take one every two weeks after working on a farm.

I don't work on the farm - I play on the farm. It is just land with a horse barn. My wife rides, and my son and I 4 wheel and paintball in the woods.

But I, and most people, take our clothes off before taking a shower, but if we did not, a garden hose with a good jet nozzle would knock the dirt off, and then we would put them in a washing machine, not keep them on while taking a "normal" shower.

The mud comes off the clothes much easier wearing them than it does after you take them off. And when the weather gets cold, the last thing I want is to hose each other down with cold water from a garden hose like some homoerotic arctic Flashdance reinactment.

I could certainly just use the horse wash nozzle fixed to constant on which will have hot water with the flow of a garden hose - but it would be far less convenient and use far more water.

... or perhaps I should use the nozzle for the horses, then screw on a 2.5 gpm shower head if I use it on a human?

 

[STyler]

What is with the defensive posture of the moderators here to a simple question?

"If you choose not to work within the framework of the law... you're on your own" ???

Since when is it illegal for me to remove the water restictor on a shower head? You can ask how to plumb a full body shower with multiple jets and shower heads, but if you want to maximize the performance of a single shower head, I get grief from a Mod who feels I should be more concerned about my community's "water conservation needs"?

... or suggestions on how I should properly shower, clean and transport my clothes, etc. everything except the answer to a simple question. Good Lord, we're losing common sense in favor of militant environmentalism.

 

[Runs with bison]

I don't blame them for being initially hostile to what sounded like an unnecessary attempt to operate outside the law. Had you stated the purpose differently I doubt the initial response would have been the same. I've not noticed an environmental bent among the mods.

I'm still not convinced that highest possible flow (somewhere above 2.5 gpm for a single showerhead) is the best solution. It sounds like you really want something that can quickly remove paint and caked on mud from clothes and boots, then provide a decent shower. Perhaps a T and the simple push button valves or a Y selector would work best? You could even use both at the same time. Find a showerhead that you think will work well overall, and then a hose spray nozzle for getting rid of the worst crud.

But if you just want to go the unrestricted shower head route, then I suggest looking at a few you like in the store and identify ones with pressure compensators that you can easily access and remove. You can test the resulting flow to see if it is satisfactory.

 

[STyler]

I don't blame them for being initially hostile to what sounded like an unnecessary attempt to operate outside the law. Had you stated the purpose differently I doubt the initial response would have been the same. I've not noticed an environmental bent among the mods.

That's what I don't get, what law makes it illegal for a consumer to increase shower flow? There's a restriction on the manufacture and sale of shower heads that exceed 2.5 GPM out of the box - which is why I have no interest in purchasing one of the 10 GPM units that are widely marketed. But I've never seen any law that forbids a homeowner from removing a water restrictor from a legally purchased shower head.

I asked the question because I didn't want to buy half a dozen shower heads with removable restrictors in order to find the one with the best flow when it was possible that someone on a DIY plumbing forum may have already gone through the hassle.

By the way - I have an electric car on order from Tesla (seriously) if that makes a difference.

 

[hj]

Tesla

I hope you live in the area where they are giving a $50,000.00 tax credit to Tesla buyers.

 

[wallygater]

I tried on of these

I tried one of these http://www.highpressureshowerheads.com/high-pressure-shower-head-home.html

I think the flow is awesome and much better than any shower head from the store. pretty good price too.

 

[LovingDIY]

This is the first time I am hearing that it is illegal for us to change the shower flow. can someone give me more details about this?

 

[Sandy Arnold]

I'm currently using one of these shower heads: http://www.best-shower-head.com

I think the price was fair and the flow is very high. It came with a 2.2 GPM (gallon-per-minute) flow restrictor that could be removed with a screwdriver. The drawback is that it's only available in one color.

 

[gregmech26]

This is the first time I am hearing that it is illegal for us to change the shower flow. can someone give me more details about this?

I believe it's only illegal to sell shower heads with greater flow than 2.5 gpm.
Once you purchase a shower head, I think you're free to do as you wish.
I could be wrong , as it might not comply with plumbing codes, etc.

As far as enforcement goes...I can't recall the last time someone was put in jail for wanting to get clean with a higher-flow shower.

 

[Dana]

You realize you're responding to a thread that's nearly 9 years old, right?

Codes have changed since this was first posted, and vary by state. Starting this month in California it's 1.8gpm max. But many states still fall back on the 2.5 gpm D.O.E. standard that went into effect in 1994. (Has Rick Perry moved to revoke that job-killing regulation yet? )