Low flow shower head recommendations wanted

[daylatedollarshort]

I need to replace a shower head and I am not sure what to look for. I would like something low flow. I have hair that is a bit long so I need something with enough force to get the shampoo out of my hair without it taking an hour.

Any suggestions / features to look for would be appreciated.

 

[Spock]

I buy regular shower heads and let the calcium/lime build up restrict the flow to reduce volume and increase pressure...

A little more seriously... I won't buy a "low flow" shower head. Its like "low calorie" foods. Everything is taken to extreme in that they don't make a "reduced flow" (50% reduction?) I hate going to hotels with low flow heads and I have to run around under the nozzle to get wet. Some don't put out enough volume to maintain temperature. I'd rather have a higher flow and just take a shorter shower.

 

[OldShooter]

I have drilled out our shower heads so we get good pressure and modified the tank reservoirs in our toilets so they actually flush. Since our local water comes from the Mississippi river and goes back into the river there is no reason for me to pay attention to the arrogant children in Washington who think that one size fits all.

 

[candrew]

We live in the SW desert and are ever conscious about conserving water. In shopping for a low flow shower head, we settled on this one.

https://www.takeashower.com/store/store.php/products/shower-heads-spa-deluxe-hand-held

What makes the shower head low flow is the adjustable volume control. We've had ours installed for a couple of years now. Really happy with the quality. No cheap plastic parts.

 

[Jerry1]

I’ve used these in the past and like them a lot.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Delta-1...ERCH=REC-_-pipsem-_-203124917-_-203124919-_-N

Good thing is that if you don’t like it your only out $10.

 

[Go-NoGo]

I was looking for something similar and was having a hard time finding something that matched my needs.

Ultlmately I settled on a valve, works really well, you can adjust it to the flow you want with the shower head you prefer:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071RRR34Z/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[cbo111]

This Speakman is solid and effective; you can see and feel the quality. We got it at Home Depot and did the simple modification to remove the flow limiter. There are YouTube videos to show how this is done.

 

[easysurfer]

I tried a low flow shower head before but gave up as I'd find myself end up taking longer showers to get the same amount of rinsing. Plus, another negative is because the shower is low flow, I'd get a chill during the shower as less water was hitting my body.

Instead, I have one of those shower heads with a button to press that diverts the flow to a trickle. Like if I'm soaping up my hair. But a press of the button again and the flow can be diverted back to full strength for a good rinse.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

We got this Delta showerhead, which I'm very happy with, as I just switch the water to only the handheld part to conserve (leaving it attached to the head), then turn it on full to rinse. The only caveat is that the plastic lever for the massage/spray valve tends to snap off if you're not careful, as you can see if you scroll down to a review by "Shopping4Shower" (not me, but the exact same thing happened). It still has a lot of nice options, including the handheld sprayer, which is very handy for rinsing the shower stall.

 

[Reach]

Similar to a few other suggestions above, we use this one. It has an on/off valve that regulates flow too. I have long, thick hair so can confirm that it works great for rinsing.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Delta-1-Spray-1-6-in-Single-Wall-Mount-Fixed-Shower-Head-in-Chrome-52650-PK/203124916

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Thank you all so much for the great suggestions! I will be sure to check out all the links.

 

[cathy63]

Your profile says you're in CA, so you can only buy showerheads with flows that are 1.8 GPM or less. Finding something online was a huge headache when we remodeled a bathroom last year because Amazon sellers, Home Depot, etc aren't allowed to ship products to CA that don't meet the state requirements. You can see all the products online, but then you can't buy them. Home Depot's website is particularly bad about identifying the item in your cart that is preventing your order from going through.

The Delta that The Cosmic Avenger recommended is very similar to what we ended up with. The one that Jerry1 and Reach recommend can't be sold here.

 

[Cobra9777]

I've remodeled 3 bathrooms in the last 4 years. All the shower heads and faucets that we wanted were low-flow. But most of them had two flow restrictors. One can be removed to increase the flow somewhat. The remaining flow restrictor cannot be removed but it can be easily modified to increase the flow to your desired level. I did this on several fixtures. The flow restrictor is basically a plastic disk with holes in it. I made additional holes with a heated needle. I would test it after each hole or two until I got the desired flow rate.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

I've been happy with this one since I installed it, oh, at least 5 years ago.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Delta-1...ERCH=REC-_-pipsem-_-203124916-_-203124918-_-N

 

[Lakewood90712]

This one is very low cost and is very , very low flow

https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-32-oz-All-Purpose-Sprayer-Bottle-HDX32101/305884969

 

[RobbieB]

I use this one from Ace Hardware.

Very small, water saver but gives an invigorating high velocity mist type spray.

 

[Lakewood90712]

I use this one from Ace Hardware.

Very small, water saver but gives an invigorating high velocity mist type spray.

Did you smuggle that one in from outside California ? It is considered contrabanned in the golden state. The water nanny's have decreed 1.5 gpm is too much water flow in CA

 

[statsman]

Your profile says you're in CA, so you can only buy showerheads with flows that are 1.8 GPM or less.

That probably explains why the Moen shower heads that came with our new house build in Central Texas state 1.75 GPM. Moen probably decided to adhere to the strictest rules in the country for their shower head models.

We replaced them not so much for the flow rate (although it is a bit annoying), but because my DW wanted shower wands. Most "low flow" shower heads and wands are 2.5 GPM maximum, which is what we ended up with. The shower wands also have a trickle/off mode if you wish to save water further.

Honestly, my shower time @ 2.5 GPM is less than @ 1.75 GPM. I have thick and wavy hair that takes a bit of water to rinse out the shampoo and conditioner. If we had been required to stay with 1.75 GPM, assuming we didn't "mod" them, I would be taking longer showers.

 

[calmloki]

This Speakman is solid and effective; you can see and feel the quality. We got it at Home Depot and did the simple modification to remove the flow limiter. There are YouTube videos to show how this is done.

At a yard sale a few years ago a contractor was selling two Speakman shower heads on a heavy chrome "U" pipe. Had never seen such a thing, but the weight of the heads and pipe sold me. Brought them home and opened them up as above and run one in La Quinta and one up here in Oregon. Outstanding. When I plumbed the shower we built up here i installed two valves to control a handheld and a wall mount and ran 3/4" supply. Takes a while to get hot water upstairs to the bath, but it is pure luxury. I can control flow at the valve and normally have less than full flow coming out of the Speakman. Let's just say getting a good hair rinse isn't a problem.

 

[EastWest Gal]

This is our shower head. We installed it 2 years ago, and are delighted. It is need of descaling so not pretty now, but it is fantastic. A full shower setting, or with a turn of the lever, a setting that directs the water through the hand-held part, with three settings on that part, including “off”.

The hand-held part pops off easily-wonderful for cleaning the bottom half, as well as hair.

I’ll have to dig into paperwork to find out the brand, but I’ll pursue it if asked.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I appreciate all the additional suggestions. I am limited to shower heads they sell in California, which I believe to be 1.8 gpm or less. We had one previously that was 1.25 gpm and it took a long time to get the shampoo out of my hair. Some of you brought up good points about not saving much in water if you are in the shower for a much longer period of time to get all the shampoo out.

I think I will try one of the hand held wand types with adjustable flows and get 1.8 max gpm allowed and buy one of the recommended brands from the thread. Thanks again for all the great ideas.