Low-Flow Showerheads Why Use Them and How to Install Them

Everybody likes how a good hot shower makes them feel. But with all the water that comes out of the shower heads there is a massive amount of water that is going down the drain. This is a waste of water and a loss of money, as all that water has to be heated. Because of this you may won't to look into replacing your old showerhead and installing a low flow shower head.

Many times with older low-flow showerheads they only would restrict the water flow. Because of this many people thought that they were not worth the trouble considering you had to take longer showers. But with the current low-flow showerheads they have been both redesigned and reengineered to accomplish things such as control the size of the droplets and mix water with air. So even though it is the case that you have a low-flow showerhead, that will conserve both water and energy, they will feel like a regular showerhead. Therefore you can have the best of both worlds with saving money on heating the water and saving water while still having a great shower.

What is also nice about low-flow showerheads is that they are very inexpensive. You can buy a low-flow showerhead for around $10. If you want to get a top of the line low flow showerhead you will not spend much more than $100. Even with the low costs of the showerheads you will save on your monthly water and heating bill so it is cost effective to install a low-flow showerhead.

Replacing the Showerhead

It is very easy to replace showerheads from an old variety to a low-flow energy efficient one. You only have to unscrew the old showerhead from the water supply. In order to do this you should first check on the underside of the showerhead and look for small screws. After you find any, if they are present, you should remove them. Many showerheads will be able to screw off by hand. But if you can not get it off by hand use a crescent wrench or a sturdy pair of vise grips in order to unscrew the showerhead. You should turn slowly and also hold the water supply line while you are unscrewing the old showerhead. Make sure not to jerk the wrench or vise grips as this may break the water supply line.

When you remove the old showerhead you simply screw the new one on. But before you install the new showerhead make sure to place some PTFE tape or pipe dope on the supply line's threads. By doing this you will ensure that you will not have any drips from the new showerhead.

TIP: If you do use a wrench to install a new showerhead you should cover the jaws of the wrench with masking tape. By doing this you will not damage the surface of the new showerhead.

Author: Jason Green