Evening Latte

If you’re in the market for a shower head and read some reviews, you’ll probably find that a significant percentage of them mention flow rate. The federal cap in the US is 2.5 gallons per minute (GPM), WaterSense certified fixtures have a maximum of 2.0 GPM, and some states (currently California, Colorado, and New York) restrict it further to 1.8 GPM.

While looking around for a new shower head a few years ago, I wasn’t sure what flow rate(s) I’d used, which meant I wasn’t sure what I wanted. Since it’s usually controlled by plastic inserts, I looked for a “variety pack” I could try out in my current fixture. During that search, I found something that I think is better: an adjustable shower head valve.

It’s a brass fitting that goes between the arm pipe and the head. It has a sliding adjustment to set the flow rate to full (maximum allowed by valve/water pressure/head combo) all the way to zero (shut off).

This means each person who uses the shower can easily adjust the flow rate to whatever they want. My previous shower head was limited to 2.5 GPM by an insert, and I tried to adjust the new one to about that since it seemed like a pretty good balance: it’s pleasant, and I only have to adjust the temperature knob during long showers. On the other hand, if I’ve spent a while in the cold playing frisbee or riding my bike, I can turn up the flow rate for half a minute or so for some luxury.

As long as your shower head pipe is the standard 1/2″ (interior diameter), installation is very easy. Unscrew the head, remove any old plumber’s tape, add new plumber’s tape (come with the valve) to the threads of the pipe and valve, screw the valve onto the pipe, then screw the shower head onto the valve. That’s it. Only note: it’s nice to point the adjustment tab toward the shower door so people can access it before they get in.

The only potential drawbacks I know/can think of:

• It’s relatively noisy. I assume this is related to the shape of the valve interior, and it gets louder the more the flow is restricted.
• It allows irresponsible usage. If someone thinks it’s a good idea to open the valve all the way to 5.0+ GPM and drains the hot water heater in record time, they are free to do that.
• It extends the pipe by about an inch. Not an issue for most people, but if it’s an angled arm pipe and you’re already tall enough to be annoyed by how low the water hits you, this will make it a little worse.