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ironrite

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After remodeling the bathroom the new mixing valve for the shower seemed to have cut the water pressure as well as preventing scalding. I had a Water Pik and that one had a decent stream, but was getting clogged up with calcium. Then got a Moen handheld, but that one being low flow, coupled with the lower flow from the valve, was like standing in lukewarm dribble most of the time.

I had seen this contraption on Amazon and decided to order it. The Oxygenics Body Spa hand held shower. I was surprised that the darn thing seems to work. Some sort of turbine that mixes air with the water and it just blasts out water. Yes, it is a bit loud, but to me not in a bad way. There is a regulator that allows you to reduce the water flow. If there was a drawback, it would be that I have the valve turned a bit more to the hot side than before. Probably due to the air mixing in and cooling the water a bit.

ironrite++10-30-2011-15-49-11.jpg
 
We had this same showerhead and we bought it at The Sharper Image when they had stores. It lasted about 6 years before the handle split and was spraying out water. We ended up throwing it out...but I do miss that showerhead. I may break down and buy another one. There is one on the Oxygenics site that has 3 smaller openings and there is a showerhead a Bed Bath and Beyonce that has multiple openings that look like it could blast the chrome off a car....
 
Fortunately we have high water pressure here. I think that if you have higher water pressure you use less water because you spend less time wetting and rinsing than with a low pressure and dribbling output. We once had a house that had poor water pressure. Taking a shower was an exercise in futility. It took forever.

We have a Delta hand held massage unit. We like it because you can rinse where, well spots that are hard to get to with a spray. Usually I look for the flow constrictor and pop it out to get the full flow. But I have noticed that a lot of companies are no longer using flow constrictors, they are simply making the channels where the water flows smaller.
 
Originally flow restrictors were an addition you could remove (the disc type). They seem to be getting harder to circumvent. I had to ream my latest showerhead at the ball joint to get decent flow.

I strenuously disagree with the concept of flow restriction. If you need a half gallon of water in a pan to boil spaghetti, what does it save by making you wait for it? Likewise you need a certain amount of water to get the soap off in the shower, what does it save making you stand there and dance in the drizzle for 20 minutes?

Some bureaucrat's idea of a good idea. Bureaucrats are notorious/infamous for NOT having good ideas.
 
When I redid my bath a couple of years ago I put in 2 shower heads and 4 body sprays.  I looked at the valve before I put it in and noticed that the output of the diverted valve was the standard 1/2 feed, but inside the hole that allowed water through was about the size of a pencil.  I seriously considered drilling it out, but didn't- now I wish I had.  I get decent  flow from the body sprays and one shower head, I use this daily, but I wonder what it would be like with full flow.
 
I have a Speakman shower head in my shower that I removed the tiny o-ring that served as the restrictor. My shower valve is a Moen pull-type so I can adjust the flow as I like it, usually not full-force. Our water pressure here is incredible and it's just not necessary to use that much water for normal showering activities but if you want it, it's there!

It's no doubt that millions upon millions of gallons can be saved in commercial applications; gyms, hotels, etc. but the private individual homeowner should have a choice.
 
As we get more and more low flow things it is starting to cause cities to work harder on keeping sewer flowing correctly.  Older sewer lines are now blocking due to low flow and the underground slope os not enough to move things through.  Our city is now sending out pump trucks and hooking to fire hydrants and flushing sewer mains throughout the city.  So there goes the water saved by low flow.
 
We recently had a thread that linked to a article about how San Francisco is having sewer problems because of all the low flow toilets around. It cited the same problems you did. Some parts of SFO actually get an odor from time to time.

The only low flow toilets I like are the ones that are jet powered. In the tank there is a compressor of sorts that pushes the water out with quite some force.
Of course in high rise buildings for some reason you always have great water pressure.
 
It was a Speakman showerhead I had to use the drill press on-there was no more plastic ring type restrictors.
for large and high rise buildings-the "street" water from the water company meter feeds a water pump to FORCE the incoming water into a water tank in the buildings basement-an air compressor pressurizes the tank-this gives the high and consistent water flow in large apartment,office and other large buildings.Another pair of air compressors provides the air assist flush for the toilets in these places.the flush handle on the potty activates both an air valve and the water valve.
 
Thanks for that info. When I lived in a high rise apt (McClurg Court, Chicago) when you flushed the toilet anything that was in there was gone in a split second with the loudest WHHOOOSH yu ever heard. You had to worry that things sitting on the vanity counter wouldn't be sucked in! The water pressure in the shower was so strong that it'd almost blow you to the back wall if you didn't brace for it. I always wondered how on the 43rd floor we had such pressure.

And the elevators were so fast that old people didn't like them. One old lady down the hall from me told me she always uses the freight elevator. The normal ones "messed her up" when she took them.
 
DaveAMKrayoGuy's New Head:

I recently replace my shower head after the old one had been spraying water outside of the tub...

Funny how the new one turned "the other way" as opposed to how I read the directions; I was afraid I would have to call someone to have him help me do "the final tightening"...!!!!

I really should have splurged on a head w/ a hose attachment, as it would have made it easier to rinse the shampoo out of the baby's hair...! She does NOT like getting dumped w/ buckets of water, but that is how my parents rinsed MY hair...!

-- Dave
 
Passenger elevators run at higher speeds-they are usually of the "Direct Traction" type-the cable drive pulley is on the motor shaft.so it runs at a higher speed.Freight elevators have their cable drive pulleys driven from a motor through a gearbox-lower speed-but more torque so the elevator can handle heavier loads.
 
Yes, the showerhead will be a keeper. I'll probably order another one for the other bathroom. During the remodel, did replace the toilet with one from Toto. Not the expensive one, but it does have a dual flush mode. So far that one too works very well. I wanted one that was easy to clean without all those kinks and bends in the porcelain. I'll post a pic after bathroom cleaning later this week.

Back in the 1960's we must have gone through half a dozen toilets in our house. My father liked gadgets and it seemed the master bath toilet was always getting swapped out. The final one was a Sears low-boy with a push button instead of a handle. He also installed some sort of contraption in my sisters' bathroom toilet to help it flush better. My sister went in to use it. When she flushed, the lid blew off the top of the toilet, hit some glass shelves above the toilet. That sent her plugged in clock radio crashing to the floor, along with the shelves and shattered lid. Of course there was a "loud" discussion between my parents after the fact. Luckily my sister wasn't hurt. And once the mess was cleaned up we did get a good laugh out of it.
 
Cleaning finished

Almost done with my cleaning, so took a pic of Toto. Not that the lid gets put down much in a house of just guys, the soft close feature is nice.

ironrite++11-6-2011-14-02-48.jpg
 

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