Conserving energy, going green, and protecting natural resources are all at the top of everyone’s priority lists, even more so over the past several years. This is most noticeable around the house where items such as reusable shopping bags, low voltage light bulbs, and energy star appliances are prevalent. Recycling bins are commonplace and products made form recycled materials are preferred. Even in the bathroom, items such as toilets and shower heads are being modified to help conserve resources. Low flow shower heads and toilets are preferred over standard models, and sometimes even come with tax credits for installing these resource conserving fixtures. Water saving shower heads, in particular, can also help to greatly reduce your average water usage, in turn, lowering your monthly utility bills.
What Is A Water Saving Shower Head?
A water saving shower heads is a low flow unit designed to reduce water consumption while still providing the benefits of a standard model. A low flow shower head is designed to be affordable, as well as allowing consumers the opportunity to help the planet. The eco friendly shower head designs work on the principle of increasing water pressure, while also reducing water use. This is accomplished in two distinct ways, utilizing the Venturi effect and aerating the water as it is dispersed.
The Venturi Effect works by reducing the size of the output are for the water flow. By constricting the sizes of the individual holes on the shower head, the pressure the water is pushed through each hole is increased significantly. While the water pressure flowing into the shower head does not change, the output from eco friendly shower heads is raised, providing a more efficient water stream while also utilizing less resources. In other words, the water coming into the pipes is being pulled at low pressure, reducing the input needed, while the water flowing out of the shower heads is being released at high pressure, giving the feeling of more water being used than actually is.
Another method used in low flow shower heads is aeration. This method of water conservation uses air mixed in with the water to increase the output volume. By infusing the water with air, its pressure is increased even thought the amount of water actually being used is, in fact, decreased. The aeration method is also commonly used in faucets, both in the kitchen and the bathroom, in order to reduce the water consumption of those devices as well.
How Are Water Saving Shower Heads Determined?
The title of water saving shower head is given based on the number of gallons of water the shower head uses per minute. While its easy enough to partially conserve water by cutting your shower time, reducing the amount of water being used during the shower time is effective as well. The maximum amount of water a standard shower head is supposed to pull is 2.5 gallons per minute. The majority of shower heads classified as water saving devices pull anywhere from 1 to 1.5 gallons per minute, a reduction of about half the water consumed by a standard shower head. When combined with other water savings practices, this can essentially cut you water bill by a sizable percentage.
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