Fancy shower fixture systems

18 years ago

I'm in the process of selecting plumbing fixtures for our new home - while trying to stay at least somewhere in the vicinity of the allowance amount! - so I'm doing as much of my shopping online as possible to get the best prices.

I'm finding myself totally overwhelmed by all the fancy choices for shower fixtures... and, of course, there is NO WAY to try them out in advance!

Our current home, built in the 60's, has your standard builders grade 5 foot tub/shower enclosure combo with a single shower head. When the gov't passed that law in tje early 90's that no one could manufacture a shower-head with a flow greater than 2.5 gal/min, I went out and bought a couple extra of the old non-flow-restricted shower-heads just so as to have them on hand if/when we ever needed to replace the showerhead in our master bath. I think they were about $5 each. That was probably fifteen years ago and we still haven't needed to replace the shower-head so I still have the two replacements.

Before anyone gives me H--- about not going to low-flow, I suffer from arthritis and a really good hot shower is just about the only thing that gets me moving in the mornings. Having tried a couple of low-flow showers, I decided that giving up my high-flow shower was a sacrifice I was just not willing to make. I did put in the low-flow toilets and installed a low-flow shower in the guest shower and have otherwise tried to do my part to reduce water usage by xeriscaping my lawn and NEVER washing my car. LOL!

So anyway now I'm looking for shower fixtures for my new home and am amazed at the plethora of "shower towers", "body spas", "multi-head fixtures", etc that are being sold. Clearly, while each "head" in these systems may deliver less than 2.5 gal/min - the net result is far more than that. Looks like I was not the only one who was simply unwilling to give up a really good shower!

But, it just seems incredible to spend $500 to $1000 for one of these systems if the ultimate effect is really no better than what I can get with one of my "old" shower heads. I'm seriously considering just putting in the cheapest thing I can find that one of my squirreled-away shower-heads will fit onto.

My question is: If you have one of those fancy high dollar, multi-shower-head systems and if you also remember what showers were like in the old days before flow restrictions, and assuming you had the option of an old non-flow restricted showerhead, would you say your shower system was really worth the money you spent for it?

If you really like your system and think it is far superior to a single shower head, regardless of the flow rate, which system do you have and what do you particularly like about it?

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Comments (4)

weedyacres
18 years ago
We've got 2 Delta units that each have a shower head and 2 body sprays. They retailed for ~$500 each, but I bought them online for around $300 each. I like the body sprays because they are more "enveloping" than just a high flow shower head.

I wouldn't have spent $1000 extra for it. But $300 each...well worth it IMO.
woodinvirginia
18 years ago
I think the operative term is Balanced, hydrostatic flow. Meaning that the new shower heads & controls won't scald you if someone opens a water outlet in the next room or down the hall on the same level. That is the difference between the controls of new showers and those offered in the 70's. Of course you can incorporate the same features using old showerheads, depends on if you have a plumber with the right accessories. In some states it is the required code to have this balanced flow of water coming from the shower.
BTW there is a place where I found display models that were operable it was in Washington, DC It was called the Design center. I took a day trip up there four years ago, before I started planning the changes to my home.
http://www.dcdesigncenter.com/industries/kb.cfm
I also checked out the design centers at Ferguson Enterprises, they have showroms throughout the US.
http://www.ferguson.com/Showrooms/showrooms_index.shtml

Hope this helps...
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junco East Georgia zone 8a
18 years ago
Weedyacres:

I'm so glad to have been able to find this thread. I've recently discovered the Delta fixtures which I think are the ones you have in your shower. Are you still happy with them? Any further advice? Which style of shower head did you get with yours? I found the T18230 which is the Monitor series, the T18255 which has the Victorian style head, and the T18240 which has the Lockwood series Rain can. Delta describes this as a "full spray function head". The consultant at eFaucets said it had the wider diamter of a rain head but that it functioned like a regular shower. Does anyone have experience with this head? I like the look and the idea but I don't want a true rainhead like the ones others here have described that really need to come down from the ceiling.

Thanks for any advice---
supriseremodel
18 years ago
woodinva, the original poster is correct; the laws were changed so that showerheads used less water (don't you remember the Seinfeld episode where Kramer was getting black market showerheads?). Laws were also changed to protect showers from scalding, but that's the valves, not the heads.

Anyway - I found this blog about the issue: http://www.mises.org/story/2007

It's funny because it answered my question about a showerhead I'm getting from Westin Home that has a double shower head. I suppose I need to be concerned about the water usage, but I figured if it was on the market it complied with the law (and technically it does).

I don't wash my car OR water my lawn, so maybe I can feel okay about using a litte more in the shower too!

Good luck bevangel, we just finalized what the other shower head in our new shower would be. SO much out there and so many piece-parts! Honestly, I've spent more time trying to get the right info to my plumber and GC than any other single item in the remodel!