How to choose the right shower & showerhead?

Are you building a new home, or remodeling your bathroom and don’t know how to choose a shower head that fits your needs?

When you arrive at the department store and start looking for a new shower head, you might be overwhelmed at the amount of choices (or lack of) you have to choose from. Buying the right one for your family will certainly make you think a couple of times before you make this decision; you don’t want to end up standing under a trickle of water, or showering in hot or cold water.

Before choosing a showerhead, it is important that you understand 2 things:

1. You should verify and understand how the hot water system works in your home. Some shower heads cannot be used with some heating systems.

How to identify the water system at home?

Most homes in the US will have one of the three different plumbing systems installed:

- Gravity system

- Pressurized system

- Boiler system.

If you are not sure what kind of water system is installed in your home, please ask Benjamin Franklin of the Treasure Coast to perform a maintenance or routine check.

2. There are four basic categories to a shower (-mixer, power, electric and thermostatic-). Understanding your options and the right fit to choose from is very important in order to get the right one on your first try.

Mixer showers:

This type of shower includes, hot and cold water which is mixed before coming out of the shower head. Mixer shower fixtures come surface mounted, the pipework can be installed on the top of your existing surface, or flush mounted (for this kind of showers the valve is seen and the pipework is hidden behind the surface).

Mix showers work perfectly in shower cubicles where the pipes can be built into a wall. If you are interested in this type of shower you should take into consideration some showers will require high pressure systems in order to work effectively - If your home doesn’t have one, you could also consider buying a separate pump to increase the flow, but if your home does, please look out for the HP symbol (high pressure) on selected showers. Does it sound complicated? Please give us a call and schedule your appointment today at 1(877) 236 -1776. We can help you remove, install and repair any showers, faucets, pipe and all plumbing items.

Pros of mixer Showers:

- High Flow Rate

- You usually get the right temperature.

- You can find many options of shower mixers, that will allow you to adjust the temperature and flow

Cons of mixer Showers:

- Be careful to make sure it fits your water system before buying.

- Mixer showers won’t increase the flow of water to your system.

- The flow, and temperature of water may be affected by the use of toilet, cistern, etc.

Power Showers

These kind of showers work similar to Mixer Showers, but this one should include an integral pump to strengthen the flow of water -built-in pump-, so they’re perfect for homes with low water pressure.

Pros of Power Showers:

- Greater control over the water temperature and pressure.

- Good performance even with low water pressure.

Cons of Power Showers:

- They can only be installed in low pressure, tank feed systems.

- A dedicated hot and cold supply of water is necessary. 

- Shouldn’t be used with a high pressure unvented system.

- They could use a lot more water than other kind of showers

Electric showers:

Electric showers can be used in any home, regardless of the plumbing system, and they’re top choice for homes with a high hot water demand. Electric showers only need cold water feed thru the mains because water is heated up as it passes through an integral heater.

Pros of Electric Showers:

- You don’t need a water cylinder to get warm water from the shower

- You don’t have to pay to heat water that wasn’t used.

- You get a good flow even when you have low water pressure.

- Can be good for your energy bills

- Electric Showers still work even when your boiler breaks down

Cons of Electric Showers:

- You probably get very hot water if the cold water supply is being used elsewhere in your house.

- You will require a separate fuse for the electrical supply circuit.

Thermostatic or Digital Showers

These have a pre-set thermostat that keeps the water temperature consistent and will adjust it when needed. Some advanced thermostatic showers have features like cutting off the water supply when there is a failure in the flow.

Thermostatic showers can be installed in a shower bath or work as part of a concealed or exposed unit.

Pros of Thermostatic Showers:

- Greater control over temperature

- Comes is various designs

- Ideal shower solution for houses with no showering facilities, such as older homes.

We hope our article on types of showers with “pros & cons” has given you a helpful insight into choosing a new shower head. If you are remodeling your bathroom and need a new shower head, any kind of repairs or plumbing installation give us a call, our plumbing professionals will be happy to assist you. We also offer a wide array of nozzles and shower heads with different levels of efficiency and spray settings.  Call Benjamin Franklin Plumbers today for additional details. 

ST. LUCIE (772)236-6080             MARTIN (772)214-3848

PALM BEACH (561)316-9007     INDIAN RIVER (772) 617-0370

www.benfranklinplumber.com

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Tips to conserve water

It’s not a secret that our planet is running out of water, consequently it gets more expensive by the day. Most responsible people want to keep and conserve water, but we still need to use it in our daily activities; so here are some tips that you can put in practice to conserve water and save money:

The use of chemicals:

• Don't use too many detergents, bleach or chemicals. This could kill the natural bacteria in your septic system.
• Try to use soaps and detergents that are biodegradable.

Sprinklers:

• When using sprinklers in summer time, buy a spring-loaded timer, that will avoid the excessive water loading of your grass and control it in case you forget to shut it down.

Water pressure:

• When your water pressure is over 60 pounds per square inch, it will damage your plumbing system and will also increase your consumption. If you find out that your water pressure in your street is exceeding 60 pounds, you can install a pressure reducing valve that will limit the water pressure within your home.

Water leaks:

• Check for undetected water leaks reviewing your water meter during a period of time when you are not using water, take notes of the meter reading and check it 8 to 10 hours later. If the meter has moved, it means you should correct the issue.
• The consumption of a leaky toilet in your house is more than 40% of all the usage. Call a plumber for advice, you may have to install a new toilet flapper and fill valve.
• A faucet leaking that drips once per second can actually drop more than 8 gallons per day, which adds to 3,000 gallons per year. Always check your faucet.

Showers:

• When you replace an old shower head you can save up to 7.5 gallons of water per minute without taking away full spray action at low or high water pressures. Also, don’t forget to shut off the shower when you are not using it!

There are many things you can do to conserve water, put in practice these simple actions and you will see that your water bills will reflect your efforts. 

If you need us to check your home in order to detect any situations that could be wasting water, please contact us:

Benjamin Franklin Plumbing - Contact

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