What do you recommend as the best low-flow water saving shower heads?

Do you need it for CSH or is this just for your own purposes?

I'm unconvinced by these - water usage is largely a factor of how you use a shower rather than the flow. I get in our (pumped, high flow) shower, run the water for 10 seconds or so to get wet, turn it off, soap and then rinse. Even if it's a 20L a minute flow I'm only using about 20L. When i've used low flow shower heads i've found i needed to stand under them for far longer to rinse so benefit limited.

Posted By: Simon StillDo you need it for CSH or is this just for your own purposes?

It's partly because we're following the principles of CSH (not everyone showers like you unfortunately, incl. myself). And partly because we want to service two showers from a combi.

Posted By: Fred56You don't need a specific shower head. Just use an in line pressure compensating flow regulator between the head and the hose.

But won't specialised low-flow shower heads, such as these pulsating types, provide a more comfortable shower at lower flows?

Have you looked at the AECB water standards?

Not properly, no, thanks for heads up.

The Galant is still available from the manufacturers for £20 (free P&P) - as are its successors (which I believe are identical apart from the aesthetics):

http://www.pulseecoshower.co.uk/Shop.aspx

(or apparently this link if you want to pay a bit less for the new model):

http://www.pulseecoshower.com/Shop/ShopDiscount.aspx

I saw them at a trade show (Eco Technology Show in Brighton last year), and they were selling them cheaper there (presumably to try and get reseller interest) - they also said that they were working on reducing the noise levels with a new version.

I tried the Galant and the Mira, and preferred the Galant. The Galant uses approx 35% less water than the Grohe head which came with the shower set (with the flow rate adjusted for a subjectively similar shower quality), and I've stuck with the Galant.

To get what I felt was a subjectively similar shower as the Grohe original, the Mira used about 20% less water.

I see they have a 60 day money-back guarantee, so might be worth giving one a spin?

Tim.

Oh yeah and unlike the tabloid style Which? stupid headline, I think these are one of the easiest/best eco upgrades you can do!

BTW, I think pulseecoshower.com are the UK distributors for nordiceco.com - but I'm not entirely sure. There do seem to be some new models listed on nordiceco.com

I think the 10 seconds is probably a bit of an exaggeration - it's probably 30+30. The biggest loss on our current shower is waiting for hot water - needs to run for bets part of 30 seconds before it runs hot. Will be doing my best to ensure short runs on the new build.

Taps are rather different - I can see the point of a very low flow tap on a toilet basin but limiting the flow on my kitchen sink? I don't see what that achieves - I want a full kettle/pan/washing up bowl/bucket. Making it take longer to do that doesn't use less water.

I tend to agree with the comments above re kitchen taps and bath taps.

Showers and washbasins are a different matter. I have specified Grohe Ecojoy Shower heads for a low waste house design (the low waste extends to water, <76 litres pp per day). These are fitted with 5.8 litre/min restrictors and flow buttons on the head.

Nowhere is it mentioned in any regulations or standards about the volume of hot water which has to be run off before the tap/shower can be used. This water run off is both a waste of water and a waste of energy.

To provide usable hot water at my kitchen tap I used to run off 8.5 litres of water due to the route and size of pipes. If I were using a 6 litre/min flow restrictor the wait would have been almost 1 1/2 minutes. This would be unacceptable, so check volume run-off before fitting.

After complete rerouting and reducing pipe size I have it down to 1.6 litres, saving 6.9 litres per hot water use. With a 6 l/min flow restrictor this would take 16 secs to produce hot water.

Posted By: Simon StillUnfortunately CSH doesn't recognise click stops or take a sensible position on kitchen taps.

Thankfully I don't have to deal with CSH. "Unfortunately CSH doesn't recognise X or take a sensible position on Y" is a common refrain. Let's hope it does get repealed.

Posted By: rhamduI also tried the pulsating Nordic Eco.

Is there some place to try things like showers? It's bad enough trying to find a showroom that has a particular tap plumbed in.

Well, I've now tried the pulsating Nordic Eco. It was a short trial SWMBO declared it a failure. She said she would have to wear a shower cap because it was too splashy and that it didn't deliver enough water except close to the nozzle. I pretty much agree with both aspects, I'm afraid.

Blimey. This old thread has come to life!

While I like the steampunk aesthetic, I can't imagine feeling comfortable - or even safe - in a shower without a thermostat.

You might also need some arrangement to stop cold water flowing back down the hot pipes and vice versa.

Any moment probably somebody will be along to say thermostats are required by the building regulations anyway - but I'm not an expert on plumbing and its rules. I'm just a shower user who hates surprises.

Add to that pipes going through the floor of the shower.

Just looks so great! (mind you if I'd done it I would have soldered end feeds at the junction rather than a compression fitting)

And are there any reasons we shouldn't do this? What are the downsides of separate taps for hot and cold?

You can do that but you have to be sure that running a tap elsewhere in the house won't effect the flow or either the hot or cold (or wise you freeze or burn). A thermostatic mixer doesn't always prevent some change in temperature but they do a pretty good job of limiting temperature changes in most cases.

We blew a chunk of our VAT reclaim on one of these. They don't seem to show the mixer itself but it's a seriously impressive lump of brass.

http://www.perrinandrowe.co.uk/bathroom-collection/concealed-thermostatic-shower-mixer/

Swadling also do an impressive concealed mixer.