Hooray for the old days

[TwinkleToes]

Desperate for a decent shower, I dismantled my chromed brass shower head and looked for a way to drill a bigger hole somewhere to allow some water to flow. I encountered a funny looking washer with 3 holes in it. I'm supposing this abomination is a water restricting device. What would happen if I lost this thing and reassembled the shower head without it — would water leak from where it wasn't intended?

How much water used to flow through old shower heads in the good old days before they were IMPROVED? I understand that the new models allow 2 1/2 gallons of water to dribble out nowadays — what did it used to be?

 

[havasu]

It sounds like the water restrictor. The old shower heads had various outputs, but as you know, water conservation is a hot topic. I purchased a high end, solid brass shower head with the hope it would be better, but nope, still a trickle. I really don't mind, but with my wife's long hair, she constantly complained. I took a 3/8" drill and drilled out the center, allowing a real nice flow of water. I hope you don't call the conservation cops on me, because the holidays is a bad time to be locked away in the pokie!

 

[SlowDrip]

The cheap moen 1 function shower heads have a restrictor that can be pulled out with a pair of needle-nose pliers. Sure, the head isn;'t designed to take that kind of pressure and may start to leak after a year or so, but they only cost like 6 bucks so.....yeah.

the question people always ask me (even though I happen to agree with them) is how is a water restrictor supposed to cut down on water usage if you have to stay in the shower 5 times longer to get clean.

The whole thing reminds me of when some dork from the city came by with a water reducing aerator for my kitchen sink. Does that somehow make me drink less water? Meh.

 

[phishfood]

I have to change out 20 2.2 GPM kitchen sink areators for 1.5GPM areators tomorrow. I wouldn't want to have to fill up a sink bowl to do dishes with one of those.

 

[majakdragon]

I have had a Waterpic shower head for about 10 years. It is a water saver model, but it also has about 10 settings for different spray patterns. This thing will sting you on some settings and I have never had a problem with it. Cost about $30 back then.

 

[TwinkleToes]

The advice to remove that ugly plastic or rubber restrictor with a needle nosed pliers worked to perfection. I had to find a half inch washer to seal the space that had previously been taken by the restrictor, Home Depot provided it. All is wll in the world again.

 

[phishfood]

The water police are on their way over right now!