Low-flow bathroom faucets on the rise

The Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense label appeared on a number of bathroom faucets on display at last month’s Kitchen/Bath Industry Show in Chicago. (Many other WaterSense-labeled products were at the show, including the Caroma Sydney Smart 305 toilet.) Dozens of lower-flow bathroom faucets are now being marketed by companies like Delta, Gerber, Moen, and Price Pfister (whose Ashfield faucet is shown), and they have a maximum flow rate that’s about 30 percent lower than standard models. Interestingly, as part of the WaterSense program, an independent laboratory assesses compliance with existing faucet-construction and -performance standards as well as the additional WaterSense requirements.

WaterSense-qualified faucets provide a maximum flow rate of 1.5 gallons per minute at 60 pounds per square inch. To keep manufacturers from introducing trickling faucets that could conceivably satisfy the WaterSense criteria but not consumers—echoes of the first generation of low-flow toilets—the EPA also mandated a minimum flow of 0.8 gpm at 20 psi.

Even if you’re not in the market for a new bathroom faucet, you can still save water by replacing the current aerators on your faucets with new ones ($3 and up) that limit water flow. If you’ve already installed WaterSense faucets, keep them flowing smoothly by clearing or replacing their aerators when they clogs.

The EPA is planning to add showerheads to the list of WaterSense products. I wonder how the agency expects to lower water consumption in showers at a time when multihead, multimedia-equipped spa-style showers seem omnipresent at the trade shows I attend. Think about it: If someone’s in a shower fitted with eight 2-gpm showerheads and a music player or TV, aren’t they likely to spend more time with the water running?—Ed Perratore

Essential information: Visit our Bed & Bath page for more details, including ideas for bathroom makeovers, reviews of toilets, and buying advice for countertops.

Comments

[Greg]

Low flow faucet aerators are typically anywhere from 2.2gpm down to .5 gpm. I would recommend a higher gpm for the kitchen faucet where a higher flow is generally needed and possibly a swivel spray model which can be nice for the kitchen. For your bathroom faucet a .5 gpm which is typically considered ultra low flow is probably sufficient. The cost between regular flow aerators and low flow is negligible and they all install in the same manner.

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