August 2009 Showerhead Report: In test results, not all flows are a go

The recession has put a pinch on bathroom remodels, but you can still get an attractive makeover on a budget with these sub-$1,000 makeovers. (Some reports below are available to subscribers.)

Our "Top Kitchen & Bath Values" special adds another trick: Switch out your old showerhead for a new, water-efficient model. (Find out whether you should take a bath or a shower to maximize water savings.)

Ten of the 18 models in our latest report on showerheads use less than the federal maximum flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute; all meet the federal limit. But our panel of eight male and female testers, who together logged 269 showers between them, found only one model that could produce an invigorating spray. That’s an important point, as too weak a stream might result in longer, water-wasting showers.

Some tested showerheads aerate the spray to make it feel more substantial, but we found water temperatures dropped from 5° to 15°F from the time the water left the showerhead to the time it hit our bathers’ backs.

Our tested showerheads ranged from $20 to $190 in price; most are a DIY installation. We also tested three shower towers whose fixed sprays and handheld showerhead can turn a basic bath into a spa-ike retreat.

Before you buy a new showerhead, check your local ordinances for any water-use restrictions. You can also use our water-heater calculator to make sure your current heater, be it a conventional storage-tank or a tankless model, can handle the new flow requirements.

Another way to cut your water bill is to install a water-saving toilet. But as with showerheads, our latest report on toilets revealed only a few models that can save water without compromising performance.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Share your own experiences with your showerhead, shower tower, or toilet in the bathroom-fixtures topic of our newly redesigned forums. It’s worth a visit just to read these water-saving tips from a poster who claims to be an alien from a much greener planet.

By the Numbers: Paint sales defy the downturn, says Home Improvement Research Institute

$12.5 billion

Amount of paint that Americans will be buy in 2010, according to a report
commissioned by the Home Improvement Research Institute and covered in
Home Channel News. The figure represents a 12.9 percent gain from 2008, when
sales of paints and preservatives totaled $11 billion. Sales in 2009 sales are pegged to rise by 2.9 percent, says HIRI. Based on these numbers, paint is showing signs of bucking the recession trend.

Retailers are reporting a shift from neutral off-white colors and earth tones that won't put off prospective home buyers to more active, vibrant colors for homeowners who want to personalize their living spaces. Perhaps that's why Pantone, the Carlstadt, New Jersey-based company that provides color standards for design industries, named Mimosa (swatch shown) its color of the year for 2009, succeeding Blue Iris and Chili Pepper.

Essential information: See our March 2009 report on interior paints.

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.