The petty tyrants in your shower

[corbe]

The petty tyrants in your shower

by Washington Examiner,
August 15, 2020 12:00 AM

When President Trump objected to federal regulations of shower heads and when the Department of Energy this week proposed to undo President Barack Obama’s shower rules, Trump’s critics decried the actions as petty and the subject matter as too picayune.

But Trump's critics are the ones with a question to answer: If the flow of a person’s shower head is too petty to be deregulated, then how was it momentous enough to be regulated in the first place?

The story of how Washington got into our showers started in 1992, but the real action took place in 2010.

A Democratic Congress passed and Republican President George H.W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 1992, which dictated the maximum flow rates on “showerheads, faucets, water closets, and urinals.”

The law banned any shower head that allowed water to flow out at a greater rate than 2.5 gallons per minute (which comes out to 5.3 ounces per second) “when measured at a flowing water pressure of 80 pounds per square inch.”

<..snip..>

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/the-petty-tyrants-in-your-shower

[Bigun]

Not to mention what they did to toilets! 

[DB]

I drilled all the flow restrictors out of mine before I installed them...

[LegalAmerican]

I drilled all the flow restrictors out of mine before I installed them...

 

[Bigun]

I drilled all the flow restrictors out of mine before I installed them...

I just take them out and throw them away.

My toilets are as old as my house because I refuse to replace them and install the new water saving variety which you have to flush two or three times to get them to do what the old ones will do with one flush.

The Goberment f's up everything it touches!

[bigheadfred]

Not to mention what they did to lawnmowers.

[bigheadfred]

Back when they started putting in catalytic converter in cars, and forced people to buy unleaded gas, we had a mechanic who would remove that converter and hammer out the restrictor so you could still run "regular".

[massadvj]

I remember the hot, vigorous showers of my youth.  The hot water actually stung a little bit when it struck my body.  After one of those showers I really felt invigorated.  These days we are being sold "gentle rain" showers, which are boring and stupid (siisy showers) as far as I am concerned.

I did finally find a shower head I can live with, but it does not quite match the showers of my youth.  Here it is:

https://www.amazon.com/WASSA-High-Pressure-Shower-Head/dp/B07CQH9KSR/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=shower+heads&qid=1597516234&sr=8-8

[Smokin Joe]

I drilled all the flow restrictors out of mine before I installed them...

Me, too. Even to the point of swapping out those misters with real showerheads when I was in the field. I doubt I used much more water not standing there forever to get wet and longer to rinse the soap off.

[Smokin Joe]

I just take them out and throw them away.

My toilets are as old as my house because I refuse to replace them and install the new water saving variety which you have to flush two or three times to get them to do what the old ones will do with one flush.

The Goberment f's up everything it touches!

I had to replace one of mine, the tank cracked. i bought an Eljer toilet in a box, and put it in. It will ordinarily handle two flush deposits with the old toilet in one flush, BUT...Is there enough water to move all that down the pipe?

It gets flushed again in such  instances, just to provide the flow to get solids through 100 year old plumbing. I don't want the problems LA had with buildup in the pipes.

[bigheadfred]

I remember the hot, vigorous showers of my youth.  The hot water actually stung a little bit when it struck my body.  After one of those showers I really felt invigorated.  These days we are being sold "gentle rain" showers, which are boring and stupid (siisy showers) as far as I am concerned.

I did finally find a shower head I can live with, but it does not quite match the showers of my youth.  Here it is:

https://www.amazon.com/WASSA-High-Pressure-Shower-Head/dp/B07CQH9KSR/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=shower+heads&qid=1597516234&sr=8-8

We have a multiple choice showerhead. The water here is so hard the setting on the head doesn't matter. It is invigorating. Get in. Get clean. Get out.

[bigheadfred]

I had to replace one of mine, the tank cracked. i bought an Eljer toilet in a box, and put it in. It will ordinarily handle two flush deposits with the old toilet in one flush, BUT...Is there enough water to move all that down the pipe?

It gets flushed again in such  instances, just to provide the flow to get solids through 100 year old plumbing. I don't want the problems LA had with buildup in the pipes.

I had to replace a toilet when we got this place. I got one at Home Depot with max flush power, but it uses little water. There is a long run from it to the drop off point. The gauge is a little cup. I put a couple of fishing sinkers in that cup so there is a constant water flow. We aren't  metered for water. Usually I only keep the sinkers in to prevent winter
freeze up. But this year I left them in.

Kinda funny. The water level in the bowl is higher. At a point the added load causes it to self flush.

[roamer_1]

I just take them out and throw them away.

My toilets are as old as my house because I refuse to replace them and install the new water saving variety which you have to flush two or three times to get them to do what the old ones will do with one flush.

The Goberment f's up everything it touches!

Back in my troubles, I had to replace mine with a handicap toilet... Bigger, taller... And I really like that. Even still. I am a big guy and I like that tall pot.

But bring a plunger. And I mean every_single_time. And I ain't braggin (tho I could). EVERYBODY plugs that thing up. $400 bucks and it does not do the one thing it is supposed to be made for.

[roamer_1]

Me, too. Even to the point of swapping out those misters with real showerheads when I was in the field. I doubt I used much more water not standing there forever to get wet and longer to rinse the soap off.

I got one being made on the bench... If I ever finish it.... The innards are all brass (stays cleaner in hard water), to include the diffuser plate which is 3/16" brass plate so I can drill and tap it.. Figuring on using Holley jets to make the spray... I have hunnerts of them jets laying around from back in the glory days...

[DB]

Back in my troubles, I had to replace mine with a handicap toilet... Bigger, taller... And I really like that. Even still. I am a big guy and I like that tall pot.

But bring a plunger. And I mean every_single_time. And I ain't braggin (tho I could). EVERYBODY plugs that thing up. $400 bucks and it does not do the one thing it is supposed to be made for.

Toto makes toilets that work.

[roamer_1]

Toto makes toilets that work.

I will keep that in mind. There is a replacement happening in the near future. I have entirely exhausted all paths forward trying to fix what I have. Just pisses me off. It's a good brand. I paid hard money.

[sneakypete]

Not to mention what they did to toilets!

@Bigun

You have GOT to be kidding! I know the new "goobermint mandated" toilets were next to useless when they first came out,but in a year or two they became amazing devices that flushed so hard you had to look at the walls to make sure they weren't going to get sucked down the hole,too.

I replaced both toilets in my house with them BECAUSE they worked so much better.

I do agree on the shower heads,though. I really miss the "blast" we used to get from them.

[sneakypete]

I had to replace one of mine, the tank cracked. i bought an Eljer toilet in a box, and put it in. It will ordinarily handle two flush deposits with the old toilet in one flush, BUT...Is there enough water to move all that down the pipe?

 

@Smokin Joe

I am no plumbing goo-roo,but I suspect the force and volume of the new flush more than makes up for the lower volume of water.

[sneakypete]

I had to replace a toilet when we got this place. I got one at Home Depot with max flush power, but it uses little water. There is a long run from it to the drop off point. The gauge is a little cup. I put a couple of fishing sinkers in that cup so there is a constant water flow. We aren't  metered for water. Usually I only keep the sinkers in to prevent winter
freeze up. But this year I left them in.

Kinda funny. The water level in the bowl is higher. At a point the added load causes it to self flush.

@bigheadfred

I would be a little concerned about that. Those mild "trickle flushes" SEEM to me to be more likely to allow a "log jam" (no pun intended) not far down your plumbing line. Better to have a sudden,violent flow of water all at once.

[sneakypete]

I will keep that in mind. There is a replacement happening in the near future. I have entirely exhausted all paths forward trying to fix what I have. Just pisses me off. It's a good brand. I paid hard money.

@roamer_1

One thing I am happy about these days is we no longer have to rely on a brand name to make sure we get something that works. You can go on places like Ebay,or even the home page of Home Depot,etc,etc,etc,and read customer reviews of all the toilets and everything else they sell.

When you see what are basically hundreds of positive anonymous reviews with only a very few complaints on multiple sites,you know that would be a good one to buy.

[roamer_1]

@roamer_1

One thing I am happy about these days is we no longer have to rely on a brand name to make sure we get something that works. You can go on places like Ebay,or even the home page of Home Depot,etc,etc,etc,and read customer reviews of all the toilets and everything else they sell.

When you see what are basically hundreds of positive anonymous reviews with only a very few complaints on multiple sites,you know that would be a good one to buy.

Yeah... That ain't right... The one I got now had great reviews. There is a whole industry of folks that get paid to pimp reviews... I am about done with it... In a year or so I will be crapping in a compost bucket. That never plugs up and costs five bucks anywhere (seven with a lid).

mo'bedda.

[rustynail]

"I do agree on the shower heads,though. I really miss the "blast" we used to get from them."

I recommend this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CQH9KSR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It feels like old times.

[sneakypete]

"I do agree on the shower heads,though. I really miss the "blast" we used to get from them."

I recommend this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CQH9KSR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It feels like old times.

@rustynail

Thanks for the tip! Just ordered it.

[Fishrrman]

rustynail:
Does the shower head you linked to in reply 21 above come with a removable flow restrictor?
Otherwise, it's still only 2.5 gallons per minute.

Here's MY shower head:


Yup, it's awful. It's been there since the 1980's, but I won't change it, because... it has NO flow restriction inside, it's an old Speakman head that I put on the spout from back before those days.

What pressure is "in the pipe"... you still GET out of this ugly-looking shower head.
it will stay there until it falls apart.
I like a REAL shower...!

[roamer_1]

rustynail:
Does the shower head you linked to in reply 21 above come with a removable flow restrictor?
Otherwise, it's still only 2.5 gallons per minute.

Yup, it's awful. It's been there since the 1980's, but I won't change it, because... it has NO flow restriction inside, it's an old Speakman head that I put on the spout from back before those days.

What pressure is "in the pipe"... you still GET out of this ugly-looking shower head.
it will stay there until it falls apart.
I like a REAL shower...!

That's what I am building one... When I put this place together, there's a 1" line going down the length of the cabin... both hot and cold... Most of the sinks and such are reduced to 1/2" line, but there's a 3/4 line going to the tub. Pressure is fine. I want volume.