Don Vandervort, Head Homeboy, has written more than 30 DIY home improvement books, been a segment host on HGTV, served as MSN.com's home improvement expert and written countless magazine articles.
There are two main types of showerheads: the regular, stationary type and hand-held models attached to a flexible hose. Most hand-held showerheads can be clipped onto a wall-mounted hanger, swivel or bar for hands-free showering. The flexible hose screws directly onto the shower arm, onto a diverter valve between a standard showerhead and the shower arm, or onto a deck-mounted diverter valve on a bathtub.
Hand-held models are more generally a bit more expensive because they include a flexible hose, but they are also more versatile and use water more efficiently by directing the flow to where you want it. As a class of fixtures, they also offer a slight energy savings over stationary heads because the water travels a shorter distance between the showerhead and your body, cooling less in the air--the net result is that you can adjust the water temperature slightly lower.
Prices for low-flow heads range from less than $10 for simple, no-frills plastic ones to more than $100 for designer heads. The cost of a particular showerhead has little to do with how well it delivers a satisfying shower. Cost is more a gauge of features and the construction materials and finish.
One of the main features of showerheads is the ability to adjust spray settings'narrow to wide, spray only, pulse, and so forth. This is particularly handy if different family members like different types of spray. The easiest types to use are those that have an adjustment ring or lever on the outside of the head so that you don't have to reach into the center of the water stream to adjust them.
One other handy, water-saving feature is a shutoff at the head. This cuts water to a trickle while you soap up or wash pets or kids.
There are two other devices that aren't really showerheads but help save water in the shower: flow-control inserts (basically a washer with a small hole to reduce water flow) and control valves that reduce flow and provide on-off control above the head. These fit between the shower pipe (arm) and showerhead. Some showerheads combine water-saving technologies. For example, the Evolve showerhead pictured here offers low flow at 1.59 gallons per minute but also features an ingenious valve that allows you to save water and the energy used to heat it before you step into the shower. You can turn on the water to let it warm up and go brush your teeth--the valve automatically reduces the flow to a trickle once the temperature reaches 95 degrees F. Then, when you're ready to shower, you simply flip the valve for full flow. Evolve estimates that the head saves about 8 gallons of water--and the energy to heat it--for every 5 minute shower. Over the period of a year, this can save you more than 2,000 gallons of water.
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