A 2? SHOWER-HEAD FLOW LIMITER

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by Mike Murphy

When the well begins to send up hollow echoes instead of a steady stream of water — and weather forecasters start intoning warnings about below-average levels of precipitation — you know it's time to pay attention to your family's water-consumption habits. And whether you live in a drought-prone area where cutbacks have already been mandated, or ever-increasing water bills are simply forcing your household to economize, it's a good idea to do your part to help conserve this rapidly dwindling limited resource.

You'll be happy to know, then, that you can significantly affect household water use by simply regulating the amount of the precious liquid that runs down the drain when you shower. If you live in a house that was built in recent years, your bathroom is more than likely already equipped with a water-saving shower head. However, for those who reside in somewhat older homes, there are reasonably priced brass washers that can be slipped inside a shower attachment to constrict the flow. Or — if you'd like an even lower -cost option — you can modify your shower head, causing it to use about 75% less water, by making my 2¢ flow limiter.

To put together this almost no-cost adapter, you'll first have to remove the existing shower head (a crescent wrench is probably the best tool for the job). With that done, rummage through your workshop odds and ends (or pay a visit to the local hardware store or a plumbing supply house) to find a rubber washer, without a hole in the middle, of about the same diameter as the inside of the pipe that connects with the nozzle. Such washers are usually priced five for a dime . . . or about 2¢ apiece.

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