I’ve been testing the Road Runner low-flow showerhead, which is rated at 1.59 gallons per minute. Currently, it’s my favorite showerhead, beating out my previous favorites: the 2GPM Oxygenics showerhead, and the 1.75GPM Nigara Earth Massage showerhead. The Road Runner has a unique feature: it has a built-in sensor that detects when the water gets warm enough for showering (95° F or 35° C), and then it “pauses” the shower by reducing the water flow to a trickle.
You don’t have to wait for the water to warm up, instead you go do something else like brush your teeth. This feature works quite well for me, and I might end up saving some hot water. You can see a video of the showerhead working here.
I also liked the consistent, rain-like flow of the Road Runner showerhead — the showerhead has a nice wide coverage pattern. The manufacturer says the Road Runner will produce a constantly flow, even if your water pressure is variable.
The Road Runner showerehead is available from Clean Air Gardening for $40.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I think a simpler solution if you have a bath/shower combo is to use the bath part, where the flow rate can be very high and then the water can get hot very quickly, then switch it to the shower. This device is a bit excessive in my view.
The very best shower device I like is the Positive Shower Control Valve available here:
http://www.amconservationgroup.com/store/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=84
That thing lets you completely adjust flow very quickly from full to zero, while maintaining the temperature. I use it for saving water while soaping up, sometimes opting for just enough water to keep warm on colder days. You could even use it to maintain a low but effective rate with any head. I use it along with the same company’s 1.5gpm “Spoiler” head which is similar to the “earth massage” head shown on metaefficient in another post. Very nice setup for quite low cost.
can the hot water detection device be disabled so I can use it with my tankless heater?
Jim, the main cost of this thing is the hot-water detection thing. If you just want a good shower head there are many other options. If you want to be able to shut off and on the head quickly, you don’t want this, you want the thing I just mentioned from amconservationgroup.
I bought the road runner about 6 months ago. Last night it broke during a typical shower use. The head was in one of our baths and was used about 75% of the time. Though the female connection to the shower arm is brass, the flow parts are all plastic. The diffuser head screws onto the base. It was the plastic surround for the screw that broke off at the end of the screw. Perhaps it needs a longer screw? Anyway, it practically brained my nephew that was showering at the time. I think it is an unsafe product. Too bad, it had a good spray.
I agree with Aarons comment that the most important feature to look out for in shower heads is one that allows you to reduce flow rate from full to zero while maintaining temperature. The Roadrunner seems more of a gimic to me.
If already looking at reducing hot water use through innovative controls, I believe it is a good idea to look at sinks as well.
I wrote an article about this topic here:
http://blog.joingreenrevolution.com/jons-green-life/bid/37230/Energy-Efficiency-Guide-Hot-Water-Part-1
which goes into more detail on options..
That shower head is fantastic! I think it’s great because it helps you to save water. The majority of the shower heads out there blast out the water and you waste a lot and it also costs you a lot of money.