So you spent the whole day hard at work, and now the only thing on your mind is a steaming hot shower. You race to the bathroom, eagerly turn the knobs and…
Drip, drip, drip…
Few things are more frustrating than a dribbling showerhead. But one trip down one of those notorious YouTube wormholes can provide the knowledge you need to take your shower pressure from a light drizzle to a tenacious firehose.
First, though, a word about showerhead regulations (it’s more interesting/important than it sounds, I promise). Federal laws currently allow showerheads to discharge a maximum flow of 2.5 gallons per minute, and in some states, those rules are even more stringent. In California, for example, the maximum flow rate for showerheads is only 1.8 gallons per minute.
These regulations are obviously meant to save water — the California Energy Commission estimates that its regulations should save 38 billion gallons of water per year once all showerheads have been fitted accordingly. And frankly, while 2.5 gallons per minute might not provide a massage-like showering experience, it should be more than enough to take a satisfying shower.
Now, these regulations mostly apply to showerhead manufacturers, who have since been tasked with ensuring that their products meet these standards. However, as you’ll see when we look at these YouTube hacks, most require that you tamper with your showerhead in a way that might be kinda illegal. (Although, the chances of someone actually coming after you for tweaking your showerhead is most likely slim to none — I’d compare this to pulling the “do not remove” tag off your mattress.)
Finally, I don’t really advise this, for several reasons — namely, the fact that saving water is good. But hey, it’s your showerhead, and you do you. So without further ado, here’s how the dudes of YouTube are hacking their showerheads:
The general idea is pretty simple: Most showerheads are fitted with some kind of rubber washer to limit the water pressure — manufacturers started installing these in their showerheads to meet those previously mentioned regulations. But if you so choose, you can simply remove this washer, which should increase the pressure by about a gallon or so. You can also take that one step further by carefully using a drill to make the metal hole in the back of your showerhead slightly larger, allowing more water to pass through it.
And honestly, that’s really all there is to it.
Now, you might be wondering whether this will increase your water bill, which is certainly possibly. Although it could also be argued that, when your water pressure is stronger, you actually take quicker showers, and therefore, use less water. But that, of course, only applies if you’re able to resist taking glorious five-hour showers with your new water blaster.
Which brings me to my final words of wisdom: Always shower responsibly, folks.
Ian Lecklitner
Ian Lecklitner is a staff writer at MEL Magazine. He mostly writes about everyone's favorite things: Sex, drugs and food.
