Do 2.5 GPM Rain Showers Really Perform?

[StrongEagle]

I'm looking at the possibility of a rain shower... just a maybe... or perhaps a 2 in 1 combo with a handheld and larger fixed shower spray.

But the biggest flow rate I find on any of these is 2.5 GPM. For an 8" or greater head, this doesn't seem so much like a rain shower as it does a drizzle.

Any thoughts about installing or using one of these, given all the brou-ha-ha about water saving devices?

 

[StrongEagle]

And... if I may add a question onto that... it seems that most faucet valves from any manufacturer are good for at least 5 or 6 GPM and that the flow limiters lie in the shower heads, is that correct? For example, a Delta tub/shower unit offers 6 GPM for the tub fill and only 2 GPM for the shower. Doesn't this suggest that a bit of handiwork with the shower head can produce desired flow rates larger than 2 GPM?

 

[Jeff Handy]

Yes, you can usually hunt down a little rubber ring or plastic gizmo that is choking down the flow rate.

Occasionally I have had to resort to drilling a small hole through a hard plastic piece, but only rarely.
And this can ruin the shower head, and would likely void any warranty or returns.

Sometimes when you pull out or alter the wrong little part, you lose the aeration effect of air being mixed in, the aeration actually makes the water output seem more forceful.

 

[Jeff Handy]

There is also usually a tiny check valve at one end or the other on the hose for the hand shower.
This might also contain, or be next to, a flow restrictor.

 

[SHEPLMBR]

Rainshowers by design are not to meant to be high pressure.

 

[StrongEagle]

Rainshowers by design are not to meant to be high pressure.

True dat. Then again, the only pressure I'm going to get is what the city gives me. What I am interested in is high flow rate into the showerhead. It's simple. For any given flow rate and pressure, more nozzles, like in a big rain head, means less flow though each nozzle. So, if I can increase the overall flow rate, then the per nozzle flow will increase.

When i read reviews of rain heads or combo models, the biggest complaint I see is lack of flow.

Cheers.