Shower heads ... aqua helix !

The master shower was nasty, the tile grout was cracked. So we tore out the tile and put in a new base and walls.

In the mid 90's I'd bought an alson's "the incredible head" shower head @2.5gpm. I really liked the pressure so when I married and moved we got a "Europa" head that's essentially the same thing.

I decided to do some research and saw this "aqua helix" head advertising .5 gpm with high pressure. I figure, it's made in the US, promises a lot, lets try it.

I called them up, talked to Steve who shipped one out. The call was late weds, the head arrived sat morning.

The head came in a simple white box with a small slip describibg the pressure the head likes. The head itself....solid aluminum, gold with a black sleeve. The black sleeve has some really tacky logo printed on it...makes it look cheap. Inside the head is a small black silicone hose.

All right...the master shower isn't done, so I put the head into the girls' bathroom (tub). Turn it on to take a shower. The head starts to work. It looks like the little hose works similar to a fire hose out of control, it shakes and sprays a thin stream of water chaotically everywhere. The black sleeve is used to control the spread. I pull it all the way out to keep it narrow. I also have a handy plastic bag from the water department. I start collecting water, count to 5 then pull the bag. Measures just under .8gpm. I take a shower and notice the head sputters occasinally and sometimes the hose stops shaking. Turning the water volume down makes the head run smoother. With the pressure down recheck the water use... just over .5gpm.

Next day I went to home depot and bought button flow limiter for $5 and put that in before the head.

Taking a shower isn't bad atall with this head. I don't notice any temperature drop in the water. The good thing about this head is that its still able to wash soap out of hair and off the body. The little hose keeps the water concentrated enough to even wash soap off the legs. I really like to stand with my back close to the head. It's a nice message effect.

The girl's bathroom has a microfiber shower curtain. After a few days of taking showers I notice a lot of water on the bathroom floor. This little high pressure head is blowing water around the shower curtain. Put the 2.5gpm Europa back, no more water on the floor.

We finished the master shower. The head is in there. Unfortunately the shower doors are lower than I would have liked...probably 65" or so (read the box next time and prefit first, right?). The new head does blow some water droplets over the top. I really wish I had some 72" doors.

I do like this head. I use it every day. It is extremely low flow which results in the following:

- time to warm up is incredibly long. I use a bucket in the girls' bathtub to flush all the cold water first.
- less water. you're colder for a longer period of time in the morning since there's no deluge of hot water. It's flat amazing how little water runs in the bathtub or shower floor.

How this probably compares to other low flow shower heads:
- hot water stays hot. No air is injected, I use the same faucet settings as with my 2.5gpm heads.
- high pressure stream from hose keeps water together to be able to wash your legs still.

Negatives:
- head looks like a "piece of junk" with the decal graphics.
- head itself comes with no pressure control which is required for the head to function properly...a problem for suburbs.
- high pressure hose blows water everywhere, especially around shower curtains.

My take?

This is an awesome head with a $5 flow fix. This is awesome at .5gpm. With this head you'll use little water, won't need much extra time, and you won't ever run out of hot water, even with a large family.