BYO Shower Head
Jan 30, 2010, 10:04 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 7
BYO Shower Head
Hi,
First time posting here. I've learned a lot by reading this forums over the past several months.
A travel tip, that has dramatically increased the quality of my hotel stays: bring your own shower head. I know, it may sound ridiculous. But poor quality showers at hotels are a major pet peeve, and lately it seems that there doesn't seem to be much of a correlation between the quality of a hotel and the quality of its shower.
There seem to be two main problems with hotel showers. First, just not enough pressure. This is often simply due to a water saver being installed in the shower head. Second, the dreaded ring of water. Showers will put out basically a ring of water without any water in the middle of the ring, which requires moving around spastically to try to get yourself covered in water.
In my mind, the best shower heads are not fancy. We have a bunch of these in our house:
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden...i_sku=12058630
This has two critical features: it does have a water saver, but it's easily removable, and it provides just a ton of full-coverage water.
So you want to remove the water saver in these things. It's pretty easy: it's the red colored thing inside the top of the shower head. Just remove the black washer, then the screen underneath it. Then pry out the red water saver (and the black rubber ring inside of it). Replace the screen, then the washer.
I have a little zip lock bag consisting of one of these doctored shower heads + a little wrench for removing the hotel shower head. This bag is small and barely weighs anything. I bring it with us whenever we travel. At first my wife made fun of me incessantly for doing this. Then she started yelling at me whenever I would occasionally forget to bring it!
Maybe if enough people start doing this, and hotel maids start noticing foreign shower heads installed (and the hotel's own sitting on the shower floor or the bathroom sink counter) hotels will start upgrading their shower heads!
I'm not crazy. I just need a good shower.
First time posting here. I've learned a lot by reading this forums over the past several months.
A travel tip, that has dramatically increased the quality of my hotel stays: bring your own shower head. I know, it may sound ridiculous. But poor quality showers at hotels are a major pet peeve, and lately it seems that there doesn't seem to be much of a correlation between the quality of a hotel and the quality of its shower.
There seem to be two main problems with hotel showers. First, just not enough pressure. This is often simply due to a water saver being installed in the shower head. Second, the dreaded ring of water. Showers will put out basically a ring of water without any water in the middle of the ring, which requires moving around spastically to try to get yourself covered in water.
In my mind, the best shower heads are not fancy. We have a bunch of these in our house:
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden...i_sku=12058630
This has two critical features: it does have a water saver, but it's easily removable, and it provides just a ton of full-coverage water.
So you want to remove the water saver in these things. It's pretty easy: it's the red colored thing inside the top of the shower head. Just remove the black washer, then the screen underneath it. Then pry out the red water saver (and the black rubber ring inside of it). Replace the screen, then the washer.
I have a little zip lock bag consisting of one of these doctored shower heads + a little wrench for removing the hotel shower head. This bag is small and barely weighs anything. I bring it with us whenever we travel. At first my wife made fun of me incessantly for doing this. Then she started yelling at me whenever I would occasionally forget to bring it!
Maybe if enough people start doing this, and hotel maids start noticing foreign shower heads installed (and the hotel's own sitting on the shower floor or the bathroom sink counter) hotels will start upgrading their shower heads!
I'm not crazy. I just need a good shower.
May 26, 2016, 10:08 pm
#2
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 3
I agree!
I found the best shower heads to be the "pre-regulation" Speakman ANYSTREAM 4-jet shower heads.
Just remove the water saver and you're good to go.And the less jets the better because the water pressure is consolidated into 4-jets instead of 6 or 8 or 12 jets.
Needless to say I hate the "rain" style shower heads.
I found the best shower heads to be the "pre-regulation" Speakman ANYSTREAM 4-jet shower heads.
Just remove the water saver and you're good to go.And the less jets the better because the water pressure is consolidated into 4-jets instead of 6 or 8 or 12 jets.
Needless to say I hate the "rain" style shower heads.
May 28, 2016, 10:36 pm
#4
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DEL
Posts: 1,054
I've noticed some Hilton-family properties in the US are using tamper-resistant showerheads these days. I guess they got tired of "Leatherman bandits" like me who pull the o-ring that restricts the water flow.
One of these days I'll make a thin little wrench (< 7" long, of course!) and raise hotels' water bills by a full 30˘ when I stay there.
One of these days I'll make a thin little wrench (< 7" long, of course!) and raise hotels' water bills by a full 30˘ when I stay there.
Jun 11, 2016, 2:50 am
#7
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: BNE, OOL
Programs: QFF WP, VA SG, Hhonors Diamond
Posts: 361
Good grief, please don't travel to Australia with these, when at any given time most of the country is in drought!
You learn the art of water conservation growing up somewhere when you're watching your dam levels in the 5% range
Even now when we're flooding instead and most water restrictions have been lifted, my household uses less than 200L/day.
You learn the art of water conservation growing up somewhere when you're watching your dam levels in the 5% range
Even now when we're flooding instead and most water restrictions have been lifted, my household uses less than 200L/day.
Jun 19, 2016, 7:50 am
#9
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: TLV
Programs: UA Platinum, Avis Chairman, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, GA Pilot
Posts: 3,225
I have thought about doing this but never have - probably because I usually travel with only carry-on luggage and I'm sure I'd get stopped for having a wrench.
Jun 21, 2016, 4:41 pm
#10
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Somewhere in Florida
Posts: 2,608
Many of the "water saving" toilets here don't flush. A water saving toilet may only use 1.6 gallons/6.0 liters per flush, but when it takes 2-3 flushes, there are no practical savings.
I do realize that there are products on the market which are worthwhile. In my own home I have Asian dual-flush toilets (0.5 gallons / 1.2 gallons) which work great and my washing machine uses 6 gallons-11 gallons per load vs. 40-55 for conventional American machines.
Unfortunately, the devices which work great aren't cheap...and hoteliers often are.
