- Turn off the water while lathering up with soap. This could be done with the faucet, but then you will have to find that "perfect" temperature again when the water is turned on again, and waste water doing so.
- Turn any shower head into a "low-flow" shower head by using the control valve to set a "maximum" limit for the flow rate of water to the shower head. Again, this could be done with the faucet, many faucets (like mine) are either open or closed, and the only controls are for the temperature.
This is relatively easy, especially if you have changed a shower head before. You will need the control valve, Teflon tape, and might need joint pliers:
Here is the shower head before any changes:
I had to give the shower head a quarter turn counter-clockwise (lefty-loosey) with the joint pliers, and then I was able to remove it the rest of the way by hand. Here we can see the old Teflon tape from when I installed the shower head. That should be removed and replaced with fresh tape.
Here is a blurry shot of the pipe after cleaning off the old teflon tape. I find it useful to use something with a point like a nail to dig out the old, crusty tape. Just be careful to avoid damaging the threads:
You will need to wrap new Teflon tape onto the threads. Thought I had a picture of this--sorry everyone! When I put on Teflon tape, I wrap it clockwise so that it will not be peeled off when the shower head (or in this case, the control valve) is installed.
The control valve itself is simple and inexpensive. The valve turns continuously clockwise or counterclockwise to turn the water off and back on. Yours may or may not have stops for "on" and "off". Remember to put Teflon tape on the threads before installing the control valve:
The control valve is installed by twisting it on clockwise (righty-tighty). After hand tightening as much as I could, I used the joint pliers to give it an additional quarter turn. No need to strong-arm this; it needs to be just tight enough that it won't leak or loosen through normal usage. This is a fine time to turn on the shower and check that the valve operates properly, and that the connection does not leak. Pictured here is the installed control valve. Also, you can also see Teflon tape applied to the threads of the control valve, for the upcoming installation of the shower head:
Finally, the shower head is re-installed. I did not need the joint pliers here--hand tightening was sufficient, though your mileage may vary. Compare this to the picture at the beginning of the post and you will see that it doesn't make much of a difference in the positioning of the shower head.
Happy Greening!
-
Andy
