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With A Great Shower Comes Great Responsibility: Save Thousands With the Best Shower Timers of 2020
On average, showers are the third largest water use per household, after only toilet flushing and laundry machines. Thanks to the Federal Energy Policy Act instigated by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1994, shower heads aren’t allowed to exceed a flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute (GPM) and the low-flow versions function at rates even lower than that. The average shower length for Americans is approximately 8 minutes, coming in at 7 minutes for women and 9 for men. With these ever-rising statistics come a slew of shower timer products that help monitor your length of shower as well as a series of other functionalities you never thought you needed to take your cleansing “me time” (and bank account) to the next level. Before we get into the specific recommended timer products, let’s go over some of the more important features you should keep an eye out for when it comes to modern shower accessories.
First off, measuring your shower’s flow rate is as easy as reading the showerhead label or if that’s long gone eroded from years of water-induced wear and tear, conducting your own measure test. There are only three materials needed for this basic test: 1) a container for catching water (i.e. bucket, bowl, pitcher, the open mouth of your worst enemy) 2) timer or stop watch or insane counting ability 3) measuring cup. Once these materials are acquired it’s a simple test completed by following these steps:
- Set timer to 10 seconds
- Turn cold water on full blast
- Start timer while at the same time placing the container underneath the stream so it catches all the water.
- Collect the water for precisely 10 seconds, then turn off water.
- Measure the quantity of water in the container with the measuring cup and write it down so you don’t forget.
- Convert the measurement to gallons, there are plenty of a conversion sites like this one here to help with the math.
- Multiply the measured quantity of water by 6 to calculate the gallons per minute. For example ½ gallon multiplied by 6 equals 3 gallons therefore the flow rate is 3 GPM.
With this measurement, you can easily figure out how long you want your showers to be in order to minimize on water usage. Now that the measuring is out of the way, it’s time for the fun stuff. Cool shower features AND helping the environment AND saving on the water bill? All sorts of yes. Check out what’s in store below.
Shower timers are named aptly because of well, their ability to time showers! However, brands are pretty aware of the glorified waterproof clock situation they’re selling and tend to pack in cool aesthetics, LED lights, Bluetooth speakers, showerhead calibration and other features that’ll up your shower game to Tony Stark status. Check out the products we deemed most impressive based on functionalities, customer reviews, price and brand reputation.
Efergy Shower Timer & Alarm
This easy to use, battery operated, shower timer allows you to monitor the amount of water you use at every shower. Quickly and easily calibrate it to your shower by using the measuring bag supplied.
The Efergy Shower Timer & Alarm grabs the number one spot because it’s pleasing aesthetics, high customer reviews and the fact that it has the ability to calibrate with your shower’s specific flow rate in order to optimize maximum shower time and displays current water usage.
- Ability to calibrate to specific shower timer and flow rate
- Bright, fun color and look to it
- Clearly shows digital numbers thanks to vibrant display
- Instructions were hard to understand and there was no support available. If you end up purchasing and have trouble setting up, my advice is to head to amazon comments there some shoppers have posted their experiences and easy to ways to streamline the set up so it’s not as confusing.
KADAMS Digital Clock Timer
Ideal for keeping track of time whilst timing yourself in the bathroom showering, as well as cooking in the kitchen, studying in the office, monitoring classroom time, or simply timing a recreational workout whilst observing the indoor temperature and humidity.
The KADAMS digital clock timer takes the number two spot because it nails down the basic functionalities needed to time showers, time tooth brushing, measure humidity and pretty much excel at maintaining environmentally conscious hygiene routines.
- IP24 Waterproof Rating
- Clocktime Display 12/24 hr switchable
- Touchscreen
- Indoor temperature display
- Indoor humidity display
- LCD screen display better for vision and easy to read from far away
- 3 mounting mehods (stand, hole for wall hanging, suction cup easily sticks to glass, window, mirror granite, some ceramic tiles, stainless steel AND any non-porous surface with glossy finish)
- Waterproof seal makes sure that the digital clock never suffers from moisture penetrating to the inside and foggy up display.
- Easy, compact packaging makes this perfect option for a gift
- Some reviews complained about how the timer kept turning on randomly
- The display was difficult to see when looked at straight on, advised to place in a location above the natural eyeline
- The device itself was smaller than some reviewers anticipated although its dimensions were clearly expressed as L 105.7mm * H 109.7mm * W 41.55mm
- The suction cup method of placing this item was “temperamental” for some reviewers and doesn’t work on certain types of ceramic tile which can be a deal breaker.
Shower Bob
Every time you shower, you use water, energy and a little soap. We can?t help you with the soap, but our little timer stuck in your shower can help with water and energy.
This is an adorable option that only has one functionality: it’s blue or pink 4 minute hour glass timer. This is perfect if you’re looking for a small gift or a simple shower accessory that never runs out of batteries.
- Customers loved its aesthetic appeal and simple charm that was added to their bathroom
- Works extremely well for long periods of time because it doesn’t run on anything except gravity thanks to the hour glass mechanism.
- Portable and convenient size at 4 x 2.7 x 4 inches
- Easy to talk to customer service team that handled complaints with a calm ease and professional efficiency.
- Customers complained about moisture getting into the hour glass and making the sand stick together
- There were also several complaints about the suction ability failing
Conclusion
Remember, these are just a few examples of the wide range of shower timers currently available. If you are committed to saving big on your water bill and helping out on water conservation, don’t miss out on the exciting timers that’ll keep bills in your wallet and fresh water in the pipes.
