Shower Head

thingiverse

#Really Awesome Two Piece Low Flow Shower Head ## Why Because of the droughts in California I wanted to replace my old 2.5gpm shower heads with something lower flow but still maintain a strong water stream. I measure the consumption to be around 1.75gpm at 70psi. https://youtu.be/3DJYb4DJDkE ## How First I tested and found it reasonable to reliably print 1/2" pipe threads. However printing a ball swivel was not possible without leaks. So I purchased this [swivel adapter](https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B096DPRD75/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_NWJXXX09RWGJTHJCRZ8B) on Amazon. You will also probably want a washer to prevent leaks. These [silicone washers](https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07VVP9ZQQ/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_HPYQ8XE1C1V3QJ1BYKMP) work really well and you wont need any pipe tape because it will seal on the surface of the swivel joint. I printed mine out of PLA and they hold up fine, my hot water is 120F but you probably shower around 106F so the PLA can handle it. Print these pieces solid. Print the inside piece with the flange down on the build surface and no support. Print the outside piece with the pipe threads at the top and the outlet on the build plate, use a brim to help it stick to your plate and support under the appropriate areas, this is inside and the surface finish won't be visible. ## Assembly https://youtu.be/XQVLy567-sw ## Theory of Operation The water flows into a narrow throat to restrict the flow and straighten it out after the plumbing and the swivel joint. The stream enters a larger section and is split to induce turbulence twice. The splitter and the turbulence break the water stream up to form 4 output streams. The induced turbulence along with the splitting results in large and small water droplets. The internal passage is 0.100" and that is the main way the water flow is restricted. I used a pressure drop calculator to get close to 1.5gpm target flow rate. ## Tweaks and Tuning You can use the rotate the inside piece using the flat feature on the tip to compensate for any weird output spray that you might want to adjust, probably from some of the prints rough edges. If you want to experiment with your own nozzle, use the outside as is and create your own inside piece. It saves you printing time and allows you to focus on just the water nozzle design.