Switch to a WaterSense labeled showerhead, and you will automatically use 20% less water when showering. No other action needed.  Many water providers give away high efficiency showerheads to their customers for free. If yours does not, you can buy one for about $15.

You could also take a shorter shower. Cutting just one minute from your daily shower could save about 75 gallons a month. That’s about 300 gallons for a family of four!

Either way, you will use less water. Using less water also means you'll use less energy to heat water and send less of it down the drain. That will lower your energy and sewer costs.

Find out how much water your shower is using with these steps: 

1. Place a bucket marked in gallon increments under your shower head. 
2. Turn on the shower at the normal water pressure you use. 
3. Time how many seconds it takes to fill the bucket to the 1-gallon mark. 

If it takes less than 20 seconds to reach the 1-gallon mark, your shower uses about 3 gallons per minute (GPM) or more. That means you could benefit from a showerhead with a more efficient flow rate. 

If you’re ready to switch and save, follow these steps to install a more efficient showerhead:

1. Remove your old showerhead. If you need to use a wrench to remove it, use a second wrench to hold the shower arm while you loosen the old showerhead. Use pieces of cloth around each part of the shower to protect your fixture.  
2. Turn on the water to rinse out the pipe. Then turn off before going to next step.  
3. Screw on the new showerhead and tighten by hand.
4. Test the showerhead by running the water. If it leaks, tighten by using one wrench on the shower arm and another one on the showerhead. Use pieces of cloth between the wrench and the fixture like in step 1. Tighten until snug, but DO NOT over-tighten! You only need to tighten it ½ turn past finger tight. If it still leaks, you may need to use Teflon or “plumber’s tape”. See below for more information on how to do this.  

What to do if your showerhead leaks: 

You can fix most leaky showerheads by ensuring a tight connection between the shower arm and the showerhead. Tighten by using one wrench on the shower arm and another on the showerhead. Turn the showerhead clockwise (to the right) until it is snug.  

If the showerhead still leaks, use Teflon (or “plumber’s tape”). This tape is available at hardware stores and can be wrapped around the shower arm 2-3 times before you screw on the showerhead. The purpose of the tape is to help make a snug fit between the shower arm and head to prevent leaks. 

Waterwise Facts

According to WaterSense, a showerhead leaking at 10 drips per minute wastes more than 500 gallons per year. That's enough water to wash 60 loads of dishes in your dishwasher.  

Did you know? You should change your showerhead every 10 years. Is it time for you to upgrade?