Do you get splashed when you turn a tap on full? In many New Zealand homes, water flows much faster from taps and showerheads than it needs to.

There are simple, inexpensive ways to reduce the flow of water from your taps and shower.

What is water flow?

Water flow is the rate - in litres per second - at which water comes out of your taps or showerhead. It shouldn’t be confused with water pressure, which is the amount of force (from gravity or pumping) pushing water through the pipes. Water pressure is measured in kilopascals or kPa.

The water pressure in your home determines what type of hot water system you can have, but your tapware or showerheads determine the flow.

How much water do you need?

According to Australian water efficiency standards, your taps and showerheads needn’t deliver more than nine litres of water per minute.

A test by the Consumers’ Institute seems to confirm this. The institute tested the flow rate of a low-flow shower installed over a bath. At six litres a minute, the showerhead delivered a great shower - and the low flow minimised splashing.

As at April 2006, flow rates of commonly available showerheads on the New Zealand market ranged from 5 to 24 litres per minute.

Benefits of reducing water flow

By reducing the flow of water from your taps and showerheads:

• you?ll get less condensation - so your home will be drier
• you?ll use less water - so your water heating bill will be lower, and if you?re on metered water your water bill will be lower too
• you?ll have fewer splashes to mop up.

You’ll also be helping to save water, which benefits your community and your environment.

Get the kids involved

Measure the flow on your taps. Kids love doing this, so get them involved.

To check flow rates from your taps and showerheads:

• Turn the tap or shower mixer on full and run the water into a bucket for 15 seconds.
• Measure how much water you have in your bucket, then multiply this figure by four to get your flow rate per minute.
• A flow rate of more than nine litres per minute means you are probably using more water than you need. For taps you probably need even less.

How do you reduce the flow?

Apart from just not turning the tap on fully, there are three things you can do:

• Fit flow restrictors to existing taps and shower mixers. These cost from $20 (2006 price). Check your brand of tap or shower mixer and ask your plumbing retailer for advice on which size. Aim for a flow of six to nine litres per minute. Depending on the design of your basin or shower mixer you may need a plumber to install these.
• Have your plumber fit a pressure-limiting valve to reduce flow to the whole plumbing system.
• Replace tap and shower fittings with low-flow fittings. Tell your plumbing retailer you want to save water and they will advise which models to choose from.

Get advice from your plumber or plumbing retailer about which options are best for your household. The best option may depend on what type of hot water system you have and what pressure your hot water is delivered at.

More information

From Smarter Homes

• Easy ways to save water
• Re-using greywater
• Collecting and using rainwater
• Managing stormwater
• Outdoor water use

From ConsumerBuild

Your local council can provide information about water restrictions or any schemes they have to help you save water. Consumerbuild’s Council finder web page has contact details for New Zealand local authorities.