Which shower head should I buy?
Why the head can only ever work with the water system it is fitted to, what rubbed nozzles and flow restrictors actually do, and which type suits which supply.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 15 min
- Read
- 4 min
Short answer
The head cannot create pressure or flow — it can only shape what arrives. On a low-pressure gravity system, choose a large-bore, low-resistance head; on mains or a pumped system almost anything works. Rubber nozzles that you can rub scale off are worth more than any other feature, and a big rain head on a weak supply is the classic expensive disappointment.
Almost every complaint about a shower head is really a complaint about the water system behind it. A head has no pump in it. It divides and directs whatever flow and pressure arrive at the hose, and a head with lots of fine nozzles adds resistance, which on a weak supply makes things worse rather than better. Work out what your supply is first, and the choice narrows quickly.
Step by step
- Find out what feeds your shower.A mixer fed by a combi boiler or an unvented cylinder gets mains pressure. A mixer fed by a hot water cylinder with a cold tank in the loft is gravity-fed, and the pressure depends on the height between the tank and the shower — which on a first floor is very little. An electric shower heats mains cold itself and its flow is fixed by its power rating. A power shower is a pumped mixer.
- On a gravity system, buy for low resistance.Fewer, larger nozzles; a large bore; no aerator; and specifically marketed as suitable for low pressure. A dense fine-nozzle head on a gravity supply produces a dribble. This is also where a shower pump, if the system allows one, changes the experience more than any head will.
- On mains pressure, buy for the spray you want.Almost any head works. Now the choice is genuinely about feel: a fine dense spray, a strong needle spray, a soft rain pattern, or a multi-function head with several settings.
- With an electric shower, do not change the head to something restrictive.An electric shower's flow is set by its kilowatt rating and the temperature rise it has to achieve. Fitting a restrictive head raises the pressure in the unit and can trip its pressure switch or make it cut out. Use the head supplied or a direct equivalent.
- Insist on rubbable nozzles.Soft silicone or rubber nozzle tips let scale be rubbed off with a thumb in seconds. On a metal-faced head with drilled holes, scale has to be dissolved out. In a hard water area this single feature is worth more than everything else on the specification.
- Understand the flow restrictor.Many heads and hoses contain a small plastic washer with a reduced hole that limits flow, fitted for water efficiency. It is legitimate and it saves water and energy. If your shower is weak and you find one, you can usually remove it — but do so knowing that you are increasing water and hot water use, and never remove one from an electric shower.
- Consider the size honestly.A large rain head over a decent mains supply is excellent. The same head on a gravity system spreads a small flow over a large area and produces a cool drizzle. Size the head to the supply, not to the photograph.
- Check the fitting before you buy.Almost every domestic shower head and hose in the UK is half-inch BSP, so heads and hoses interchange freely. Fixed heads on a rigid arm vary more. Check the thread and check whether the head is handset or fixed-arm before ordering.
Common mistakes
- Buying a large rain head for a gravity-fed shower — It spreads a small flow over a large area, so it feels weaker and colder than the head it replaced.
- Removing the flow restrictor from an electric shower — The unit's flow rate is matched to its heating capacity and its safety cut-outs. Changing it can cause it to overheat and cut out.
- Judging a head by its number of spray settings — Multi-function heads have more internal seals and more places to scale up, and most people use one setting.
Alternatives
- Handset on a riser rail: The most versatile: adjustable height, comes off for rinsing and cleaning, and suits every user in a household. The default choice for most bathrooms.
- Fixed head on a rigid arm: Looks cleanest and cannot be knocked off its bracket, but you cannot direct it and you cannot use it to rinse the shower down. Common paired with a concealed valve.
- Dual head — fixed rain plus handset: Requires a diverter valve and a supply that can feed either properly. Excellent on mains pressure, pointless on a weak gravity system.
- Shower pump, on a gravity system only: Where the supply is the problem, this is the fix rather than a different head. Only for vented gravity systems — never on a combi or a mains-fed supply.