 It works without having to think about it |
| Review Date: June 4, 2009 |
| Reviewer: T. Pierce, San Jose, CA |
| This think does what it is supposed to do. You don't have to stand naked testing the water every few seconds to determine if it is warm enough to get in. Just turn the water on and walk away. When the water reaches 95 degrees, it reduces the flow to a trickle. I can hear the water stop flowing in another room. Then I pull the cord and the water flows just like normal. You will save a lot of water and the money it takes to heat it without any effort. These things should be required by law. My only complaint is the cost but it has more than paid for itself in water and energy savings in the year I have had it. |
Does what it says it does
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| Review Date: January 22, 2010 |
| Reviewer: C. Vaughan, |
Simply put, it works. It also seems a little magical. How can a little mechanical device stop the water flow when the water gets hot enough? No idea, but it does it.
Attaching this to our shower was easy - just a little plumber's tape gave it a snug, water-tight fit.
Conceptually at first, it was hard to figure out how to use the thing. Was it on a timer? Could we adjust the threshold for what it thinks is 'hot?' The answer to both of these questions is no. If you just turn your shower to 'warm' the Evolve Showerhead Adapter won't shut the flow off. Its threshold for what it considers 'hot' might be warmer than you expect. It's not set to wait for the water to be scaldingly hot by any means, but the first time I tested it after I installed it, I thought it was broken when actually I just hadn't given it enough hot water.
When it hits the threshold for heat, it cuts the flow of the shower back to a trickle. It's very clear even if you're not looking at it that it's done so, because the sound of the water flow clearly changes. Remember, it doesn't stop the water, it just slows it way down. Once you're in the shower, just pull the attached cord and water flow resumes to normal. Pretty simple.
I found one quirk: our shower has 2 showerheads (fed from 1 common control panel), and we attached this adapter to only one of them. Sometimes the Evolve Showerhead Adapter gets confused if the water pressure changes drastically - like if we turn the 2nd showerhead on. When that happens, sometimes the adapter cuts off the water as if it just tripped its heat threshold, but pulling the cord won't restore the flow. The only fix is to turn the water to that showerhead off and then back on. Not a big deal, but it happens. I've never had the adapter cut off the flow for no good reason however. Now that we're used to the quirks of the adapter, it's part of our routine.
Ultimately, you have to wonder, how long does it take to pay for itself? I really have no idea. I don't feel like this adapter has revolutionized our water bill. I have to imagine that, long term, it's worth it, but I didn't see any noticeable reduction in my water or gas bill the month after the adapter was installed. But if you're going to buy this, it's probably not the only thing you're doing to reduce your impact on the environment, right? Hopefully this is just one of many things you do, and I do believe that it helps.
I recommend that people buy this for any shower they use on a daily basis - but I don't think it would be worth it to install one on every showerhead in your house (if you have more than one, of course) if they're not all regularly used.
Final notes: it's nicely manufactured. We got the chrome adapter and it's a nice, simple, smooth, industrial piece of metal that feels solid. I have no fear that it's about to break or spring a leak. When you install it, it adds an inch or two to the length of the feeder pipe, so depending on the angle of the pipe that feeds your showerhead, expect that your showerhead will extend a little lower or higher or further than before (which may be a good or bad thing depending on your situation). Finally, if you have guests use your shower, don't forget to tell them how it works!
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