Do you find yourself allowing these thoughts to distract you from your more immediate concerns?
- How can I cut down on my water consumption and make it more environmentally-friendly?
- How can I save money to pay for my future?
- I need to buy a new water heater. What should I do?
These matters can be overwhelming and confusing on their own. These matters can also be stressful if you have other worries. All three of these worries can be eliminated today. These three problems can be affected by high flow rate fixtures. How do you determine the flow rate of your fixtures? A local Long Beach, CA Plumber can help you find flow rates, but it’s up to you to rely on them.
What is flow rate and why is it important?
What is flow rate? How does it affect water use, cash in your pockets, and heater size?
The flow rate of liquid through an object is the volume of liquid that flows in a given time.
These are just a few examples.
Example A : The flow rate of fuel that is pumped into your car’s engine has an inverse relationship.
Example B Delicious lemonade pour into a paper cup has flow rate.
Example C: Coffee that has been passed through a filter has a flow speed.
When you turn on your fixtures in your home, water flows through them. Knowing your flow rates is important because you may use more water than you actually need. This could lead to a loss of money.
The flow rates are also important in the size of a new water heater. Your water heater could be damaged if you run too many high-flow rate fixtures at once. These are all important factors that flow rates impact, so it is best to get your fixtures’ flow rates in place as soon as you can.
It is easy to find flow rates. You can either:
- Check your fixtures
- Check your fixtures
Let’s get right to it.
Check your Fixtures to See if they are Flow Rate-Proof You can check it yourself to determine if your fixture has a high flow rate. What are you looking for? A number in the format of Gallons per Minute (GPM). This is your flow rate. You can inspect your fixtures to determine their flow rate in one of two ways. You can:
- Refer to the user manual for your fixture. This works with add-ons such as body sprayers, bidets and new fixtures.
- Take a look at the fixture or around it – Some fixtures have their GPM printed on them or etched onto them.
You may see a similar trend to the one in our table below if you look at GPM this way..
The maximum flow rates for certain fixtures in the Water Sense certification program were updated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA) in 2016. This update is a way to save water and encourage more sustainable practices.
These fixtures include sink and shower fixtures that are used in private homes. California’s maximum flow rates are:
- Bathroom sinks – 1.2 GPM
- Shower-heads – 1.8 GPM
If your bathroom sink or shower-head exceeds this limit, they are considered high-flow rate fixtures.
Bathtub faucet that flows at 15-18 GPM
Check the flow rate of your fixture
A more hands-on approach is required to determine your fixtures’ flow rates. Don’t panic if you need to manually determine your flow rates. It’s easy.
- You can either use a 1-gallon or 5-gallon bucket for bathroom sinks.
- Place the bucket underneath your fixture.
- Turn on the water.
- Take a minute to time the water.
What did you achieve? Below are some examples of flow rates.
- A flow rate of 1.2 GPM is achieved when your 1-gallon bucket just barely overflows after one minute.
- Your 1-gallon bucket should not overflow more than a trickle. This is 1.5 GPM.
- Your 5-gallon bucket should be about half full after one minute. This indicates that your flow rate 1.8-2.2 GPM.
- A 5-gallon bucket half-full at the minute mark indicates a flow rate 2.5 GPM.
- Your 5-gallon bucket will almost fill up after one minute. This is likely to be 4 GPM.
- You can have a flow rate 6-7 GPM if your 5-gallon bucket dries out after one minute.
Let’s now see how to use the information you have gathered about your flow rates.
What do I do with my flow rates?
These flow rates are now available. What can you do? If you want to save money or water, consider changing to fixtures with lower flow rates. This will also help you reduce the amount of time your tap is running. Write down your flow rates to use in a plumbing appointment if you are looking for a size for a water heater. This will make the process go smoothly when a plumber asks you for your water requirements.