• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Building Basics
  • Maintenance & Decor
  • Green Homebuilding
  • Outdoors / Landscaping
  • Home Styles & Trends
  • More
    • Electronics & Gadgets
    • Health & Beauty
    • Hobbies & Crafts
    • Home & Garden
    • Jobs & Money
    • Outdoor Fun
    • Travel

Homebuilding / Remodeling Guide

Real People. Real Experiences. Real Helpful.

a Fun Times Guide site

search

Home » Home & Garden » Homebuilding Basics » Water Volume Requirements For Residential Custom Shower Systems

Water Volume Requirements For Residential Custom Shower Systems

Pin
Share
Tweet

We write about products and services that we use. This page may contain affiliate links for which we receive a commission.

How much water volume does it take to handle a custom walk-in shower system Sandy_sitting_in_huge_shower.JPG with multiple shower heads? Or better yet…how much hot water storage is sufficient to fill a two-person water jetted tub?

The amount of water that is required to adequately supply a multi-station custom shower system is something that I was curious about when I visited a model home in nearby Hanover subdivision in Hiram, GA.

I made a return visit to Hanover the other day and spoke with Russ Giudicessi, Builder with Prime Built Communities, Inc., and asked him that very question.

Here’s what Russ had to say…


Lots o’ hot water needed

Basically, I found out that you need a lot of hot water in storage. Russ recommends, and installs, two 50-gallon electric water heaters for an adequate supply of hot water that should accommodate every homeowner that wishes to indulge themselves in one of his custom shower systems in the homes that he builds. The Moen website recommends at least an 80-gallon storage tank. You get the idea.

The answer to the water volume requirements question for custom shower systems will vary depending on how many body sprayers and shower heads you install. Plan on approximately 16 gpm for a nice custom shower system. The shower heads and body sprays that Russ has installed are Moen and/or Price-Pfister and have low flow heads.

 

PEX is the word

Russ also has his plumbers use PEX tubing in his piping runs. That’s 3/4″ PEX (the flexible one) coming out of the top of the water storage tank photo below.

PEX stands for cross linked polyethylene. If you haven’t heard of it and you are about to do a remodel in the kitchen or bath, I suggest that you read up on it because I’d hate to see you go with an inferior product when this stuff is out there. It’s time-tested…been out there on the market since the 1960’s (mostly in Europe) and hit the states in the 1980’s. I strongly urge you to educate yourself on this product.

Go to the PPFA (Plastic Pipe and Fittings Association) website for more info.

Here’s a handy and FREE…yes…FREE Residential PEX Water Supply Plumbing Systems Design Guide available on a PDF file. Get it while it’s HOT! Thank you ToolBase!

 

50_gallon_A_O_Smith_ProMax_electric_water_heaters.JPG

 

electric_water_heater_energy_guide_label.JPG

 

A_O_Smith_electric_storage_tank_water_heater_specifications.JPG

Russ also mentioned that tankless water heaters would not put out enough hot water to keep up with the hot water demands of a multi-station custom shower system, such as the one in the model home.

 

Who can afford custom shower systems?

Luxury does come at a price but there are future homeowners…lots of them (baby boomers)…out there willing to foot the electric bill for two hot water storage tanks.

If you’re one of them, be sure you know all of the facts before you jump in head first.

 

Related:

Custom Shower System info from Build.com

Custom Shower System Planning Guide info from Keidel.com

Thermostatic Shower Valve info

All you ever wanted to know about PEX but were afraid to ask.

Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. (PPI) – your information resource for all things related to polyethylene pipe.

 

 

Sources

Plastic Pipe and Fittings Association (PPFA)

Moen

ToolBase Services

Randy
Randy

I started as a home-stalker… visiting brand new homes under construction in the neighborhoods near my house. That inspired me to write about home building and home renovation projects — chronicling homes during different phases of construction from a consumer's point-of-view. Basically, the tips you'll find in my articles are a collection of checklists for what I think should (and should not) go into building or remodeling a quality home.

Pin
Share
Tweet

Filed Under: Home & Garden, Homebuilding Basics Tagged With: Bathrooms, Customized Features, Plumbing, Showers, Water, Water Conservation

Primary Sidebar

About Us

RandyI started as a home-stalker... visiting brand new homes under construction in the neighborhoods near my house. That inspired me to write about home building and home renovation projects -- chronicling homes during different phases of construction from a consumer's point-of-view. Basically, the tips you'll find in my articles are a collection of checklists for what I think should (and should not) go into building or remodeling a quality home.

Randy: View My Blog Posts

LynnetteMy husband and I have been through the home building process... from scratch... more than once! (And we still have a few pieces of property that we might build on in the future.) So we definitely have some helpful tips to share when it comes to designing your dream home and building a house from the ground up. We've also learned that the 'fun' doesn't end once the house is built. Our clever home maintenance hacks will save you time and money each year that you live in the home. And... since everyone's house eventually needs a little remodeling (as has ours), we've got some ridiculously helpful home renovation tips as well! Whenever I’m not DIYing something around the house or adding to my Dream Home Wish List, you can find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).

Lynnette: View My Blog Posts

Top Searches

Appliances Architectural Styles Bang For The Buck Bathrooms Ceilings Celebrities Cleaning Tips Closets Communities Cool Products Customized Features Cutting Edge Decks And Patios DIY Doors Dumb Homebuilding Ideas Energy Efficient English Cottage Style Exterior Decorating Ideas Fireplaces Flooring Green Building Materials Green Homes Green Products Hardscape Hip And Historical Holidays And Special Occasions Home And Garden Tours Home Maintenance Insulation Interior Decorating Ideas Kitchens Landscape Ideas Lighting Money Saving Tips Paint Recycled Materials Remodeling Roofing Showers Storage And Organization Toilets Walls Water Windows

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
Fun Times Guide logo
Shop Our Favorite Items

Copyright © 2004-2021 The Fun Times Guide | Privacy Policy | About | Contact | Sitemap