Nightmare with children's showers

CYBORG21

Hi there
I just got registered in this plumbing forum to find out some kind of control device for showers, my kids spend ages under the water. It is not possible yet to realize the water and energy they waste in the bathtub

Thx in advance for any kind of advise

Jamie Hall

What I might suggest -- besides parental control, which I'm sure you've tried -- depends a little on whether you are trying to save water or energy -- or both. A very effective approach if it more on the energy side is to limit the amount of hot water available with a timer. I found this: https://www.showertimers.net/?msclkid=b9ad671b8c3814c90e3c05871f3581cd but I haven't tried it. You'd have to put it somewhere where it couldn't be fiddled. Even more effective would be to plumb the shower hot water with an undersized water heater -- say something like this: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Eccotemp-Mini-Storage-Tank-Series-7-Gallon-Regular-5-year-Limited-1440-Watt-1-Element-Point-of-Use-Electric-Water-Heater/1001263582. Turned up to high, that would give you about a 5 minute shower with low flow heads.

Dave Carpentier

How about something that measures the time with shower running (thermal sensor on pipe as trigger), and then deduct a reasonable "fee" from their allowance ?
Good life lesson on how the world works, and a bit of cost recovery for the bill payer.

hot_rod

Lower the temperature in the water heater, so it runs out quicker, unless you have a tankless 
Put a time out delay on a tankless
or some behavior mod😙

GroundUp

Maybe you could sell the kids?

ratio

I just start the dishwasher when it's time for the showers to be over...

Hot_water_fan

Ha. The $ wasted is probably not all that much, but low flow shower headers can help. They’ll find other ways to cost you much more. 

EdTheHeaterMan

Some day you can visit them in their first home.

When you do, remember to walk in without saying hello, turn on all the lights, open all the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers, leave the toiler seats up (for daughters only) adjust the thermostat higher, (colder in the summer). look in all the rooms and maybe even open a window or two. Then, leave out the back door without closing it, get in your car and go home. In about a half hour, send a text "Nice House"

I know, I did that to my daughter the first time I saw her new home. I lived about 90 minutes away and it was worth the drive.

In_New_England

I thought the universal control for that was banging on the door and yelling. Perhaps it stops working at the age they go deaf? Haven't reached that point yet.

mattmia2

Maybe this is a pick your battles situation.

pedmec

trust me, nothing works until they move out. that's why there are a thousand suggestions because none work and you try another and then another.

PC7060

@hot_rod has it right, just turn down the temp on water heater.  They’ll get after it run out of hot water in 10 minutes. 

Another good tip in to install a Leviton moisture sensing fan control switch.  Much better than banging on door telling them to turn on the fan!

Dave Carpentier

PC7060 said:

... install a Leviton moisture sensing fan control switch.

I've never run ours on full-auto mode, but one press of the button and it runs until either the timer expires or longer if the humidity is above trigger point. I trained my young monkey to press the button when he starts the water, so that part seems to be working (small victories).
I was thinking on full-auto, it would just run all the time during humid days ?

PC7060

Dave Carpentier said:

“I was thinking on full-auto, it would just run all the time during humid days ?”

We really don’t have a problem with that. Our house is air conditioned so that keeps humidity under control but even when the AC is not honestly never been an issue. I typically just run it in the settings as it comes from the factory and performance is excellent.

It is important to have it at like 50 inches up typical switch height. I have in the side of a counter at around 3 foot and it is slow to respond since the steam/moisture build from top down.

That certainly no surprise for the steam heads on the site!

DJD775

My father-in-law used to shut the hot water off on my wife when she was a kid. It was an effective technique because she still takes short showers to this day.

PC7060

DJD775 said:

My father-in-law used to shut the hot water off on my wife when she was a kid. It was an effective technique because she still takes short showers to this day.

Not as impactful now with balancing valves that shut off both hot and cold if you cut the hot. Nothing like that blast of cold water to incentivize my son to get out of shower

DJD775

No water works too, especially if you're covered in soap

Larry Weingarten

Hi, Working on hot water stuff for years got me lots of questions along these lines. My response became "Think of who will be taking care of you in your old age." You don't want them thinking about those times back when they were kids, when you turned off the shower water! ... Low flow showerheads reduced the tension quite a lot.

Yours, Larry

mark schofield

sometimes with family stuff, I think of the saying,"do you want to be right, or do you want to be happy".

PC7060

Agree, that’s why I’m an advocate of the auto fans switch and setting the hot water heater down a bit.  Achieve the goal with a minimum of fuss

HydroNiCK

Install a coin meter..

Zman

@CYBORG21
If you can measure the water use (timing a 5-gallon bucket fill works well). Describe (or take pictures) of your water heating system and share your utility costs (or a picture of your bill) for both the fuel and water, we can help you quantify the costs.

I think "nightmare" is a pretty extreme reaction to kids spending a long time in the shower. After all, they are home, safe, and VERY clean. Things could be worse....