lower velocity. In order for a shower head to work
properly, the full pressure of the water system must be
delivered to the orifices to break up the water into
droplets.
Most adaptable shower heads adjust the spray
pattern by varying the sizes of the orifices. The flow
rate varies with the user’s setting. With larger orifices,
the stream is not broken into droplets. There is no way
to avoid the fact that a coarser spray uses more water.
The least expensive models change orifice size by
sliding one or more tapered plugs, or plugs with tapered
grooves, to various positions in a nozzle plate. More
expensive models use several sets of nozzles.
Experience teaches that no single type is preferred by a
majority of people.
Some models include a pulsing spray as one of the
settings, as in Figure 3. This is an esthetic feature, not
an energy conserving feature.