Getting EDSS

Paying / Rebates / Delivery / Colours / duplicate order

Renting

Moving

Compatibility

calcium water / chlorine filters / how much will I save?

Savings

How much can I save?

Installation

hose type / instant HW heaters / tidy alignment / cut water / wobble / head types

Plumbing 101

Hammering / Balanced System / Conspiracy

Distributors

Near Me / Becoming one

Q. Do I have to pay on the Internet?
A. No. You can also pay by PHONE.

After filling in the order form (so we have a shipping address), when you hit “CONTINUE” you’ll receive an email confirming the order along with a phone number to pay by phone. StrataPay – based in QLD, collect these payments and are reliable & secure. (I’d pay on line if I were you – it’s fast & safe.)

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Q. Are there any government rebates for this product?

A. Sometimes. Rous Water used to offer one in their region.

Best to ask your local council too.

Q. How long to delivery?

A. Expect delivery within two weeks. They ship via normal Australia Post. We always email you once paid to confirm shipment.

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Q. Does the EDSS come in other colours – brass, gold, pink or white?

A. Sorry – no. One customer pointed out that having a shiny chrome paddle encouraged their kids to save water. Because a diamond necklace shouldn’t be the same colour as your skin, the EDSS paddle is chrome to attract attention! The EDSS comes only in CHROME plated zinc.

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Q. I received two emails from you confirming my order but I ordered only one.

A. This means that you accidentally placed two orders by maybe going back & forth. So long as you pay just the one with the correct shipping address, you can do no wrong.

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Q. We are currently renting so, once this device is installed, how easy is it to remove and reinstall?
A. Easy. Five turns with a spanner and it’s off. Five turns the other way and the existing shower head is back on as before. It’s perfect for renters. I was renting when I invented it! (Of course I didn’t have the heart to take it when I left.)

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Q. Our water in has a very high calcium content. You should see our shower screens after a week!
Will the valve cope with this type of build up?

A. That is not a problem at all. There are no fine holes in The Every Drop Shower Saver® as it is full flow in the on position and totally off in the other position. Each time the valve rotates to turn on and off it prevents any calcium deposits to stick. Your screen will still need cleaning but the EDSS will be fine and remain clear. Some calcium may accumulate on the screw that holds the paddle to the valve.

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Q. Is this compatible with shower heads that eliminate chlorine or does this eliminate chlorine as well?

A. The EDSS does not filter chlorine but glad you asked because it actually reduces it! By pausing the water you’ll extend the life of expensive chlorine filters and if you don’t have a filter it reduces your contact with chlorine while also reducing chlorine smell. Thanks for your brilliant question exposing yet another health benefit of using the EDSS. Pausing the water while soaping reduces your family’s exposure to the chlorine in town water.

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Q. How much water can I expect to save?
A. Up to Half !

However much water you currently use in the shower, regardless of the type of shower head, if you wish to save more water without restricing the flow, The Every Drop Shower Saver® enables you to prevent half of that water from going down the drain. If you’re determined to waste water no one can stop you, but if you like to save water there is almost no limit to the savings because of the ease of flipping the EDSS paddle. For example, we hear about how much water is wasted while waiting for the hot to warm up. Just for fun, I sometimes take an entire shower with just that water. I turn on the hot tap only – have a quick 3 second rinse / flick OFF the water with the EDSS – soap up – flick it ON and rinse for another 4 secs – flick the EDSS OFF again while I soap again. This lets me take my time soaping and often finish the final rinse just as the water warms up to temperature! (admittedly not in freezing winter) Most folks would begin their shower at the time I am finished, – all thanks to The Every Drop Shower Saver®. Suggest you add some cold to the mix as it warms up.

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Q. Has there been any formal trial of this device and if so, what are the results?

A. If you refer to water savings The Every Drop Shower Saver® is a tool that gives the user more control over their water useage in the shower. This means that the savings is directly proportional to your desire to save water. For example if you do not intend to save water you won’t. If you really want to save water you’ll save more than with any other water saving device. Even moderate use can half your water consumption based on the principle that it takes as long to soap as to rinse, so by simply flicking it OFF while soaping you can halve your water consumption.  As you can see – the figures are as flexible as your water saving intentions.

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Q. Will it fit my shower? NOT Designed for HOSE Type showers
A. HOSE type showers can be tricky but not impossible, so please read carefully before purchasing – if yours is the hose type.

The Every Drop Shower Shower Saver® will fit most showers in Australia IF YOUR SUPPLY PIPE IS HORIZONTAL because all Aussie showers use the same size pipe & thread pitch. If your supply pipe is at an angle other than horizontal it can be tricky unless you are inventive. Feel free to send a photo so I can advise or talk you through it.

Hand-held hose type showers can have two small problems:

1) Either the hose comes straight out of the wall (horizontally) with the hose naturally falling down, potentially getting in the way of our paddle. SOLUTION: Install EDSS upside down  with the valve rotated so the paddle sits on top at the 12 o’clock position. SOLVED.

2) The hose connects to a vertical thread. SOLUTION: you can either connect the EDSS onto the vertical thread and spin the valve to the most convenient angle of rotation to avoid the wall or shower brackets. It needs 10mm of clearance between the pipe and wall for it to spindle. OR (if you look closely) you’ll notice that the vertical thread is actually a short 90 degree angled pipe that connects to the horizontal supply pipe in your wall. The EDSS could insert here (up stream one connection) in the same way as solution #1.

In the case of the vertical install, you should check to see if gravity will cause the paddle to slowly fall down, switching the water back on. The valve can be tightened by rotating its retaining ball seal slightly clockwise, found on the inside of the valve’s female thread with a 10mm alan key or screwdriver.

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Q. Any showers NOT RECOMMENDED for use?

A. Not recommended for use with some:

Instantaneous hot water systems. Ask the maker of yours.

Hand held hose style showers – see TRICKY INSTALLS above.

Gravity fed hot water systems. Ask your plumber.

If you’ve any doubts about technical issues with water flow or pressure, please ask your local plumber before purchasing. Every household is different and your plumber knows your situation better than us.

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Q. How well does it work with Instant Gas Hot Water systems? The heater on our gas system turns on and off as the flow starts and stops, but I am unsure if the stop/start operation will cause variation in the temperature due to delays in the heater starting. Also is there a likelihood of greater wear and tear on the gas heater system?

A. You can test for the temperature variations you might expect by turning your hot water on and off manually. If you wait 30 seconds, (the time it might take to shampoo your hair), does it cool down a tad, thus creating a drop in temperature for a moment? As for wear and tear, I would be happy to phone the manufacturer of your brand of gas heater system to discuss this very point if you email us their phone number. Is the lifespan of your gas heater based on ‘hours of use’ or the number of times it turns on and off? If it’s based on hours of use then the Every Drop Shower Saver® could extend its life.

When I spoke with a RINNAI technician (http://www.rinnai.com.au/) he said when you flip the water flow back ON the temperature would be near what it was, and then it will likely drop a bit as the cooling water runs through and the unit heats back up. As for life expectancy, they don’t expect it would affect the life of the unit because the unit in their tea room has been turned on & off frequently over the past 10 years and still works perfectly. I’m happy to have a similar conversation with your particular manufacturer. The EDSS does not work with the Bosch Water Wizard 13P but works fine with many others, so worth checking.

NOTE: When I spoke to the folks at Bosh about one of their instant gas hot water systems they pointed out that, because the gas only turns back on when the water begins to flow again, it is likely that you might get a foot-long section of pipe of un-heated water surprising you with a ‘cold slug’ of water when the EDSS is flicked back on. It’s difficult to predict if this is uncomfortable or subtle. Only experimentation will tell but that is why we FIRST suggest speaking to the manufacturer to learn of any unique qualities to your model.

The two key questions to ask a plumber or hot system manufacturer would be:

1) Does frequent stopping & starting of water flow effect unit life?
2) Does the potential for back pressure due to joining the hot & cold feeds at the shower head present any issues with their system?

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Q. How do I get the threads to be friends? The EDSS and my shower head, once tightened, face different directions.

A. Fortunately the solution is simple. You need to apply more plumbers tape. Each pipe thread (your supply pipe and the EDSS thread need about 15 turns of standard (white floppy) plumbers tape to take up enough slack to provide a water tight seal with enough soft pressure to allow you to stop the rotation at any position. I.e., We want the EDSS to sit with its shaft in the 6 o’clock position. If it doesn’t get tight until it’s in the 7 o’clock position than you need to wind more plumbers tape so that it gets tight in the 3 o’clock position and then tighten it a little more to end at 6 o’clock. If you install it with no plumbers tape the point where they stop rotation is a luck of the draw. It will be loose until the last moment where they become tight. Plumbers tape lets them gradually get tight over a larger range of rotation allowing it to stop over a much wider range. I find that 15 turns of plumbers tape on each thread gives good tension allowing you to stop turning it at almost any angle while still firm enough to maintain its position and a water tight seal.

Q. Does it require water to be turned off at the mains to install?

A. No. Only your hot & cold taps in the shower, NOT the water mains to your home. No plumber required.

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Q. Is it normal for the EDSS paddle to feel loose even though the screw is done up tight?

A. Yes. The Every Drop Shower Saver® is specially designed to flip effortlessly side to side to encourage frequent use. We discovered that a firmer fit increases friction and drag. It’s normal for there to be about 2mm of vertical play at the extended end of the paddle. Tightening the paddle screw will not improve the wobble and over-tightening can weaken the valve spindle. A little wobble is normal & good. In use you only flick it side to side so will not notice the 2mm upward play.

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Q. The shower head I have in our bathroom is only 10 cm long. Does this mean I have to pull the old one out of the shed?

A. NO. Leave the old one in the shed. Yours is perfect because all you do is remove your existing one, that sits almost flush against the wall, and insert the EDSS valve & paddle at the wall. It pushes yours forward about two inches and everything works normally. So long as you can reach your shower’s supply pipe, you can reach the EDSS paddle.

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Q. HAMMERING Why do I get a ‘clunking noise when I turn the water off quickly?
A. This comes under the general heading of ‘Water Hammer’ which is a catch all name for any noises in pipe work. But this is about clunking as opposed to whistling or rattling. Water is supplied to your home from the street water main, at a particular ‘static’ pressure (determined by your water supplier, pipe size, how many other people are showering in your neighbourhood at the same time, whether there’s a drought on, even how high up the hill you are! All of this is beyond your control). While running a tap/shower etc the pressure in your pipes reduces because its free to squirt out and head down the plug hole; the faster you run a tap, the more it reduces. (try running 6 taps simultaneously and you’ll see what I mean!). When you turn the tap off the water pressure begins to increase back up to the static pressure again (it takes about 2 seconds). When you turn the tap off quickly it causes an expansion shock wave so the pipes momentarily shake and waggle around under the floor and in the walls. Frequently the pipes knock against a joist or floor board and ‘clunk! There are 3 solutions to this: 1/ Knock down all your walls, destroy the floors and clip all the pipes nice and tight like they should be (next life) 2/ Move and build a new house watching Mr Plumber’s every move. 3/ Fit a pressure vessel. This is a metal balloon 50% full of air and 50% water with a rubber plate dividing them. The air inside is compressed by the shock wave so the pipes don’t waggle. Such devices are cheap ($20 ish) and fitting is easy peasy for any plumber or 1/2 decent handyman. It can go ANYWHERE on any convenient cold pipe AFTER your main stop cock ie., the one you MUST turn off before beginning this job. Simply turn off the mains supply where it enters the house, turn on the lowest and highest cold tap to drain off the residual water in the pipes (and also to confirm that you really have fully turned off the stop valve !!) wait till the water stops running out of the lowest tap. We’ll leave the actual cutting and fitting to your licensed plumber, but you get the idea. The end result is no more clunks anywhere, also a lot less noise in the pipes due to any other plumbing probs including whistling or rattling and more beside.
Thank you Alan Harris for this penny dropping insight, Stav

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Q. When I turn the shower water back on, it’s too hot for a few seconds.

A. When you turn the water supply off, the pressure in your pipes increases. The hot water normally has a pressure vessel attached which ‘accumulates’ this extra pressure. If the system was installed by a good plumber, he will have ensured that this also happens to the cold water; this is called a balanced system. (If you already have a balanced system, you’re probably wasting your time reading this FAQ as you are unlikely to be experiencing this problem.) The built up back pressure in the hot supply pressure vessel releases much more slowly than the pressure in an unbalanced cold pipe. This causes the hot water to be a higher pressure for a few extra seconds which allows the hot to push the lower pressure cold out of its way, and give you an unpleasant hot flush. The solution is to ensure you have a balanced hot/cold supply so that both hot and cold waters are always the identical pressures and neither one pushes the other out of the way. This isn’t something special, it’s simply the way proper plumbing is supposed to be done. If you haven’t got it already, then someone cut some corners in the past ! No – a plumber cutting corners? Impossible!

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Q. Is it true that flow restricting shower heads actually consume more water because it takes longer to desolve the soap?

A. Is it a conspiracy to make us use more water to increase the water bill? I don’t think so. Water velocity is also a factor. I spoke with an expert at the CSIRO who did some studies about this. If you restrict the flow rate and the velocity of the remaining water streams it can ultimately consume more water to rinse the soap. IF the speed of the tiny water streams is high it might not.

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Q. I own a shop and would like to stock a few. What is your wholesale pricing?
A. Anyone ordering 10+ qualifies as a distributor and should contact us to receive a special price. When purchasing 10 or more you also get a poster to print and laminate for point of sale display. The Every Drop Shower Saver® comes in two styles of packaging: Enviro-pack and Shrink-wrap. The most popular method is to display the shrink-wrapped one while handing the customers our enviromentally packaged units.

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Q. Is this device commercially available? Where is it available and what is the retail cost?

A. YES. It is available from this website and maybe some local distributors. If you can’t find it locally you can ALWAYS buy direct from the manufacturer HERE www.showersaver.com.au     RRP $78 P&H.

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