Sweeby, I can't answer the technical questions and I have never used them, but where in the country is this? Specifically, do you have a potential drought? I'm in Southern California, home of the perpetual water crisis, and the water people are seriously upset about multiple spray showers. I like the idea but I'd feel too guilty about being a water waster to install one.

Hi, we had them for about a month, and yes we do LOVE them. That one word is really inadequate to describe how much we enjoy our new shower with the four body sprays. We use them every shower because its that wonderful.

DH is not home so I can't ask now about the water supply diameter, but since our house is 90+ years old we have the old type. However, the plumbing installation took some talent to install since it was a lot of pipes and our shower plumbing wall is a very narrow 30" with the hand-held bar and line was plumbed to the side wall.

We have a huge water heater in the basement which can keep up with the use. Here is a picture of the plumbing going in:

and final:

I don't particularly care for body sprays.

That said, some sprays have different gpm rates than others, but for the sake of argument they are all considered "shower heads", so we'll apply the 2.5gpm rate to each head.

With five outlets, you're looking at 12.5gpm.

That flow through 1/2" copper tubing is well beyond the recommended range...friction losses are great and fluid velocity would be well beyond what is recommended for that size tubing.

From a table that may be a bit outdated:

Upping to 3/4" tubing still results in a loss of about 0.15 psi per foot, or 15psi per 100' of tubing, and a velocity of about 8.3 feet per second. That velocity is still a bit fast even for 3/4" tubing.

You need a properly sized hot water heater to feed the properly sized tubing, then you need properly sized valves and diverters, properly sized outlets, and a properly sized drain.

Oh, the humanity!

Mongo

Two words: Ooooh yeah.

Love 'em almost as much as my heated floors and heated towel rack.

You are correct about the switching from 12/" to 3/4" to 1/2". It doesn't make sense.

There is a concept in science about: the rate limiting step. While 3/4" may give you volume if you originate with it, the 1/2" will give you increased pressure. It's physics, you gotta know the formulas to understand why these problems don't always make sense on first blush!

Mongo... I am humbled.

You should ask this over in plumbing for more complete answer- they have been helpful for me as well ;-)

Yes, you need a great plumber. Our contractor friend has been building houses and remodeling for 30 years, but when it came to the above installation he brought in another friend who is the expert on pipes to take the lead. They were challenged by the old house and smallness of the space.

At 47 & 50 we'd never had more than one basic shower head before this, and didn't see the need. DH wanted to do it since the walls were gutted. We have a 90+ yr old house,15 yr old cars, most everything we have is old/dated and very used...except this amazing shower/bath.

Five minutes in there is daily therapy. Especially, for those of us who live with the cold, dark, wet and icy winters in the northern climate I really have to wholeheartedly recommend properly installed body sprays.

I have them in the master bath shower -- hardly ever used, really, other than when the kids come in to use the shower!

And no, 1/2" will not be sufficient, and as Mongo noted -- you'll need an oversize water heater.

Thanks SO MUCH for the good advice! I knew you'all would come through.

She has decided to go ahead on the body sprays, and we've found a way to run 3/4" pipe from the water heater to the shower without jack-hammering out the floor. Fortunately, they have ample water-heater capacity, so we're not anticipating that will be a huge problem.