Can I put a timer on my teenage daughter's shower?

14 years ago

This is not a joke, but my DD thinks that a 30 minute shower is normal. Water is very high priced where we live and I need a way to cut the water off after a reasonable time. I'm thinking 8 minutes during the week and 15 minutes on the weekend. Our only saving grace now is the hot water heater drains and then she gets out. I'm not always at home when she showers so it's not just a matter of telling her to get out. She is a good kid and generally does do what we tell her, but for some reason just gets lost in the shower. At our new house we were going to put in a tankless water heater and I'm seriously afraid that she'll never get out and we'll have a $400 water bill. I know in Europe the showers (especially in the hostels and cheap places where we stayed) were on a timer. Are these products available in the US? Any suggestions?

Featured Answer

Jeannine

14 years ago

I grew my hair to my waist to sell it (to raise money for charity) and I never needed a 30 minute shower to wash my hair. Now drying definitely took that long. :)

I like the suggestion that she pay the bill for a few months. I'm kind of surprised a teenager would waste water in the first place...young people (I work with 16-18 year olds) seem to think it's very mature of them to me concerned with environmental issues.

Tell her you're getting her started with her college app essays wit this exercise in conservation. She'll have a great story to tell...my mom made me pay the water bill and now I'm an environmental activist. :)

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Comments (12)

wa8b
14 years ago
I never heard of a timer for a shower (although that doesn't mean they don't exist), but perhaps a better approach would be to install an ultra low-flow shower head. By federal regulation, all new showerheads must dispense no more than 2.5 gallons per minute. There are, however, showerheads that dispense much less. The link below will take you to info on a showerhead that dispenses just 1.25 GPM, but there others available that dispense even less. Most include technology that mixes air with the shower stream so that the force of water feels as though more water is flowing. Do a google search on "ultra low-flow showerhead" and you'll find many others.

If that doesn't work, maybe there's some timer mechanism out there that will cause the shower door to fly open after a certain amount of time, or a siren to go off... ;-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Ultra Low-Flow Showerhead
MongoCT
14 years ago
Timed valves are available...they're not always stylish, as they tend to be used more in commercial than residential.

Some are controlled locally, like in the shower itself, others are remote.

A google search should put you on your way.
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ladycfp
14 years ago
If she is a good kid, sit her down and explain the problem. Ask HER to come up with solutions. Maybe she will surprise you.

My teenager with the shower problem was my bonehead son, and we agreed he would set the timer every time he got in the shower (I bought a drugstore kitchen timer) and he was told if I don't hear it going off in 10 minutes followed by the water, I'm coming in there myself. End of problem. He only showered when I was home, so it was inconvenient to be the shower police, but in his case it was what it took.

Good luck.
gbsim1
14 years ago
I agree with Lady.... treat her like a young adult and involve her in the problem. Explain and then listen.

If she doesn't come up with the idea on her own, then setting a kitchen timer/alarm that she would bring in the bathroom with her should do the trick.

If a timer really shut things down then I think you'll just cause aggravation and frustration. Suppose you were in the middle of rinsing your hair or shaving your legs and the water went off? That is frustrating enough in a hostel or campground shower, but at your own home it would be pretty lousy. Relationships with teens can be iffy at times and I can't imagine how I'd have felt if my mother had done something like that to me!
bluekitobsessed
14 years ago
The enviro website where I also hang out, Grist, had an identical question a few months ago (Amy, was it you?), with a few answers. A few gadgets were mentioned, but the best answer sounded a lot like GBSim's -- treat her as a young adult. Link attached.

Here is a link that might be useful: Teenager's long hot showers
heimert
14 years ago
If you can't get your hair rinsed in the first ten minutes, then you deserve to have shampoo in it when the timer goes off . . .

anyway, discussion seems best. Followed by downsizing the water heater to 15 gallons or so.
momfromthenorth
14 years ago
Conversation is best followed by telling her she can pay the water bill for the next 2 months. That will cure the problem quickly. We had same problem with our kids and I laugh now at how quickly my DD can take a shower now that she pays her own bills - she who used to let it run for 30 min. or drain the hot water heater. I offered to let our DS pay the water bill and he "got the message" quickly.
wa8b
14 years ago
I mentioned this posting to a friend of mine. She said she had a similar problem with her daughter. She found a novel way to fix it.

Her daughter's bathroom was one of those in the middle of the house without a window, so the light always had to be on when someone was in the bathroom. When no amount of reasoning with her daughter would get her to take shorter showers, Mom put one of those timer switches on the bathroom light that automatically turns the light off after 15 minutes. Since the switch was too far to be reached without getting out of the shower, her DD had to either continue in the pitch dark, or get out of the shower before all went black. Once she was out, she usually stayed out.

Anyway, not a solution for everyone....but it might work for some.
ncamy
Original Author
14 years ago
OK here's my update...actually I have just enacted the kitchen timer method. First I timed myself to make sure I wasn't being cruel. (It took me 4 mins. 52 sec. day 1 and 5 mins 20 sec the 2nd day when I took the time to just "stand there awhile.") So I gave her 8 minutes. I put the timer across the room and it does aggravate her when it goes off but she gets out. It sounds like we're all on the same page as I had just suggested to my husband the timed light idea before reading this post. However I think if I can train her with the kitchen timer, we'll be good.
gbsim1
14 years ago
Good news!!

Just out of curiosity does she have siblings? Does she share a bedroom? Sometimes the shower is the only place that kids with sibs that share living space can have time to themselves.
nemochupichupi
2 years ago
check this whower timer, works reallyd well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJoaej6kNBo

Can I put a timer on my teenage daughter's shower?

Jeannine

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Can I put a timer on my teenage daughter's shower?

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