WaterSense
WaterSense® Specification for Showerheads
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Water Sense	WaterSense Specification for Showerheads
WaterSense Specification for Showerheads
1.0 Scope and Objective
This specification establishes the criteria for showerheads labeled under the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA's) WaterSense program. It is applicable to showerhead fixture fittings,
inclusive of showerheads, rain showers, and hand-held showers, as defined in the ASME
A112.18.1/CSA B125.1 Plumbing Supply Fittings standard.1
When used in this document the term "showerhead" shall also include rain showers and hand-
held showers.
This specification does not cover body sprays, as defined in ASME A112.18.1/CSA B125.1.
This specification is designed to ensure sustainable, efficient water use and a high level of user
satisfaction with showerhead performance.
2.0 General Requirements
2.1 Except as otherwise indicated in this specification, the showerhead shall conform
to applicable requirements in ASME A112.18.1/CSA B125.1, including
requirements for high-efficiency showerheads, rain showers, and hand-held
showers.
3.0 Water-Efficiency Criteria
3.1 The maximum and minimum flow rates of the showerhead shall be tested in
accordance with the high-efficiency showerheads and hand-held showers
procedures in ASME A112.18.1/CSA B125.1 and shall meet the following criteria:
3.1.1	The manufacturer shall specify a maximum flow rate value (rated flow) of
the showerhead. This specified value must be equal to or less than 2.0
gallons per minute (gpm) (7.6 liters per minute [L/min]).
3.1.2	The maximum flow rate shall be the highest value obtained through
testing at flowing pressures of 20, 45, and 80 ± 1 pounds per square inch
(psi) (140, 310, and 550 ± 7 kilopascal [kPa]), when evaluated in
accordance with 10 CFR 429.29. This maximum flow rate shall not
exceed the maximum flow rate value specified in Section 3.1.1.
3.1.3	The minimum flow rate, when evaluated in accordance with 10 CFR
429.29 with the modifications included in Section 3.1.3.3 of this
specification, shall not be less than:
3.1.3.1 60 percent of the maximum flow rate value specified in Section
3.1.1 when tested at a flowing pressure of 20 ± 1 psi (140 ± 7
kPa).
1 References to this and other standards apply to the most current version of those standards.
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Water Sense	WaterSense Specification for Showerheads
3.1.3.2	75 percent of the maximum flow rate value specified in Section
3.1.1 when tested at a flowing pressure of 45 and 80 ± 1 psi
(310 and 550 ± 7 kPa).
3.1.3.3	For each basic model of showerhead, a sample of sufficient size
shall be randomly selected and tested to ensure that the
minimum flow rate for a basic model, as represented by the
lower of the following, is greater than or equal to the minimum
flow rate values specified in Sections 3.1.3.1 and 3.1.3.2
respectively:
i)	The mean of the sample, where:
n
- 1V
X = > X;
nZ—i
i=i
And, x is the sample mean; n is the number of samples;
and Xj is the ith sample;
Or,
ii)	The lower 95 percent confidence limit (LCL) of the true
mean multiplied by 1.05, where:
LCL = x — t0 95
And, x is the sample mean; s is the sample standard
deviation; n is the number of samples; and t0 95 is the t
statistic for a 95 percent one-tailed confidence interval with
n-1 degrees of freedom.
4.0 Spray Force Criteria
4.1 The spray force of the showerhead shall be tested in accordance with the spray
force procedures for high-efficiency showerheads and hand-held showers
included in ASME A112.18.1/CSA B125.1, and shall meet the following criteria:
4.1.1.	The minimum spray force for high-efficiency showerheads and
hand-held showers shall not be less than 2.0 ounces (0.56
newtons [N]) at a flowing pressure of 20 ± 1 psi (140 ± 7 kPa) at
the inlet.
4.1.2.	The minimum spray force for high-efficiency rain showers shall
not be less than 1.4 ounces (0.40 N) at a flowing pressure of 20
± 1 psi (140 ± 7 kPa) at the inlet.
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Water Sense	WaterSense Specification for Showerheads
5.0 Spray Coverage Criteria
5.1 The spray coverage of the showerhead shall be tested in accordance with the
spray coverage procedures for high-efficiency showerheads and hand-held
showers included in ASME A112.18.1/CSA B125.1, and shall meet the following
criteria:
5.1.1	The total combined maximum volume of water collected in the 2-
and 4-inch (50-, 101-millimeter [mm]) annular rings shall not
exceed 75 percent of the total volume of water collected, and;
5.1.2	The total combined minimum volume of water collected in the 2-,
4-, and 6-inch (50-, 101-, 152-mm) annular rings shall not be
less than 25 percent of the total volume of water collected.
6.0 Marking
6.1	Showerheads and associated packaging shall conform to the applicable marking
and packaging requirements in ASME A112.18.1/CSA B125.1. The maximum
flow rate shall be specified by the manufacturer, verified through testing, and in
compliance with Section 3.1.1 of this specification.
6.2	Flow rate marking shall be in gpm and L/min in two or three digit resolutions
(e.g., 2.0 gpm [7.6 L/min]).
7.0 Effective Date
This specification is in effect as of July 26, 2018.
8.0 Future Specification Revisions
EPA reserves the right to revise this specification should technological and/or market changes
affect its usefulness to consumers, industry, or the environment. Revisions to the specification
would be made following discussions with industry partners and other interested stakeholders.
9.0 Definitions
Definitions within ASME A112.18.1/CSA B125.1 are included by reference.
ASME is the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
CFR is the Code of Federal Regulations.
CSA is the Canadian Standards Association.
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Water Sense
WaterSense Specification for Showerheads
Appendix A: Informative Annex for WaterSense Labeling
The following requirements must be met for products to be marked with the WaterSense label.
1.0 Scope Clarifications
1.1	Combination Showerheads
In cases where more than one showerhead or hand-held shower is provided in
combination with others in a single device intended to be connected to a single
shower outlet, the product and/or its packaging may be marked with the
WaterSense label only if each showerhead (or hand-held shower) meets all of
the requirements of this specification and the entire device meets the maximum
flow rate requirement of this specification in all possible operating modes.
1.2	Shower Panels
In cases where one or more showerheads are provided in combination with a
body spray, as is the case in shower panels or shower towers, the product and
its packaging may be marked with the WaterSense label only if the entire shower
panel/tower (i.e., showerhead and body spray combination) meets the maximum
flow rate requirement, and at least one operating mode meets all of the
requirements of this specification. If the shower panel/tower only operates in a
single mode, then the entire shower panel/tower must meet the requirements of
this specification.
2.0 WaterSense Partnership
The manufacturer2 of the product must have a signed partnership agreement in place with EPA.
3.0 Conformity Assessment
Conformance to this specification must be certified by a licensed certifying body accredited for
this specification in accordance with the WaterSense Product Certification System.
4.0 WaterSense Label Use
4.1 Per the WaterSense Program Mark Guidelines, for all products certified to meet
this specification, manufacturers must include the WaterSense label on product
packaging and in online and printed specification sheets. Manufacturers should
also display the WaterSense label in association with any labeled products listed
on the organization's website.
2 Manufacturer, as defined in the WaterSense Program Guidelines, means: "Any organization that produces a
product for market that might be eligible to meet WaterSense criteria for efficiency and performance. Manufacturers
may also produce 'private label' products that are sold under the brand name of a separate organization, which is
treated as a separate partner/application from the original product manufacturer." In the case of private labeling, the
private labeling organization that ultimately brands the product for sale must have a signed WaterSense partnership
agreement in place with EPA.
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4.2 Per the WaterSense Program Mark Guidelines, if product packaging contains
both a WaterSense labeled showerhead and non-labeled products, the
packaging must bear the WaterSense label and clearly indicate which items
within the package have earned the WaterSense label.
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