Shower System Buying Guide

Bathroom remodels are admittedly a lot of work, without a lot of safe shortcuts available, but having the ability to design your own shower space makes it all worthwhile. There are a variety of options to customize your bath and shower experience to include exactly what you want and nothing that you don’t or won’t use. The technology is there to make life easier, and with some shower systems, even the installation is easy. Finding the perfect shower fit for your bathroom based on what features you want to use is easier than you might think.

What is a shower system?

A shower system includes the essentials of your showering experience: the shower head or faucet, as well as the diverter or thermostatic controls to determine flow and temperature. Those are pretty standard and expected, but in addition to something like a raincan shower head, a shower system can also include a separate hand shower, body sprays, or individual controls for water volume and temperature for multiple water outlets.

All of these external-facing fixtures, or trims, are what you install in your shower walls and they can be standard or they can be customized. Any additional water faucets, for instance, will require their own plumbing behind the walls, and a remodel is the perfect time to position the pipes to optimize the different outlets’ performance. Shower panels and shower kits are available to create a full shower system experience for any plumbing arrangement, however, with no extensive changes necessary.

Whether you buy the fixtures individually, opt for a shower panel, or buy a fully outfitted shower system package ready to go, the basic pieces will be the same. The variety will be in how you incorporate them into your bathroom design.

Off the Shelf

When you want a new look to your shower without all the work of a remodel, a shower panel is an attractive option. These models have all the familiar functionality of a shower, complete with body sprays and a handshower, and are easy to install. Some models even offer the bonus of allowing you better water pressure and temperature controls without the expense of a updating your home plumbing system.

A shower panel mounts to the shower wall and connects to the usual shower arm and control valve pipes. The water is then directed to the body spray, hand shower, or rain shower outlets from within the panel, rather than through the internal plumbing in the walls. These units also often have an additional water heater to allow for more specific temperature controls. These are usually compact, affordable, and can provide a custom shower system without the work of a full remodel.

There are many manufacturers that offer fully-outfitted shower system packages, with every piece included, all at one price. These kits, also known as shower spas, are often the easier choice to make. Rather than having to look for a hand shower, trim set, and body sprays that all match, these packages will include fixtures from the same design collection. The tedium of looking through potentially hundreds of handle faucets just to find one that will look like a similar style hand shower has already been done for you. In most cases, you’ll be able to choose the finish you want, so the styles and colors are all the same when you install them in your shower.

You choose the look you want based on all of the different elements at once, rather than hoping the individual purchases will blend together once installed. It’s always better to know exactly what you’re getting before you make the purchase.

The pre-selected shower packages are still individual fixtures, however. You have full freedom to swap out a traditional thermostatic valve for something more high-tech and modern, for instance. You can have an all-brass shower system and toss in the digital display of a Kohler DTV or Moen U  if that’s how you want to design your shower. Even with the pre-packaged shower systems, the choice is all yours.

Or Do it Yourself

The nice thing about bathroom fixtures is that they are durable and can be reinstalled. So if you already have some fixtures that you like, you can certainly keep them as you move through your remodel. What extra shower system pieces you may want can easily be supplemented without buying a full shower system package. Depending on the parts you want to assemble, it may even be cheaper. It does require doing your homework, however, and perhaps a bit more shopping than simply finding an all-in-one shower setup.

What to Look For

Regardless of whether you’re looking for individual fixtures or looking to buy a kit, it’s helpful to know what the shower system components are and why you may want them in your home shower.

Water Outlets - The water outlets, also called shower fixtures, are where the water exits the shower system. There are a variety of different water outlets, with different ways to arrange them within the shower, it just depends on the installation design you choose.

• Shower heads
• Hand showers
• Body sprays

Shower Heads - Shower heads mount to the wall or ceiling via a shower arm. These are the most basic requirement of a shower. Without some form of shower head, you likely just have a bathtub. Most shower heads feature different water pressure settings, from a simple rinsing, to a massaging action, or even mist options. Learn more about shower head features in our Shower Heads Buying Guide.

Hand Showers - Hand showers are connected to the water supply via a hose to allow more range of movement for the bather. The shower heads of hand showers usually offer various settings as well, from rinsing, to massage, or a centralized stream. They are great for washing in hard-to-reach places, as well as for the more household utilitarian chores, like washing the family pet.

Body Sprays - Body sprays are water outlets that are installed directly into the walls, with no shower arm or hoses. Their movement is restricted to directional pivots, so the water flow can be aimed in different directions at different pressure levels, such as for a massage spray pattern. They require plumbing to be routed to different areas, even different walls if necessary, to place the body sprays where they are designed to be used.

Drains - The drain should be large enough to effectively empty water from the shower floor without creating dangerous pooling. It will need to attach to the connecting drain pipe, so will likely be either 2 or 3 inches in size. The drain connection, however, is no limitation on the design. The grate cover can be round or circular, whichever the floor of the shower demands, whether tile or shower tray.

Many choose to move away from the obvious center drain grate and have chosen instead to install linear drains. Whether planning for a pitched tile floor, or a specifically-molded fiberglass shower tray, linear drains allow for faster draining time, as well as more personalized style. The long, narrow grates can be covered by ornately tooled metal, or they can virtually disappear with some that are designed to seamlessly match the surrounding tilework.

Volume Control - The volume control valve is used with thermostatic valves. It is a separate control handle that regulates the water pressure going to the faucet. There should be one inlet and one outlet control for each water outlet.

Diverter Valve - Diverter valves direct the water flow to the outlets, such as between a tub faucet and a shower head, or a shower head and body sprays. While a single volume control valve or thermostatic valve can only regulate the water going to a single shower outlet, a diverter valve can control up to two outlets at once.

With most diverters, water pressure can only go to one outlet at once unless it is on a shared function diverter that allows two or three. Most handles will have preset positions to indicate each outlet, to show that it can go to one pre-designated outlet function at a time. Even a shared-outlet diverter cannot go “in between” or on a range to effect the water pressure allowed to each shared fixture. It’s worth noting that sharing outlets divides water pressure, so while you can have two outlets running at one time, the water pressure will be significantly less in both of them.

Temperature Control Options

Thermostatic Valves - Thermostatic valves operate more independently, most requiring separate valves for temperature and water volume. They combine and mix the ratio of hot and cold water to hold a maximum allowed temperature to prevent scalding. The separate handles allow for the water flow to be raised or lowered without interfering with the preferred temperature.  

Pressure Balanced valves - The pressure balancing shower mixing valve is one of the most standard valves, so you’ll often find these in hotels and rental home construction. The temperature and volume are set in one easy control trim, only one handle or knob to turn to the temperature and water pressure that you want. A pressure balanced valve will not stay at the same exact setting every time you turn on the shower, however, and will have to be reset after changing or turning off the water pressure.

Digital Shower Controls - When modern technology meets old fashioned, basic bathroom design, showers get a lot more luxurious. With digital shower controls, you can set the water temperature to exactly the right temp or a host of other options. Some models have features like a wifi-enabled interface that works with an app on your phone, allowing you to start the shower from any room in your house, and can alert you when the shower water is at the pre-set temperature. Others offer options like shower pause, or an alarm and timer system so you know exactly how long your morning routine will be. It just depends on the extra features you’re looking for.

Water Heater - A remodel is a great opportunity to update an old water heater. The water heater should ensure there is enough hot water for the entire home, including those indulgent hot showers. Make sure your water heater is healthy every year, with no rust or damage. When installing a new water heater, be sure to match the water heater flow rate with the flow rate of your system.

Another option is to go tankless. Water heaters are now available as whole-house tankless heaters or as point-of-use tankless heaters, which are more energy efficient. Depending on where they are installed, tankless heaters are generally quicker to use, with more consistent water-pressure compared to the older, larger tank heaters.