Does a 15 Minute Bath Really Use More Than A Shower When Filled With Only A Little Water?

Question

Hello,

I'm a bath person. I love baths, and i shave daily (I can't stand leg hair but never cared when I was in high school). My question is: does a batht truly use more than a shower? I've seen multiple awnsers for this, and it seems that depending how long you take, a shower can use as much water as a bath.

I bath for 15 minutes but I hardly use that much water, and the charts I've seen show water usage when either completely or half filling the tub. I only fill up the tub so that it's just enough to wash my hair (which is short). Sometimes I fill it up a bit more, close to a quarter (but that's unusual).

In my opinion, that little water shouldn't use that much water if I've got it just enough to wash my hair with (somtimss a bit more). If I shower for 15 mins, wouldn't that use the same amount of water, if not more? As the water will be constantly running instead of sitting in the tub. We don't use a water efficient shower head and I'm trying to keep the hydro bill down and see if most of it is going towards water.

KY-Clay · Answer

The answer depends on the size of the tub, the depth of the water and the efficiency of the showerhead. But usually, the shower will use less. Most people use about 30 gallons of water for a bath, according to industry estimates. When filled to capacity (just below the overflow), a standard bathtub holds 42 gallons, but some of that water will be displaced when you get into the tub. So, the tub is rarely filled to capacity before taking a bath. A low-flow showerhead uses about two gallons a minute, or 20 gallons for a 10-minute shower. A standard showerhead uses 2.5 gallons a minute, or 25 gallons for 10 minutes. Either way, the shower saves water – as long as you don’t go past 10 minutes. The shorter the shower, the greater the savings.

elhigh · Answer

Most people don't shower for a full 15 minutes.  A 15 minute shower, at 2.5 gallons per minute (typical shower head flow rate), would equal 35-40 gallons of water.  That would be enough water to completely fill up your bath tub.

The point of the bath is to sink into it and immerse yourself.  Can't do that with the shower, the shower is just to get clean fairly quickly and, admittedly, without using up too much water.  But if the bath displaces a visit to a therapist, isn't that cheaper?  I think so.

Anonymous · Answer

Time it. See how long it takes  to fill the tub--plus any hot water that you add to that. Showers use less water but 15 minutes is a long shower.

Glo · Answer

Would  the size of the tub not play a factor?  Many different sizes of tubs out there these days.

STEVEN F · Answer

The time spent in the bath has no impact on the amount of water used.
A normal shower head in the US is limited to 2.5 gallons per minute. I don't fell like calculating the amount of water in your bath.

Anonymous · Answer

for obvious reasons women cannot adequately clean themselves in a shower a bath with foam bath or bath oil is far superior

? · Answer

Run a quick test.  Wash your hands with the water running, but put the stopper in bottom.  When finished,  turn off the water.  Now, is the water collected in the basin sufficient to wash your hands?  Probably not.  Same for all of you as it is for your hands.

Laura · Answer

This really depends on the shower head you use.  
My parents have an eco friendly shower head, and it really conserves water.  I don't, so I use more water even if I take shorter showers.  
To test this with your shower, plug the tub and shower like you normally would, then see how much the tub fills up.

Anonymous · Answer

Good question. I'm like you. When I shower, I shave everything, have a ritual for my skin, wash and condition my hair. So it's not a short shower. It seems to me that a bath would use less water than the shower(s) that I take.

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Does a 15 Minute Bath Really Use More Than A Shower When Filled With Only A Little Water?

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