Perfect Water Temperature Every Time—and Other Perks of a Smart Shower

It’s a maddeningly common scenario: You’re running late, so you hop into the shower—only to be met by a cold blast or practically scalded by a too-hot spray, due to the random guessing game of getting water temperature just right. If that sounds familiar, you may be wondering why you can ask Alexa to dim the bedroom lights to precisely 32 percent while your eyes adjust but you haven’t yet seen technology improve the shower, one of the most important fixtures you rely on every day.

The good news: Smart home technology has finally caught up to the bathroom. The better news? Smart showers are about much more than treating you and your family to perfect water temperature every time. Read on to see how a smart shower may be the right choice for your home.

The Shower Smartens Up

With the typical shower—around for generations with little in the way of upgrades—manual dials and/or levers are used to control water temperature and spray outlet. As you well know, a decent experience involves a fair amount of fiddling and waiting while you stand there exposed. At the turn of the 21st century, digital showers came along, featuring the likes of push-button on-wall control, often with LED displays, letting you set water temperature much as you would your home’s thermostat. Today, high tech showers take the digital concept to a whole new level, via apps and hook-ups to your home’s wireless assistants, to make getting clean an on-demand delight.

Of all the manufacturers exploring this technology, Moen—one of the best known, most reliable brands in the business—is ruling the new wave in water with U by Moen (available at Hausera, your one-stop shop for faucets and fixtures at every budget). U by Moen lets you control every aspect of your shower, from anywhere with your phone (via the U by Moen app), voice (just ask Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant), or on-wall controller. The smart system offers not only the ultimate in comfort, convenience, and luxury, it’s surprisingly easy to install. So whether you’re considering a total bathroom renovation or just want to bring your shower up to speed, U by Moen will deliver. Here’s how.

Perk #1: Precise water temperature

Some like it hot, some like it warm, and others would rather have a cooling spray, particularly after sports or yard work. Setting an appropriate temperature is also a safety consideration when it comes to shower time for children or elderly family members. U by Moen lets you select and set the water temperature you want, and its phone app will signal you when your shower is ready. The ideal temperature, the instant you step into the spray—a-a-a-ah!

Perk #2: Preferred outlet control

Perhaps you love a delicate overhead rain showerhead while your partner prefers the pulsing power of a handheld. With U by Moen, you can personalize as many as four different shower outlets (see the model on Hausera), including multi-function flush-mount body sprays. The result is a heavenly home spa setup.

Perk #3: Perfect timing

We all like to luxuriate in the shower a little longer occasionally, but more often than not, busy people have got to go, go, go. U by Moen enables you to preset shower length so you’ll stay on track—and maybe squeeze a few extra minutes into your daily schedule. (Money-saving tip: Program shorter showers to lower utility bills!) You decide whether to hear an alert when time is up or have the water turn off automatically.

Perk #4: Remote start, stop, and pause

You planned to be in and out of the bathroom by 7:45, but interruptions happen, especially on hectic mornings. Your child needs help with her outfit, a coworker hits you with an urgent text, someone spills milk all over the kitchen counter, and so on. No worries! Just use the smartphone app to start, stop, and pause your shower remotely, from wherever you happen to be. Bonus: You’ll conserve water and energy whenever you pause or stop a shower.

Perk #5: Presets for the whole family

No more bathroom battles! Squabbles over who gets the shower when and for how long are all in the past now that U by Moen makes scheduling specific shower times, temperatures, lengths, and outlets so easy. Use the settings tab on the U by Moen app to preset, customize, and adjust different personalized shower experiences for multiple users.

Perk #6: Smart yet simple installation

Another way it outsmarts the average shower system: simpler installation. Whereas the typical shower plumbing may have as many as three or four separate valves to adjust the flow of each outlet—showerhead, rain showerhead, handheld sprays, and/or body sprays—the U by Moen only has one digital valve. Fewer parts make for a straightforward, and potentially faster installation when connecting to water lines. Moreover, the digital valve doesn’t need to be placed directly behind the shower wall like most other valves; instead, you have the flexibility to set this up in a vanity cabinet with access to a GFCI power outlet or between studs in a wall as far as 30 feet away from the shower controller.

Yes, reinventing the shower with U by Moen is even less complicated than you’d think, making it a manageable project for DIYers with some plumbing and electrical know-how. Basic hand and power tools are required, including a drill, Phillips screwdriver, level, and silicone caulk. The four-step process involves determining the best placement of the U by Moen valve, electrical outlet, and power adapter and then installing the equipment, including mounting the controller on the finished shower wall. (For a full tutorial, see the how-to video here.)

This content is paid advertising created in partnership with Hausera. Its facts and opinions are those of BobVila.com.