) Thrive SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE (
AT YOUR COMMAND
via Kickstarter to make the molds for the device prior to
manufacturing.
Though this invention, which Chandler intends to
globally market, supports the efforts of water conservation,
Chandler explains that his intention is not to guilt anyone
into buying this product in order to conserve water.
Instead, he views his invention as a common-sense tool
that allows people to use water efficiently and save money.
“I’m not coming at this approach
like everyone needs to have a Shower
Commander or this is how we change the
EROL CH ANDLER'S
SHOWER COMM ANDER
world,” Chandler says. “However, I think it
can change the world. If you use it, it really
can make a big difference.”
Shower Commander, while not officially
priced, could cost between $30 and $60.
Chandler says that he intends Shower
Commander to be “something that is
tangible that people can actually afford so
we can actually make a difference. If you
have one, you don’t have to feel like you
have the weight of water conservation on
your back.”
Chandler says he hopes that Shower
Commander can start conversations. “It’s not
something you just install and forget about,”
he says. “Because you have to be an active
participant, you do start thinking about what
you are using and what you are not.”
On April 20, Chandler and his Shower
Commander team launched a Kickstarter
to raise about $35,000 to cover the cost of molding the
in the shower stall. Air pressure from pressing the button
product for manufacture and for the first batch of Shower
moves the valve inside Shower Commander, turning water
Commanders. The Kickstarter campaign will last for
on and off at whatever temperature it was when turned off.
approximately 30 days, Chandler says, adding that he
Currently, Chandler’s invention is in the final stages
hopes to have a finished product by August of this year. ■
of prototyping through PRG Prototyping, an engineering
company based in Kansas. The next step is raising funds
Visit showercommander.com to learn more.
Local inventor creates a showering device that lets you
control water flow By Claire Rischiotto
a
nywhere from 2.5 to 4 gal-
lons of water per minute
flow from a standard show-
erhead, says local inventor
Erol Chandler. That’s a lot
of water circling down the
drain.
This past November,
Chandler, who makes ar-
tisan lamps locally and is a
former science teacher, began engineering
his most recent invention: the Shower Com-
mander.
Shower Commander is a foot-operated
device designed to control when a person
turns water on or off while showering, such
as when shaving or when using less water
due to budgetary or conservation reasons.
The shower device, which is air-
operated, requires no electric or battery-
operated technology and functions like a
click pen. Shower Commander is installed
by unscrewing the showerhead, placing the device on the
threaded nozzle and then reattaching the showerhead.
Inside the Shower Commander is a valve that controls
turning on and off the water, which is activated when the
button attached to a plastic cord is pressed — the device's
button has a suction application that sticks to a surface
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