Like most people, Sean and Alisha McFetridge enjoy a long, hot shower, but felt guilty about wasting water.
With a goal to save water, time, energy and money, the husband-and-wife team invented the RainStick shower, now in production at Linamar iHub in Guelph.
Founded in 2019, RainStick is a Canadian clean technology company created to help revolutionize water technology and address concerns related to water and energy waste.
The eco-friendly shower system uses up to 80 per cent less water and energy.
A traditional 10-minute shower uses 100 litres (26 gallons) of water. RainStick uses less than 20 litres (5 gallons).
“So far, there’s been pre-orders and a lot of excitement around this,” said Emily Ondercin-Bourne from Flying Camel Advertising Design +PR.
“These people will be the trailblazers of homeowners who get to experience all the benefits of this and also play their part in the community and beyond for sustainability and water conservation which we know is so incredibly important right now.”
The RainStick uses recirculation technology, diverting fresh grid-supplied water from going down the drain. This process ensures real-time water capture, circulation, and cleaning.
Recognized as one of TIME magazine's "Best Inventions of 2023," the Rainstick shower can be used in both residential and commercial spaces.
“We don’t want people to think that sustainability has to be about making sacrifices. RainStick provides an elevated experience with increased water pressure that is only possible thanks to its sustainable, re-circulating design. It doesn’t use greywater and only uses .5 GPM, while providing a luxurious 3 GPM from the shower head, so it’s fully compliant,” Alisha McFetridge, the company's CEO.
“To make a real difference, this has to be a scalable, accessible product, and that’s where we are now.”
With its head office is in Kelowa, B.C., all Rainstick production takes place at Linamar’s Innovation Hub (iHub).
Partnering with aspiring entrepreneurial start-ups and scale-ups, iHub helps to create a new future with products considered leaders in technology, innovation and manufacturing.
“We do have a lot of scalabilities at Linamar. We have one line, but if we need to upscale production over night, we can add more lines. And that’s a huge draw,” said Priya Prasad, business development manager at Rainstick.
“People are buying from the U.S. as well, and hopefully by next year, worldwide. There is lot of interest from New Zealand, Australia and South America.”
The goal for Rainstick is for people to eventually use only 50 litres of water per person, per day in their homes. Right now, the average is at about 300.
“We have designed something that allows you to drastically cut water consumption," Rainstick co-founder Sean McFetridge said
“This is a giant leapfrog over some of the best technologies. And because we are actually recycling or reusing water, we can provide three gallons per minute at the shower head. So, it’s a really big experience at the shower head, while only ever drawing half a gallon from the hose.”
Currently, the Rainstick team in Guelph can build between four to six rain sticks a day.
Instead of water from going down the drain, every drop is saved and sanitized through a three-stage process in real time. Small amounts of fresh supplied water is constantly being sourced to maintain optimal temperature.
"Locally, hard water is a big issue as well. What’s unique about this system is that it does a self-cleaning procedure between uses to take care of all that," Sean said.
"So, there is no hard water build up."
And, Sean said, there no transfer of any pathogens between users.
"We have a Rainstick cleaning product in the lines and it does not allow pathogens to grow between users. And that’s been very important to us," he said.
"The water is not recirculating, which might be a concern for people. When it does come out again, it is clean. This is not grey water. We have no water stagnation."
The one thing that is really important for the couple is educating people about the importance for recirculating water.
"And we have this ability to clean the water so quickly. We are not using a heater, so not bringing any energy into the equation. We are just simply using fancy mixing work to adjust temperature.The maintenance is very low, while also being highly hygienic," Sean said.
The Rainstick shower is the first technology, but the couple envisions future products that can also have an effect on people’s lives.
“We are happy to be in Guelph and we are ready to do some more at home projects with builders in talking about any rebate or larger scale pilot programs in the city,” Sean said.
“We are just so onboard with creating something that can help make change.”
