Help with Installing a shower head??

[TashaSW]

Totally off-topic.....

I have a question, I recently bought a shower head that has a removable head..... now I don't know anything about replacing fixtures and stuff except the easy things like cupboard door handles.

Is it easy to change a shower head if your inexperience? even if you read the instructions? Or is that better left to someone whos done it before??

I would love to learn to do my own things but I really don't wanna mess up and that shower head isn't cheap. :)

If you have done it before and think I could do it alone, is there any easy pointers to help me out? :)

Thanks in advance!!!

Tasha
PS..... no thinking naughty thoughts people!!!! :tongue: :tongue: :tongue: :tongue: Its just being replaced cause the old one really sucks ;)

[12voltman59]

To replace a shower head under normal circumstances is a rather simple and straight forward operation. Hopefully you have a normal situation--an odd situation being someone soldiered the old head to the pipe or they were one piece.

Your current showerhead should just be screwed onto the piping that comes out of the walll.

You may need to purchase or borrow a small to midsized pipe wrench to take it off because if the old one has been on there many years--it may have been tighted too much and depending upon what is in your water supply in terms of iron and other minerals--you will need just a bit of friendly persuasion to get the head lose.

Once you do get the shower head broken lose--simply unscrew it and take the thing off-I bet you might have a little bit of junk built up at the end of the pipe. Clean that out good.

Of course you have purchased your new shower head at your favorite hardware place and its ready to go--while at the hardware store also purchase some pipe tape--ask a sales person in that dept. where they've got that located.

You may want to take some WD 40, spray it on the threads of the standing pipe--clean the pipe head threads with a small wire brush then wipe the threads mostly dry with a paper towel or shop rag.

Now take a couple of strips of the pipe tape--put one strip on the threads of the pipe and the other on the threads of the shower head--put the new head on and line the threads properly making sure you have not misaligned them and tighten as tightly as you can by hand---don't use the pipe wrench to tighted the new head since its most likely plastic or a less strong metal than the old one and therefore both are easily breakable should you tighten too much.

Well that's it for this edition of "Ask This Old House" on our next show be sure to join us when ....

[Solomon]

naughty thoughts??? moi??? :cool:

[dans94]

Mmmmm, can you send the old one to me?


PS..... no thinking naughty thoughts people!!!! :tongue: :tongue: :tongue: :tongue: Its just being replaced cause the old one really sucks ;)

Poster #2 got it right except you only put the pipe tape on the threads of the pipe coming out of the wall. One and a half turns on the thread. Don't put it on too thick.

You could also ask someone in the plumbing dept. of Lowes or Home Depot.

[TashaSW]

Thanks 12Volt :-)

Ya, its one of those small heads thats on the pipe coming from the wall.. I think its disattachable lol. Gonna try this tomorrow.

The house is almost 10 years old so it shouldn't be that hard... the one in the masterbathroom is the one im replacing.

You don't work for a home improvment show do you? lol Thanks again Volt. :)

[Solomon]

btw,

sorry, i was being a bit forward with my first post. I didn't even take the time to introduce myself or Flexuality my wife. I just couldn't resist the temptation to have a laugh :-)

we just like to have fun on the site cuz it's very much a refuge for us :-)

[TashaSW]

Ummm Thats ok.... I knew that was coming after I put that joke there lol
Nice to meet you and Flexuality.

and Dans..... you really want a small little shower head that spent its whle life being usesless and on the other end of the pipe?? really, its trash... the garbage monster asked for it frist. lol :tongue: :tongue: :tongue:

[flexuality]

Ummm Thats ok.... I knew that was coming after I put that joke there lol
Nice to meet you and Flexuality.

and Dans..... you really want a small little shower head that spent its whle life being usesless and on the other end of the pipe?? really, its trash... the garbage monster asked for it frist. lol :tongue: :tongue: :tongue:


Hi :)

Nice to meet you too. I'm also relieved to hear that whoever was harrassing you is no longer a problem. I had someone do that to me years ago - it can be very disturbing.

As for the showerhead....thinking like a woman here.....do you know anyone who can do it for you? LOL! that's what I'd do! :tong:

[Nara_lovely]

OK, Ok, OK...so I'm a person who can't let this one go.

Quote: I think its disattachable lol.......try detachable.

I had the task of trying to replace the flasher (no joke) for the car indicator. Got heaps of advice on how easy it was to do, once I got the dashboard cover off.
...but no-one could tell me how to remove the dash!

Upside down, at night, in my car, searching around till I worked out how. Hit the horn, hit my head, but got the cover off eventually. Quick replacement, then another longer period of time working out how to get the bl%%y cover back on!

What one person finds easy, another is clueless. But with the right motivation (mine was to be able to change lanes...your was to smell better?) it can be done. Amazing the 'good feeling' inside of being able to get the job done yourself, right!
Glad you got some good advice...(I'll remember it for when my time comes for a shower head replacement too).

[TashaSW]

lol Flex!!!
Ya, Im back now :) if anyone harrasses me like that guy did again, Im soo reporting to Drew... got some PMs asking me why I didn't do that before lol Oh well. I miseed here.

The showerhead.... Do I know anyone who could do it for me? What are we talking about? lol I guess I could get "Mr Fix It" (my father) to change the head for me. since hes one of those guys that likes fixing!!

If you mean play time in the shower.... well no i don't have anyone!! lol :tongue: :tongue: :tongue:


Hi :)

Nice to meet you too. I'm also relieved to hear that whoever was harrassing you is no longer a problem. I had someone do that to me years ago - it can be very disturbing.

As for the showerhead....thinking like a woman here.....do you know anyone who can do it for you? LOL! that's what I'd do! :tong:

[TashaSW]

Ya. lol while I can have someone replace it for me, I wanna try on my own... Im just one of those girls that think I can do EVERYTHING on my own and only ask for help if I need it. lol
I think its only easy to those that have replaced/changed/fixed the same thing in the pass :)

I did get good advice on here lol now to see if these people were right lol

[dans94]

ha ha! Well, you DID say it 'sucks.'

[TashaSW]

lol cause the old one is a cheap and ugly looking shower head. I like pretty things lol

[chook]

Hi Tash,

About the showerhead or any other little job you may have to do around the place.........do what I do, when I'm stuck on something I find someone that knows what they are doing and either ask them to guide me or if they fix it I watch real carefully, I have learned to do heaps of things this way eg. from soldering water connections to laying floor tiles just to give you an example. I hope this helps you.

Cheers Chook :bigrin:

[TashaSW]

Chook,
ya, thats what i was thinking of doing... I checked the other bathroom's shower head and that ones gonna need replacing someday... not at the moment since no one uses it. (its a shower/bath.. i use the bath part since I have a shower in the master-bedroom)

So I may get someone to do the materbedroom's shower and watch how they do it then do the other one on my own. Or help with the first one and then do the other alone at a later date.


Hi Tash,

About the showerhead or any other little job you may have to do around the place.........do what I do, when I'm stuck on something I find someone that knows what they are doing and either ask them to guide me or if they fix it I watch real carefully, I have learned to do heaps of things this way eg. from soldering water connections to laying floor tiles just to give you an example. I hope this helps you.

Cheers Chook :bigrin:

[arana]

Tasha Tasha Tasha you are making the biggest mistake of all....you're replacing it with the wrong type of showerhead!!! Sweetie, read my lips.....removable massage shower head!!!! You'll be Sooooooo happy you did! :tong:

[TashaSW]

Theres a massage shower head?!?!?! WHERE?!?! lol
The one I got mine from was at Walmart... We don't have home depot or lowes here in BC (or at least where I live).

I love anything that massages lol

Arana, which one do you have? lol LINK IT!!


Tasha Tasha Tasha you are making the biggest mistake of all....you're replacing it with the wrong type of showerhead!!! Sweetie, read my lips.....removable massage shower head!!!! You'll be Sooooooo happy you did! :tong:

[12voltman59]

My vote for a showerhead replacement is one of those "rainshower" styles--I love those things-----

[arana]

My vote for a showerhead replacement is one of those "rainshower" styles--I love those things-----
Have that in the other bathroom, not as fun as a massage head. But then you have to be a woman to fully appreciate a good massage. lol

[darkeyes]

Have that in the other bathroom, not as fun as a massage head. But then you have to be a woman to fully appreciate a good massage. lol


:bigrin:

[Solomon]

hhmm anytime i hafta fix something, i always take it apart, screw it royally up, then fix it again, then after i'm really good and frustrated, and screaming, i'll read the bloody instructions 'cuz they're obviously forcing me too! :cool: :cool:

[flexuality]

lol Flex!!!
Ya, Im back now :) if anyone harrasses me like that guy did again, Im soo reporting to Drew... got some PMs asking me why I didn't do that before lol Oh well. I miseed here.

The showerhead.... Do I know anyone who could do it for me? What are we talking about? lol I guess I could get "Mr Fix It" (my father) to change the head for me. since hes one of those guys that likes fixing!!

If you mean play time in the shower.... well no i don't have anyone!! lol :tongue: :tongue: :tongue:

And you told US not to have naughty thoughts LOL!! :tong:

I meant "watch and learn" sorta thing. :) Although palytime could be fun....LOL! :tong: :) :tong:

[grant_33]

Not to get too technical (I'm not a plumber, but I do periodically play one when my wife gets tired of being a French maid), but there are several steps to replacing a showerhead.

1. Take one of those wrench thingees (the one that's big and has a changeable sizerabob), and turn it on the do-hickey that attaches to the showerhead (I refuse to refer to the showerhead as just a "head," since I'm sure some of you with dirtier minds will get the wrong idea).

2. Not that direction! The other direction!!

3. Wait a second. If it didn't turn when you turned it thataway, then maybe the first direction was right after all.

4. Keep turning until the showerhead falls on the bottom of the shower and leaves a big dent on the floor of the tub.

5. Did I mention to hold onto the showerhead as it gets loose so it doesn't leave a big dent on the floor of the tub?

6. Take the new showerhead, put some of that Teflon tape stuff on the threads of the do-hickey to make it easier to put on the new showerhead, take some more tape and wrap it around the do-hickey when the first set of tape ends up being a big ball of mess, repeat as necessary to finally get tape around the threads of the do-hickey.

7. Throw away empty dispenser of Teflon tape, then do the job without it (Teflon tape is overrated anyway).

8. Take the showerhead and start to screw it into the do-hickey. Please try to control yourself as the screwing takes place as it can lead to stripped threads if not done properly.

9. After stripping threads to the do-hickey (you'll know this because the showerhead will be pointing at the ceiling and you won't be able to turn the showerhead with the wrench thingee anymore), take one of those thingamabobs that saws metal, and cut a straight line across the do-hickey above the stripped threads. Use an acetylene torch to remove the showerhead from the stripped do-hickey portion of the shower.

10. Buy a new showerhead to replace the one you just melted with the acetylene torch.

11. Take a copious amount of super glue, apply it to the female end of the new showerhead, add some more to the do-hickey (never mind what the instructions say, you can't ever use too much super glue) and stick the showerhead onto the now threadless part of the do-hickey.

12. Did I mention to bring a cordless phone with you to call a friend to come over and help you unattach yourself from the showerhead you just super-glued yourself to?

13. Yell and scream until someone finally hears you and removes you from the showerhead. Beating on the wall with the wrench thingee is also effective (but only if you live in an apartment with someone living next door; otherwise all you do is put a hole in your shower wall, which leads to another problem entirely).

14. Feel free to take a shower while all this is going on, as it should work properly now. . . . . . . . except for that leak coming out from the top of where the showerhead meets the do-hickey (maybe Teflon tape isn't so overrated after all?).

15. Once removed from the showerhead, pour yourself a tall glass of wine to steel yourself to do what you should have done to begin with. . . . .call a professional. Dial 1-800-FRENCH MAID (what, you thought I'd tell you to call a plumber? Who wants to look at some guy with a plumber's crack fix your shower?!? Wait, on second thought, maybe that's just what some of us are looking for.).

16. Whatever you do, leave out steps 1 through 15 when describing your problem to your French maid/plumber. You're better off that way. And save some of the wine for the maid/plumber. You never know what can happen with a little wine and a shower that actually works.

[grant_33]

Forgot to mention, I'm sure I've left out an important step or two. Anyone that has a step I forgot, please feel free to suggest. :-)

[csrakate]

ROFLMAO Grant!!! Thanks for the handy household tips!!

BTW...Welcome Back Tasha!!! Good to see you here again!

Hugs,
Kate

[12voltman59]

Who'd ever a thunked that a thread on changing a showerhead would get so many responses????

:tongue: :tong: :tong: :cool: :) :)

[wanderingrichard]

Gosh, isn't asking for self help answers wonderful?? :bigrin: btw, tasha, everyone has told you how to unscrew the old head and what with, but no one has told you [ that i saw anyway] what to use to tighten it!! nice thing is, it wont mar the surface, so you'll have a nice gleaming bit of chrome or whatever you chose there that doesn't look like an angry doberman put it on!

the answer is a STRAP WRENCH. it's a handle with a length of nylon or heavy duty neoprene rubber strapping that you wrap around the new head and use to tighten it.. trick is getting it tight around your new fixture, and then not over tightening the new piece! i mean, you don't want to crack it, do you??

honey, wal mart does indeed have the massaging shower heads.. in fact you can even order some really nice ones off their website. best bet, is a good hardware store if you're suddenly interested in something that's high quality and offers options.. regardless of sex, [ no pun] the massaging type are great for when you come home at the end of a long day and want to benefit of a hot hot shower and a bit of a rub down too!!

[Lisa (va)]

Tasha Tasha Tasha you are making the biggest mistake of all....you're replacing it with the wrong type of showerhead!!! Sweetie, read my lips.....removable massage shower head!!!! You'll be Sooooooo happy you did! :tong:

ditto !! Know exactly what you mean arana !!

I have it made when it comes to fixing things around the house, I know how to call my brother (the contractor). :)

Lisa

hugs n kisses

[TashaSW]

LOL you guys are silly :)

Hi Csrakate good to see you too :)

Im gonna checkout Walmart again for the massage showerheads.... We don;'t have home depot or lowes in this town but we do have Canadian Tire and Home Hardware.... I may check out all 3. :)

Any best brand names to look for?? Don't tell me prices unless your canadian lol since prices are different :)

[darkeyes]

hhmm anytime i hafta fix something, i always take it apart, screw it royally up, then fix it again, then after i'm really good and frustrated, and screaming, i'll read the bloody instructions 'cuz they're obviously forcing me too! :cool: :cool:

luffs ya dearly Sol...no wonda me an flex get on so well wen ya havta read the instructions for a screw!! :bigrin:

[Solomon]

ya but flex loves it when i do read instructions hehehee! :cool:

[darkeyes]

don b silly..she wudda died of cold an boredom by then :tong:

[Solomon]

hhmm died? naah maybe atrophied a little... hehehee :bigrin:

[flexuality]

died?? Atrophied????? Now hold on a sec.....lol I'll have you know I am neither dead, NOR atrophied......maybe a bit frustrated over tryin to find instructions hehehehe!! :bigrin:

[darkeyes]

died?? Atrophied????? Now hold on a sec.....lol I'll have you know I am neither dead, NOR atrophied......maybe a bit frustrated over tryin to find instructions hehehehe!! :bigrin:

Me dusnt need instructions Flex... me knows zactly wot 2 do.. tee hee :bigrin:

[flexuality]

Me dusnt need instructions Flex... me knows zactly wot 2 do.. tee hee :bigrin:

Tee hee! http://www.geocities.com/leeforgy/sparklecheshirecat.gif