subject: Basic Do It Yourself Plumbing - Showerhead Installation In Your Home Bathroom [print this page] Of all of the home plumbing repairs you could tackle, the replacing of an old showerhead with another one is perhaps the simplest. A shower plumbing project is a good starter project for numerous reasons. No special tools are needed, the obligatory parts are real close to one size fits everybody, and if you do make a boo boo and have a leak, the single thing that gets wet is your shower / tub. This is the ideal project for the amateur house repair odd job man to begin with and can generally be finished in way under an hour.
Step 1 is to choose what kind of shower head you wish to replace. While most shower fixtures connect to a typical size pipe thread, you have to ensure you have enough clearance for your new showerhead. If the stem ( the portion of the pipe from the wall to the present shower head ) is short or near to the ceiling you are going to need to test before getting an enormous fixture.
The Tools you want - For this project, you'll need a wrench or pliers and some teflon tape. Relying on the age of your present fixture, you can also have to have a pipe wrench available also. You might also want to have something available defend your fixture from the jaws of the wrench or pliers ( a folded rag or piece of rubber from an inner tube work fine )
Take away the Old Showerhead - If you've got an older unit you most likely have some rust, oxidization, or lime buildup which will make removal troublesome. If the fixture doesn't immediately unscrew, use two sets of pliers / wrenches ( with the jaws of each protected as indicated above ), one set on the stem and the other on the fixture. Apply equal pressure to both sides to till the showerhead begins to move. Be cautious not to apply too much force as you don't wish to break either the stem or existing showerhead. Once the shower head starts to turn you will be able to remove it by hand.
Clean and prepare the stem pipe - A little preparation here could save you quite a bit of time later if you decide to replace the showerhead again. Clean the threads of the stem of any rust or lime and apply teflon tape to the threads. This will help the new showerhead install easily, provide a good seal, and make it easier in the future if you ever have to replace the shower head again.
Install the New Shower - If you chose a straightforward replacement showerhead all that is yet to be done is to screw the new fixture onto the prepared pipe stem. Confirm not to over-tighten when you're installing this - hand tight and a quarter or half turn is perhaps all you want. If you have got a more advanced fixture like a shower massage wand you could have one or two pieces to install. Ensure you apply teflon tape to all threaded connections ( unless otherwise stipulated by the maker ) to guarantee a good seal.
Test It - Before putting your tools away and jumping in the shower take a few minutes to make sure the job is done. Turn on the water and check each of the connections for leaks. If you find any, usually they will be fixed by tightening the connection another quarter or half turn. If this does not address the problem you may need to check for a missing or worn washer.
