How to Easily Install a New Shower Head
Raise your hand if you have a sad excuse for a shower head! Is it drippy, rusty or clogged? If you answered yes to any of those questions, I’m about to show you why there is no excuse for you being able to install a new shower head yourself! It’s super easy.
Materials:
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- New shower head
- Vise Grip Pliers (or other wide mouth pliers)
- Plumber’s tape
- Optional: Shower arm & flange, rag to protect new shower arm
Instructions:
1. Remove the old shower head by unscrewing it from the pipe arm. Use pliers to help get it started.
2. Unscrew the old shower arm if it is rusty or won’t match the new shower head. Remove that rusty flange (now is the time to do it! Don’t put it off any longer.)
3. Replace the old shower arm with new one by screwing it into the plumbing pipe in the wall. Then slide the new flange over the arm.
Wrap the end of the shower arm with plumber’s tape (wrap it clockwise to keep it from bunching up when you attach the new shower head.)
4. Screw the new shower head onto the end of the shower arm. Hand tighten the head. Then put the rag over the spot base of the shower head and use the pliers to tighten it 1/4 turn.
5. If your shower head has an extension hose, attach that at this time by screwing it onto the shower head and attaching the other end to the body sprayer.
Turn on the water and test the spray! Beautiful! No drips or clogs? If you have some leaks anywhere, give an extra 1/4 to 1/2 turn to tighten it the shower head or hose.
I installed the Delta In2ition shower head in the Topsail Beach Condo we renovated. I’ve been intrigued by this shower head and after trying it out, I love it!!!
Because who wouldn’t love a shower head that sprays from the top even when you want a body spray too?
The interior head is fully removable and nests back into the outer ring when done body spraying.
The only initial drawback I found was getting used to setting the body sprayer back into the ring. Once I realized you have to push it in and down firmly, there was no problem.
Wasn’t that easy? Go on and replace your shower head today if you’ve been putting it off!
Disclosure: No disclosure necessary. I wasn’t paid or provided with the Delta In2ition shower head. My stepmom paid for it to be installed in the beach condo. I chose this shower head because I wanted to try it out.
we have that showerhead and we love it!! when we moved into our house 3 years ago, all there was in the shower was a handheld shower wand (or whatever you call them). the previous owner had been an elderly lady who had a bath chair and had to sit down when she took a shower. i hated the handheld because i couldn’t put both hands through my long hair to get all the soap out. when we retiled our tub surround we started looking at showerheads and my husband really wanted it to at least be partially handheld, while i wanted more of big coverage type of showerhead. he’s tall and hated having to duck to get clean and had become accustomed to using the handheld. i love that we chose this showerhead because it gives us the best of both worlds. he gets his handheld and i get my coverage!
I have been putting this off since we moved . . . um, 9 months? A) I don’t have the right tool or pliers or wrench or whatevs and B) I’m afraid I won’t have enough strength so I hate to even try.
Alright. Now I know what tool to go get so I’ll get off my duff and try this. Worst case scenario? Have the cutie-patootie neighbor come over to ‘help’. 😉
Colleen, you can also try with one of those rubberized jar openers. If it doesn’t come loose right away, tap lightly with a hammer to break up any corrosion.
What an awesome tutorial Brittany. I definitely need a new shower head but before I do this, the shower needs new tile…does it ever end ?!? I’m so happy for this post, it will be among my big saves! Thank YOU!