By following certain rules of thumb you can deliver work that looks good, works and eases day to day life.
The most basic types of shower heads are diverters and hand-helds. Diverters let you switch between a normal stream and a more focused spray/massaging type spray. Hand-helds have a shower hose that lets you move them around for easy cleaning or positioning. The most common showerheads are fixed mount - the type that sticks out of a wall. These can be further divided into two main types.
These have arms extending out and usually have a handheld configuration similar to a diverter attached at the end.
These look like normal heads but instead of just one circular hole spraying water, it has several holes in an array, giving you more coverage and many different ways to spray water.
To change a shower head you require some basic things. These include a screwdriver (or wrench if necessary), jaw pliers, some thread tape for those threads on your pipe and a wire brush to clean the old shower arm threads and the extension pipe of any rust or unwanted residue such as mineral deposits. A damp paper towel or cloth is also suitable for cleaning shower head pipe threads. Keep some towels and cleaning products on hand while you are working because water leaks can be hard to spot right away.
The new shower head will come with a template and instructions guide that will let you know where to cut your pipe. The instructions to change a shower head are easy to follow even without experience. By following certain rules of thumb you can deliver work that looks even, not crooked and the same quality job as that of a plumber. If you are updating a tired old shower, an easy budget project is painting the tiles.With the manufacturer's instructions and the right tools, changing a shower head is an easy task once you remove the old shower head and arm before installing your new shower head.
If your shower arm has a slip-fit connection, you may need to replace all of the parts with new ones that have a compression fitting. If you have a compression fitting, just slip it over the pipe and tighten it down until it's tight. If you need to use Teflon tape, thread your tape around the threads on the pipe first. Then slide the shower arm into place and tighten it with pliers.
Once you've got it installed correctly (hand tightening is fine or you can use a wrench), turn on your water supply and make sure there are no leaks. Tighten as necessary. Add more Teflon if needed. You shouldn't need to use any electrical tools, but if your outlets are nearby, make sure you stay safe.Finally, install your shower head by lining up the holes with the pipe and tightening it down. Turn on your water again, check the water pressure and water flow to make sure there are no leaks.
A handheld shower head is a fixed mount type and a great addition to any bathroom. It can be mounted on the wall or ceiling, or attached to your existing shower arm. Typically, you would mount a hand-held hose using an adjustable pipe connector near the top of your existing shower arm. The other end will have an elbow that attaches to the hand-held shower head itself. How you install your new shower head will depend on which kind of connection your hand-held has at its base. Some just push into place and stay there through friction, while others have some sort of pin or screw connection that holds it.
If your hand-held has a push-in connector, it will simply slide over the end of your existing shower arm. It should fit tightly on the pipe with no gaps between them. Make sure both pieces are clean before you assemble them. It's fine to use Teflon tape if you're worried about leaks or sticking at the thread section. These attachment points are usually made from plastic so they can be easily broken if you try to force them into place or don't line up correctly. And because they fit so snugly, sometimes it can be tough to take apart and put back together if something goes wrong while installing it.
Other types may have some sort of pin connection that fits through holes on the end of the shower arm and into the hand-held unit itself. Before you do anything, make sure both pieces are clean so they don't stick together at all when you put them together. Then just line up your holes and push or screw pins in place to hold it there until you're ready to tighten it down.
Since the installation process varies depending on which shower head you have, it may take a little time to figure out how to do it. But we're guessing that you won't be able to install a new shower head in less than 20-30 minutes. If there's a lot of rust or other issues, you may need to use some sandpaper to get rid of it all before you can continue with the installation. Most standard connections for new showers are compression fittings. They don't require much work once you figure out what kind of connection they will be using. For instance, if your shower head needs a compression fitting, it will just screw on as any other regular tap does. Nevertheless, if you are not the DIY type, reach out to a plumber to install the shower head for you.