Our showerhead is old. Really old. The arm has a ball joint, the showerhead is plastic, and the thumbscrewish valve in the middle has come loose. It just hangs there. Our water pressure and pattern are really annoying.
I want to buy a new showerhead and replace this one, but I have no plumbing experience and don’t know if the ball joint is going to be a problem in finding a new one. I really don’t want to have to go into the wall to replace the shower arm.
Is the ball joint so outmoded now that I’m going to have real trouble finding a decent new showerhead? Are there adapter kits or something? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?
In my experience, if you buy a new shower head it comes with a new ball joint. If you unscrew the one you have now, you should be left with just a small pipe (with a screw thread on it) coming out of the wall.
I am about the least “handy” guy in existence, and I was able to replace my shower head (to change a fixed one for a hand-held one with a flexible pipe) quite easily. All you should need is an adjustable wrench/spanner.
I also recommend use of a bit of plumber’s tape: a thin, white, slightly stretchy tape that you should be able to find for pennies at any home improvement shop. After unscrewing the old shower head, you clean off the end of the pipe and apply a new layer of plumber’s tape. When you screw on the new head, the tape squishes into the threads and seals any small gaps.
I just replaced my own, and the new one came with instructions and diagrams . . . which are fairly unnecessary since there aren’t many pieces, and there’s only one way for them to fit together.
On both occasions when I have bought new shower heads, some of this plumber’s tape came with them in the package (together with instructions for using it). You probably do not need to buy it separately.
When selecting annoying, played-out 80’s movie misquotes, may I suggest the bon mot “Hello McFly, Hello? Hello? Hellloooo? [repeated knuckle raps to the top of the skull]”. The vintage is earthier, with a hint of Tab soda and manure truck. Also, Back to the Future is tres chic these days.
Okay, I tentatively took it apart this morning to see how it went together. There’s a threaded cap that appears to have been put on the arm before it was connected to the wall pipe, and the shower head part that screws onto the cap. Very simple. Unfortunately, I’d have to take the arm off the pipe to get the cap all the way off. I’m going to look for heads that either attach that way or some kind of adapter kit to put a standard head on.
Nit pick. That is teflon tape. Plummers tape is made out of metal. It is about 3/4 inch wide and has holes in it every inch or so. It is used to hang or strap pipes.:dubious:
I drew an MSPaint picture to try to explain it, here. The ball at the end of the arm is attached to the arm. It doesn’t screw off. The cap I’m talking about is the one to the left, on the arm itself. That comes down over the ball but it isn’t big enough to pass all the way over it and come off. It has female threads. The showerhead itself, to the right, has male threads and screws into the cap.
Once you have to remove the extension you have to deal with the threaded pipe in the wall, which has been stated can require you to open up the wall. It all depends on the connection in the wall, if it will leak or not installing the new pipe extension. A securely mounted connector in the wall will allow you to replace the extension without opening the wall up. Most new fixtures don’t have the valve in the extension, so you only need to replace the shower head.
You should be able to get the “cap” off too, and the ball and everything, leaving just the pipe. Unscrew the “cap” (it may be stiff) and the ball should come off with it. johnpost’s advice to buy the replacement kit first, so you better understand what you are dealing with, is good. I think it is most unlikely that you will need to do anything with the pipe itself, let alone the wall.
The pipe going into the wall just unscrews. It should have a decorative flange on the outside of the wall to cover the entry hole which is either mounted with a set screw or it just presses on. You need to ensure you use teflon tape on the pipe threads when reinstalling it. your goal is to ensure it does not leak water behind the wall. Everything after that is just following instructions to put the new head on.
the metal strap is pipe strap. there are hangers fabricated to specific small pipe sizes and they are called pipe straps. the coil of metal strap that you can cut and use as strap or hanger is also called pipe strap or hanger strap.
the white tape is teflon tape. it has to be used sparingly, it can cause problems. plumbers used a brush on dope rather than tape, so i doubt plumbers ever called it plumbers tape. the tape is better for gas use.
Regarding the teflon tape. I used to use it on shower heads, but then I figured if it leaks, well, it’s just going to leak into the shower (and ONLY while the shower is in use). As long as it’s not spraying onto the drywall or leaking excessively, it’s not really a big deal. Besides, all the shower heads I’ve installed have had a rubber washer inside them.