Tips For Replacing A Showerhead

If you have had a shower head for a long time, you might notice that it is not looking as good as it used to. It might be stained, mildly rusted, or plugged up. You want a shower head that is shiny and attractive. If you are unhappy with your shower head, it is relatively easy for you to replace it on your own. Here are some tips for replacing your shower head.

1. Invest in an Adjustable Wrench

The first thing that you need to do is invest in an adjustable wrench, unless you can remove your original shower head by hand. If you cannot, purchase an adjustable wrench from the hardware store. Then, wrap a few layers of electrical tape or an old sock around the neck of your old shower head. Clamp the wrench around the shower head neck until it is tight enough for you to spin it and force the neck to spin as well. Slowly turn the shower head to the left to loosen it. Keep turning the wrench until the head is loose enough for you to remove it.

2. Use Teflon Tape to Prevent Leaks

Once you have the shower head removed, you are going to need to clean up the shower head arm. If the previous person who installed the shower head knew what they were doing, they would have wrapped the arm's threads in order to tighten the seal and prevent leaks. You might see leftover tape that you will need to clean off using a chemical solvent. If you see rust, simply remove the rust using steel wool as best you can. Once the arm is relatively clear, wrap a thin layer of Teflon tape over the threads of the arm and then use your adjustable wrench to screw the new shower head onto the arm. Run water through the head to see if there are any leaks. If you detect any, put more tape onto the arm's threads. Do this until there are no leaks.

If you wrap the threads and find that you can no longer put the shower head onto the arm, remove one layer of tape and then push the remaining tape more tightly into the threads with your fingers. See if the head will go on and if it does not, repeat the process, each time pressing the tape as hard as you can into the threads.

For more information or if you want to change other things about your shower, talk to a company that specializes in shower replacements, such as Marble Works of Minnesota.