How to Replace a Shower Head

By Murray Anderson

We all love the feel of a nice hot shower. Having the warm water running over our bodies is somehow soothing and invigorating at the same time. However, all that water coming out of our showerheads means billions of gallons of water are literally going down the drain. Even if you aren't concerned with the environment, just think about the fact that all that water had to be heated before it got to your shower. Maybe it's time to consider taking out your old showerhead and replacing it with a new low flow shower head.

Now, we all remember the original low flow showerheads that didn't do anything more than restrict the water flow, resulting a shower where you "had to run around to get wet." But today's low flow shower heads have been redesigned and reengineered to do things like control droplet size and mix water with air. So while they do conserve water and energy, they still have the feel of an old full flow shower head.

As an added bonus, all this shower technology is inexpensive. You can get a low flow showerhead for less than $10, and even a pricey one shouldn't cost you more $100. If you can save $8 or $10 a month on your water and heating bill, after about a year, you're ahead of the game.

Hold the water supply tube when removing the shower head.

Replacing the Showerhead

So, how do you go about replacing your old showerhead with a new energy efficient one? It's easy. Simply unscrew the old head from the water supply. To do this, first check on the underside of the showerhead for any small screws and remove them (if there are any). Most shower heads can actually be unscrewed by hand, but if it won't move, use a Crescent wrench or a pair of Vise Grips and unscrew it. Turn slowly and hold the water supply line while you are unscrewing the showerhead - you don't want to give it a sudden jerk and break the supply pipe.

Vice grips with masking tape on the jaws.

Your new showerhead will just screw back on the same way. However, before installing the new showerhead, put some PTFE tape or pipe dope on the threads of the water supply line. This will make sure you don't get any annoying drips from that new showerhead.

One other tip. If you need to use a wrench on your showerhead, first cover the jaws of the wrench with masking tape so you won't mar the surface of the showerhead.

It's as simple as that. You can do your bit to help the environment at still enjoy that great feeling of an "old time shower."

 

Click here to purchase new shower heads.

Murray Anderson is an experienced freelance writer with articles published in both the United States and Canada. He has written on a wide range of topics, but specializes in home maintenance and how to's.

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