How To Add Hand Held Shower Head In Tub

Using her principal's in sustainable development, Susette helps Southern California water agencies bear out their water conservation projects.

Handheld vs. Fixed Showerheads

I was never quite certain whether I liked handheld showerheads or non. It e'er bellyaching me that they moved around in their holders and that you had to pick them up and unwind the hose in club to utilise them. But it wasn't until I got actually frustrated with the 1 in my current granny-house that I began to wonder seriously what good they were.

This article is about the benefits of handheld and stock-still showerheads, and how to switch ane out for the other.

The most frustrating kind of handheld showerhead—unmounted and fed by the bath faucet rather than a pipe high in the wall. — The nigh frustrating kind of handheld showerhead—unmounted and fed by the bathroom faucet rather than a pipe high in the wall.

Susette Horspool, CC-By-SA 3.0

Converting From Wall-Mountain to Handheld Showerhead

Normally I would never consider switching from a wall-mount "fixed" shower head to a handheld 1, but for new parents or pet owners, the switch tin can be helpful.

Benefits of a Handheld Showerhead:

Washing your dog (or cat) in the tub is like shooting fish in a barrel.
You can play "spray the child" if your kid is whining about having to take a bath.
You tin rinse your confront and hair when you're still in the tub if you don't desire to flush warm bubble-bath h2o out yet.
You can easily rinse the cleanser off the inside walls and sides of the tub later y'all've scrubbed them.

How to Replace a Fixed Showerhead With a Handheld Ane

Showtime, purchase a driblet-in shower arm mount (see product below), a handheld showerhead or kit, and some plumber'south tape. Then:

Gather materials: Crescent wrench, soft cloth, quondam toothbrush, blistering soda.
Remove the electric current showerhead: Using the wrench and soft cloth to protect the chrome, turn the showerhead to the left (counterclockwise) until it comes off.
Clean the threads: Using the toothbrush and some baking soda, scrub any rust and dirt off the shower arm threads.
Install the mountain: Wrap plumber'due south tape effectually the threads a few times, and so screw on the mount, turning to the right. Tighten with the wrench and soft cloth, making sure the outlet ends up facing down.
Insert the handheld showerhead: Wrap plumber'south tape effectually the threads on the mount, itself. Screw on the handheld shower head hose. Plow the water on and examination for leaks. Hang the showerhead in its new subclass.

Replacing a Handheld With a Wall-Mounted Showerhead

In the reverse example, you might take kids who've grown up or pets who've gone on to puppy heaven.

Benefits of a Wall-Mounted Showerhead:

Y'all can shower without a hose getting in the fashion.
Yous can actually raise or lower the shower head without having to spend ten minutes borer it into only the right position and hoping it stays.
Your showerhead will be in the aforementioned place next time you use it. You tin can't bump it out of place.
You can upgrade to a low-menstruation showerhead with colored lights, or even add together a chlorine filter to it.

How to Replace a Handheld With a Wall-Mounted Shower Head

Hither are the steps for switching from a wall-mounted, handheld showerhead (every bit above) to a fixed, low-flow showerhead. First, purchase your brand new showerhead and some plumber'southward tape. And then:

Assemble supplies: Crescent wrench, soft cloth, quondam toothbrush, baking soda.
Take off the handheld showerhead: Unscrew the handheld hose and take the showerhead out of the bracket. Set aside.
Take off the shower arm mount: Unscrew the mount by turning to the left (counterclockwise) until it comes off.
Clean and prepare the threads: Using the toothbrush and baking soda, scrub off whatsoever dirt or former tape from the shower arm threads. Wrap plumber's tape around the threads a few times.
Install the new, low-menses showerhead: Screw on the showerhead, turning to the right. Tighten with the wrench and soft cloth.

Keeping Both Showerheads

Instead of replacing one with the other, you tin can keep both and gear up them up next. Here are the benefits of keeping both showerheads:

Since yous've got information technology, why not keep it? You might be able to employ information technology again someday.
Sometimes if kids are scared, hurt, or just want to be with you lot, it tin be fun to shower with them. They can use the lower handheld one and y'all tin can each have your own shower head adjacent to each other, although you lot won't exist able to run them at the aforementioned fourth dimension.
You tin employ the regular showerhead to shower with and the handheld i to rinse off the walls and tub.

Ringlet to Go on

How to Install Dual Showerheads

Hither are the steps you take to fix up a regular showerhead next to a handheld one. Notation that if you desire a low-flow showerhead and don't have i, you can purchase one at your local hardware store, along with a diverter valve and handheld wall mount.

The diverter valve volition allow you to mount your regular shower head and handheld nearly each other. If your handheld is fed from the faucet, you may have to attach a longer hose (see last department).

Gather your tools and supplies: Wrench, soft cloth, plumber's tape, old toothbrush, baking soda, new shower caput, diverter valve, and/or wall mountain.
Take off the former showerhead: Apply the wrench to twist the nut backside the showerhead counterclockwise.
Clean the threads: Using the sometime toothbrush and blistering soda, scrub the threads clean on the shower arm.
Install the diverter valve: Wrap plumber'southward tape a few times effectually the clean threads of the shower arm. Screw the diverter valve onto the shower arm clockwise. Brand sure one of the outlets ends upwardly pointing downwardly.
Install the new shower head: Wrap plumber's tape around the threads of both of the diverter valve outlets. Screw the new showerhead onto the forepart outlet. Utilize the wrench (and soft cloth) to tighten information technology on.
Install a wall mount, if the diverter valve does not accept a built-in subclass for the hand-held: Screw or tape the wall mount onto the same or a different wall at the summit you prefer.
Attach your handheld shower head: Wrap the threads of the rear diverter outlet with plumber'due south tape. Spiral on your handheld shower head hose and tighten. Hang the showerhead in its new subclass.

At present your manus-held shower caput is out of the fashion of the tub faucet and besides high for a petty kid to reach. At present you can likewise shower with a little i (or a pet) and spray them from a continuing position. What fun!

From Both to Only One Showerhead

You may have inherited a shower setup with both types of heads and now are wanting to simplify. Here are the benefits of doing that:

Yous get rid of the hose that always seems to exist in the mode.
It'south easier to clean just one regular shower head than it is to clean two shower heads and a hose, much less the wall behind it.
You can let become of the frustration of always knocking the hand-held askew or completely off its bracket.
You don't need it to rinse anything anymore, if you accept a big sponge or a bucket you can keep handy.

The way you switch from a double showerhead setup to a single ane is the reverse of the procedure above. Basically:

Spiral off the regular showerhead. Make clean the threads.
Screw off the handheld hose. Clean the threads.
Spiral off the diverter valve. Clean the shower arm threads.
Wrap plumber'due south tape around the shower arm threads.
Screw the regular showerhead directly onto the shower arm.
Store the diverter valve and handheld showerhead for future apply or donate them to a secondhand shop.

From a Faucet-Based Handheld to a Fixed Showerhead

When water for a handheld showerhead is supplied from the bathroom faucet, information technology unremarkably means there is no outlet in the wall above where a regular shower caput would be.

It could exist that a piping has been installed in the wall, just then capped off and covered over by wallboard. Or it could exist that at that place is no pipe in the wall at all. In either case, a plumber would have to break open the wall and either install a new pipage, or uncap an existing pipage and insert a shower arm.

Note: This process is nearly impossible for an amateur, hence it is best left to a professional person plumber.

Note the wall bar mount. This allows showerhead height to be adjusted. It also makes it easier to grab the handheld for those who need to hold onto the bar while showering. Home Depot advertises the bracket, as do other plumbing stores. — Notation the wall bar mountain. This allows showerhead height to be adapted. It also makes information technology easier to grab the handheld for those who need to hold onto the bar while showering. Dwelling house Depot advertises the subclass, as do other plumbing stores.

Frank C. Müller, CC-By-SA-two.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Raising a Faucet-Fed Handheld to Hang on the Wall

If you accept previously used a handheld showerhead primarily for washing pets or the tub but at present want to apply information technology for an adult standing up, here is how to raise information technology higher.

Purchase a longer hose. Mensurate the i you have (both length and width). Then measure from the faucet up to the height where you'll want the showerhead. You tin purchase a new hose on Amazon.com or in any standard hardware store.
Purchase a wall mountain. Y'all tin can choose one that's fixed in one place, or choose a wall-mounted bar that allows for raising or lowering the showerhead to your preferred height. Be conscientious to buy one that doesn't skid.
Attach the wall mountain at the pinnacle you want it.
Unscrew the old handheld showerhead from its hose. Clean the threads.
Unscrew the one-time handheld hose from the bathroom faucet. Make clean the threads. If you need a longer one, you tin can buy hoses of different lengths at your local hardware store (or on Amazon).
Install the new hose onto the faucet. Wrap the threads with plumber's tape offset.
Screw the old showerhead onto the new hose. Wrap the threads first.
Test to make sure in that location are no leaks.
Hang the showerhead up on the wall mount and adjust the summit (if applicable).
Be sure to make clean up the former hose and observe a way to recycle it, or at to the lowest degree constrict it abroad in a closet somewhere, in case y'all need information technology again.

Savor your new stand up-up shower!

This article is accurate and true to the best of the author'southward knowledge. Content is for advisory or entertainment purposes only and does non substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in concern, financial, legal, or technical matters.

Questions & Answers

Question: Like you, I've noticed that wall-mounted showerheads are available with more than options (and at a much lower price) than handheld heads. Specifically, I like a "pulsating head." Dissimilar you, I strongly prefer handheld showers. The heads wear out faster than the balance, so would exist easier to replace if they were handheld. Why can't I purchase an adapter that converts a wall-mounted showerhead into a handheld?

Answer: You can. As I mentioned in the kickoff section of this article, you can take the wall-mounted shower head off and install a bracket for a drop-in shower arm mountain. Although yous couldn't attach your aforementioned shower head to the end of the hose, you can buy a pulsating manus-held shower head for less than $30. Hither's a link to one on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/Waterpik-XRO-763-Pressure-P...

Question: What if I want to replace a shower head with a hand held, but I want to mount the hand held on a wall bar? Do they make shower arm adapters that don't include brackets for storing the manus shower? I've been struggling to find i.

Answer: They make brackets that you prepare directly onto wall bars. Home Depot sells them. I'll add together a photo to my article, and so you can see what it looks like.

Susette Horspool (author) from Pasadena CA on September 02, 2017:

That's a philharmonic. Sweet, huh?

DebMartin on April 03, 2015:

Cheers! Combo it is.

Susette Horspool (author) from Pasadena CA on Apr 02, 2015:

@Deb - If you purchase the shower head combo, the manus held part would be less probable to turn around in its holder, seeing as how they're made to become together. Good luck and have fun with your new shower heads!

DebMartin on April 02, 2015:

Redoing my shower fixtures by the stop of this month. Thought I'd exercise a little inquiry equally my old fixtures are... well.... quondam. Wanted to know what'southward available these twenty-four hour period. Thank you for the tips. I think I'd like to effort a handheld but I'thou going to see if I can get ii, one fixed and one handheld. The frustrations of staying in identify and twisting never occurred to me.

Susette Horspool (writer) from Pasadena CA on August 08, 2014:

@Nadine - You lot can run into in the first photograph how my paw-held was gear up up. It looks like they took off the faucet, extended the wall piping out over the bathtub, then put a different faucet on that had an outlet for a hand-held. But the faucet was too short, so I've 4 inches of piping sticking out over the tub. I've wrapped the hand-held hose around it, and so it's not obvious, but still . . .

@Eric - What brand did you utilise? I'thousand curious, because our water supplier was giving out Niagara's for awhile (which is how I beginning discovered them) and I quite liked it, just I haven't liked others I've used.

Eric Dierker from Spring Valley, CA. U.S.A. on August 08, 2014:

First-class slice, I just switched mine out with water saving ones. They are just ok but nosotros all demand to save h2o out here in the desert.

Nadine May from Cape Boondocks, Western Cape, South Africa on August 08, 2014:

That is a handy post for people to read who ave the same setup. We have a dissever shower, and in our bathroom we do non have a hand shower, merely it would be nice to have i.