HOW TO INSTALL A HANDHELD SHOWERHEAD WITH HOSE

If you need hot water for your achy joints, then a handheld showerhead with a hose is just what you need. Fortunately, many handheld models are easy to fix in your bathroom and quite affordable at that. We’ll help you out with everything there is to do in this post.

Supplies You Need

• Plumber’s tape
• Channel-type pliers or adjustable wrench
• Tub spout with diverter
• Handheld showerhead kit
• A piece of leather or heavy cloth
• Hex key

1. Remove Old Showerhead

Use an adjustable wrench or channel-type pliers to remove your old showerhead. You’ll need to turn the showerhead nut clockwise in order to loosen it up. If you see the showerhead turning with the nut, don’t worry, that is supposed to happen.

2. Install the Shower Holder

Once you’ve removed the old showerhead, install the handheld shower holder first. You can tighten the showerhead holder in a clockwise motion by hand. But you can also use an adjustable wrench or the channel-type pliers to tighten it even more. Be sure to cover the fitting with a heavy cloth or leather so you don’t scratch the finish when using the wrench or your pliers.

3. Install the Showerhead Hose

Before installing the hose, you have to know which side of the showerhead hose goes where. Some handheld showerhead hoses have the same fittings on both ends whereas others have two different fittings.

The hex nut is the side of the hose that specifically goes into the showerhead holder. On the other hand, the smooth conical nut attaches to the hand shower. When reversed the showerhead won’t be able to dock in the showerhead holder.

You will likely find two shower hose washers in which you need to place one washer inside the hex nut and then hand tighten the hose onto the bottom of the shower holder threads. To tighten the hex nut more, use an adjustable wrench, but don’t do it too much.

Place the other washer inside the smooth conical nut’s threads and then hand tighten the hose onto the bottom of the hand shower.

4. Dock the Handheld Showerhead

Now with the showerhead, hose and holder installed, you need to dock your hand shower into your shower holder.

5. Look for Any Leaks

The last thing left to do is to look for any leaks that you may encounter with your new shower system. Start by running some water through the handheld showerhead and see if you spot any leaks. The following three areas are where you can find any possible leaks:

• The area where the shower hose connects to the shower holder
• The area where the shower holder connects to the shower arm
• The area where the shower hose connects to the hand shower

If you see any leaks from those places, tighten down the fittings with an adjustable wrench or channel-type pliers.

And if it doesn’t work with that, you will have to uninstall the showerhead set, apply a couple of more Teflon tape, make sure the washers are all correctly seated and then reinstall the set again.