Removing an old shower head.?

Question

I recently moved into a new apartment and wanted to change the shower head because the old one really isn't that great. But when I bought a new one and came home to try to change them I couldn't get the old one to budge. It will not turn or anything. I tried putting some CLR in a cup and holding it up there but that didnt seem to work. I tried using a wrench but that just scratched it. Any advice? Or am I stuck with this old one?

Answer 1

This is not such an easy question because we do not know why the shower head seems to be stuck. It could be from rust or it could be because the person that installed it used some type of putty or other fixative. Rust can be removed with naval jelly (Home Depot). If the person used a fixative like thread lock or something similar a little  WD40 or paint thinner can help. Another possible solution is to remove the short pipe that leads from the wall to the shower head and replace it before installing the new head. Be sure to use Teflon tape on the pipe threads when you install it to avoid leaks. You can also try using a vise grip wrench to remove the old head; it will scratch it up and probably leave groves and teeth marks in the old head but if you plan to toss it anyway it won't matter. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

as it is shower parts and it should be out of non corrosive material it should not be a rust problem unless someone used a steel pipe nipple out of the wall ,brass and  plastic do no trust  it will just take some persuasion . use two wrenches one to back up the pipe and one to loosen the shower head . use as large a wrench you can find as leverage is your friend  .

Answer 3

use two wrenches one holding the pipe and one on the head spray with wd 40 or some other product that loosens rusted parts

Answer 4

It should come off ,are you turning it counter clockwise. Get a pair pliers ,put a wash rag around the pipe then hold with the pliers. Turn the nut part next to the shower head to your left. (with wrencth)

Answer 5

You could always ask the maintenance person that's taking care of the apartments if they could swap it out for you.

If not; spray some liquid wrench(better than WD-40) in the threaded part where the head screws on the pipe extending from the wall.

You will need two pairs of pliers. One to hold onto the pipe extending from the wall (to keep it from coming loose) and the other to twist the shower head off.

Use a rag between the teeth of the pliers and the pipe; to keep from scratching it.

Do the same with the rag on the new shower head and pipe when installing it.

use a bit of Teflon tape(cost's about 40 cents) on the threads at the end of the pipe prior to installing the new shower head; wrapping it around the threads in the same direction that the shower head is screwed on.. This will keep it from leaking.

Answer 6

The problem might be, that the "head" is stripped out, and that is why you are having a hard time.  Does the arm coming out of the wall have threads on it?  You might have the type that requires the whole head and arm to be replaced.  Good luck!