Grooveless shower head pipe?

[Robert Schultz]

I had just installed a new shower head on the shower pipe. I took one shower. When I went back the next day, I went to adjust the shower head angle, and the whole head came off in my hands.

Turns out it actually broke the tip of the pipe in the shower head itself (about one quarter of an inch of pipe is inside the plastic shower head).

Now the pipe only has like 1 or 2 grooves (instead of the original 4 or 5).

I could buy another shower head, and just screw it on the one or two grooves, but there is no telling if it will fit right, or if it will leak, or what.

Darn it, all I want to do is take a shower. How can I get a shower head on this thing? I really don't want to take apart the whole thing.

Is there some sort of adapter pipe I can attach to the pipe (not needing grooves) that comes with grooves? It's okay if it extends the length of the pipe an inch or two.

Or do they make shower heads that can attach to any old pipe, grooves or no grooves?

[Randy Anderson]

The shower pipe as you call it should unscrew from the fitting in the wall. You can then get a replacement at most hardware stores.

Go hit the shower!

[Jeff Wisnia]

When you say "grooves" you really mean threads. (You gotta "talk the talk", Robert.)

Your shower arm broke because the cheap shites who made it used such thin metal that the act of cutting the threads ("threading") took away enough metal so that it was paper thin at the root of the thread and broke off without much provocation.

If you can find someone with an "internal pipe wrench" you can probably remove the broken off part from your shower head and reuse the head.

If you can't get the use of that tool, and the broken off piece is as thin as I expect it is, you might be able to drive the tip of a small screwdriver between it and the female threads in the shower head and bend it in and pry it out without damaging the shower head.

If you do get the broken piece out, or buy a new shower head, try seeing if it will screw onto what's left of the existing threads on the shower arm. If your luck is spelled with four letters rather than the three mine is (B-A-D), then it might just go back on. If it does screw on, and doesn't leak at the joint, then you're home free.

If it does dribble a little at the threaded joint, and that bothers you, then you need to unscrew it and put some thread sealant on the threads, then screw it on again. You could go out and buy some, "pipe dope" or teflon tape, but since it's a low pressure application, you could probably get by fine just by drying the parts and painting some nail polish on them, then screwing it back while the polish is wet and waiting a couple of hours before trying it. (I'll deny saying that...)

If the old one or a new shower head won't screw back on what's left of the threads, then as suggested by others, you'll need a new shower arm. They unscrew at the other end too, and hopefully that end won't break off like the front one did.

Good Luck and Happy New Year,

Jeff

You might be able to get the

-- Jeff Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"If you can keep smiling when things go wrong, you've thought of someone to place the blame on."

[Robert Schultz]

Okay, I had somone I know come look at it. All he had to do was unscrew the section at the top. This turned into about a 6 inch segment of angled pipe. He went and bought a new one, screwed it back into the wall pipe and put a new shower head on it. Bingo!

People in IRC efnet #help told me I'd have to cut open the wall and replace the entire shower. I'm glad I didn't listen to their advice :)

Thanks everyone for your help! I know a little more about things now.