Showerhead Threads

[Wayne Boatwright]

We have a manufactured home that was constructed and fitted out in Canada, although we live in Arizona. The home is approximately two years old.

I recently bought a Speakman showerhead at Lowe's and attempted to replace the original showerhead with it. Disaster! Using considerable force, I was only able to screw the new showerhead on a couple of turns. When the water was turned on, the connection leaked profusely. I had also wrapped the threads of the pipe with teflon tape as a sealer.

After giving up on the idea, I replaced the original head also using teflon tape. The showerhead screwed only the pipe effortlessly,threaded on fully and didn't leak.

Luckily I didn't damage any of the threads. But this makes me wonder if plumbing fittings in Canada have different thread standards. By merely looking at the pipe and showerheads I cannot see a difference.

Your input is appreciated!

Wayne

[Rileyesi]

Metric threads as opposed to English??

[tnom]

I have never seen metric pipe threads. I don't think they exist.The threads most likely are straight as opposed to tapered. Get your ruler out and measure them.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

There are many different pipe threads, but most are for industrial setups. They may be British Parallel Pipe or something. It may be easiest to call the manufacturer to find out what they specify. Ed

[Spellcheck]

Or easier still, take off the old showerhead and trot it down to your local hardware store. They can tell you what the threading is and help find a new showerhead that fits or perhaps find you an adapter.

But one quick question - any chance you may have cross-threaded the new showerhead when you installed it? If you had it would have given you the same symptoms, not threading on very far, more force needed, and leaking badly.

Hope this helps.

- Spellcheck

[Jim Sullivan]

Not that I'm aware of. As a Canadian who moved to the states and brought my water saving shower heads with me (cheap Canadian joke: what's the difference between a canoe and a Canadian? The canoe tips!), I had no problems using those shower heads in the US. Try with a difference showerhead, there may have been something wrong with the one you bought.

Plumbing tip: never forcably screw something together or apart. Failure is an option and generally results in nasty plumbing repairs.

[Chris Lewis]

According to Wayne Boatwright :

Plumbing component standards are essentially identical between Canada and the US. I _thought_ that essentially all showerheads had exactly the same threads.

You may be seeing a difference between a straight and tapered fitting. But even that I doubt.

You may be seeing a manufacturing tolerance problem. I've seen lots of times (at least in electrical) where threaded fittings don't quite work properly. Ie: the nut packaged with a box clamp is so loose on the clamp's thread that it won't stay on.

I agree with the idea of taking the old head in with you to the hardware store and trying it out.

[Eric Tonks]

Yes, Canada and US use the same pipe and thread sizes and types. What works here should work there and vice versa.

[Wayne Boatwright]

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and suggestions!

Based on your comments, I think my best bet is to take both showerheads to a *good* hardware store and check them out there with a new wall pipe. If the old one doesn't fit and the new Speakman head does, then there clearly must be some difference between them.

To answer two comments, I don't think that the wall pipe has tapered threads. It certainly isn't apparent visually if it does. I'm also sure that I didn't cross thread the new head. There was no thread damage to either the wall pipe or to the showerhead, and I tried numerous times to mount the head.

It occurred to me, too, that a good hardware store probably has a thread guage and can easily compare the two showerhead's threads. I wouldn't feel comfortable about removing the wall pipe since I don't want to cause any further problems.

Thanks again!

Wayne

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

Anybody with a tap and die set should have a thread guage with it.

[David Babcock]

Let me ask this, can you still get the old head to thread in?

[Wayne Boatwright]

Yes, it threads on with no problem.

"David Babcock" wrote in news:K3BEb.427647$275.1302749@attbi_s53:

[Wayne Boatwright]

"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" wrote in news:dpAEb.139788$ [e-mail]:

Thanks! That's good to know.