How to loosen nut to shower ?

In the image below which way should I turn this nut to loosen, it is the water inlet to an electric shower. It is heck of a tight and I dont want to force it if going in the wrong direction. Up or down?

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Reply to
ss
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Reply to
Syd Rumpo

The rule of thumb is that when looking at a nut or bolt from the open side (in your example from the pipe side) anticlockwies to loosen, clockwise to tighten. Using your labelling, that means up.

Malcolm

Reply to
Malcolm Race

Sorted, thanks.

Reply to
ss

Malcolm Race wrote in news:n2f35q$8vc$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:

Front needs to go down. If in doubt go to a DIY shop and play with a similar fitting. As Malcolm says, Anticlocwise looking into the open end - but he must be seeing your diagramm differently.

Reply to
DerbyBorn

And which way was it?

Interesting that you got conflicting answers - probably because people had difficulty identifying the type of fitting. I certainly did, and wasn't sure which of 3 types it was.

  1. Normal compression elbow fitted onto stub pipe from shower, with an olive inside - in which case the nut would need to down by your definition

  1. Elbow tap connector screwed onto a male threaded part of the shower - in which case the nut would need to go up, or

  2. Compression to Female Iron elbow with the FI end fitted to a male threaded part of the shower. In this case, you'd have to undo the compression bit against the wall first, and then rotate the whole fitting anti-clockwise (up) in order to undo it.
Reply to
Roger Mills

Nope, almost certainly down. Can't say for certain but our old shower unit had a 15mm diameter plastic stub that you threaded a standard compressing fitting over. The nut is threaded onto the brass elbow joint rather than the shower.

The OP just needs to look closely to see which side has the male threads.

Tim

Reply to
Tim+

I'd have said down too, it looks like a male elbow.

Reply to
newshound

I just don't get that. Look at the difference between the two nuts, the one in the wall and the one connecting to the shower. It's a 'bent tap connector', the shower plastic is threaded and there's a probably a fibre washer inside.

I know there are showers which work the way you suggest, with a conventional compression connector and olive, but I don't think this is one of those.

Cheers

Reply to
Syd Rumpo

Yes I was aware of the clock/anticlock for normal threads I just wasnt sure if this was possibly a reverse thread for some reason.

It was down, the left brass side was threaded and the white plastic part unthreaded, an olive was used on the plastic part so I presume a compression fitting.

The next part I will leave to the plumber to link up hot water to run a shower off the combi boiler.

Reply to
ss

I hereby withdraw the above unreservedly based on the OPs latest post. Still looks like a tap connector, though.

Cheers

Reply to
Syd Rumpo

Standard thread ... righty tighty ... lefty loosey .... or up from your front on position

Reply to
rick

Do keep up Rick.

The OP knows about "righty tighty" but as you've clearly demonstrated, it can be tricky sometimes to work out which fitting the nut should unscrew from.

(It was "down" and unscrewing from the brass right angle fitting).

Tim

Reply to
Tim+

I was trying to explain the clockwise/anti clockwise concept to my 4 year old granddaughter, but she'd prefer "righty tighty"

Reply to
stuart noble

Indeed. Clockwise ain't going to mean much to anyone brought up on digital clocks!

Reply to
Roger Mills

The brass fitting is a 90 degree compression to tap connector. The end partially embedded in the wall will be a normal compression fitting onto the pipe. The end connected to the plastic threaded part on the shower will seal with a fibre washer against the end of the plastic thread sticking out of the shower.

Hence to undo the nut coupling with the plastic thread, turn it anticlockwise while looking from the left side of your photo - or if you prefer the front of the nut nearest you needs to go UP.

Reply to
John Rumm

It's amazing how many people get this wrong. ;-)

Tim

Reply to
Tim+

Are you sure its a compression bent tap connector? It doesn't look one of these:

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To me, it looks like a compression elbow also indicated by the symmetry of the fitting. If so the thread is on the fitting, not the nylon side? Most shower fitting I have seen use an olive on the nylon part

I'd be tempted to screw clockwise while looking from the "left" side of the photo, well at least first of all!

There should be an installation manual for this shower somewhere online that would end all this speculation of the type of fitting used!

Reply to
Fredxxx

yes but not so many after the OP replied and said it was DOWN ! it really all depended if the plastic tail on the shower was threaded or plane (to take an olive) the nut in question was quite ambiguous from the photo

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Reply to
Mark

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