DIY Menu | Fix Taps & Washers | Tiling | Repair Overflow | Blocked Drain
Fitting or fixing a bathroom shower
Tools for this section
Screwdriver, Adjustable spanner, small brush. You can get most of your plumbing tools here at Plumbworld
Although most showers now come with a three year warranty, there are still some small repair and servicing jobs that you may have to do. Most of the jobs are time consuming rather than technical, but calling out a professional can cost almost as much as buying a new shower. For a fraction of the cost you can make your old shower as good as new by undertaking much of the repair work yourself.
Planning Tips:
- Turn the water off before you start!
- Get a cloth / tub ready if it is likely to leak water
- Make sure you use the correct tools to open the housing, otherwise you can damage the plastic.
- Check the shower head for scale before you undertake any work - it could be something really simple!
Order of work:
- Turn off the water and electric supply
- Remove the protective cover
- Let the water drain from the shower unit and clean out the debris
- Replace any damaged washers or O rings
- Lubricate the moving parts with silicone grease and reassemble
Shower types and their problems
The bath shower mixer has a washer to divert the water from the tap to the spout. This diverter washer can fail and cause the tap to dribble when the flow is switched to the shower. The electric shower has an internal cylinder which scales up rapidly in hard water areas. Wall mixer showers can scale up internally. Small washers at the end of the on/off spindle may also need replacing. If the mixer is a thermostat one this may also get scaled up. Hoses are prone to splitting and leaks and breaking at joints, you can buy superior and quality hoses which should last a great deal longer.
All showers should be fitted with a service valve in the supply pipes to allow servicing to be carried out without turning off the whole water system in your house.
Prevention:
Lots of problems with showers can be prevented! As most of the issues are normally due to scale, it would make more sense to fit some kind of filter or water softener.
Energy saving tip:
Save de-scale liquid. Take the parts off and soak them in a bowl rather than keep re-applying to appliance.
Money saving tip:
Work out your own hourly rate, and how long you think it may take - and if it is cheaper to get a plumber in that use your time - do it!
Further help available here:
Discussion Forum
Further advice and shop available:
B & Q - can help you with planning, fitting and buying showers.
