How To Remove & Replace a Stuck Showerhead

You’ve just purchased a new high-pressure rainfall showerhead. Now, the only thing that stands between you and relaxation is the old, calcified showerhead you want to replace — and it won’t budge! Don’t worry. Our expert team at Len The Plumber has put together this guide so that you can remove and replace your stuck showerhead like a pro. You’ll be relaxing in no time.

Tools You’ll Need To Replace Your Showerhead

• A tarp or garbage bag
• A wrench or pliers
• Plumber’s tape
• Vinegar
• A gallon bag
• Steel wool

How To Remove, Replace & Maintain Your Showerhead

Protect Your Bathtub & Other Bathroom Fixtures

Replacing your showerhead starts with preparing the bathroom area. First, turn off your water supply to help prevent any surprises. Then, lay a tarp or garbage bag in your bathtub. Rust shavings can make a big mess, and ensuring falling metal won’t scratch your tub is always a good precaution.

Remove Your Old Showerhead

Before picking up your wrench or pliers, try one more time to remove your showerhead by hand. If it’s still not twisting off, wrap plumber’s tape around the sharp teeth of your wrench or pliers so that you reduce the rust, mineral, or metal shavings that drop while you work. This will also help you preserve your showerhead in case you want to keep it or install it elsewhere.

With your wrench or pliers, try to twist the showerhead now that you have more leverage. Once the showerhead is moving, you can finish removing it by hand.

If it still doesn’t budge, fill up a gallon bag with vinegar, tie it around the showerhead, and leave it soaking overnight. The vinegar will eat away rust and other minerals, making it much easier to remove your showerhead the next morning.

Clean the Shower Pipe

Now that your showerhead is removed, it’s a great time to clean the pipe threads so that your new showerhead won’t have any immediate corrosion issues. Scrub the pipe threads with steel wool and vinegar, ensuring every crevice is free of rust and mineral buildup.

Install Your Showerhead Replacement

To prevent showerhead leaks, wrap the clean pipe threads with plumber’s tape and install your new showerhead according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Test your new showerhead by turning your water main back on, pulling back your tarp, and trying the shower. Look closely for any leaks. If you’re still experiencing leaks, unscrew the new showerhead and add another layer of plumber’s tape.

If plumber’s tape doesn’t eliminate the leaks, you might have a more complicated plumbing problem that only a professional can diagnose.

Maintain Your Showerhead With Vinegar Cleanses

To keep your showerhead replacement clean and working properly, set a reminder to perform a quick vinegar cleanse once a year. Just tying a bag of vinegar around the showerhead and leaving it overnight will dissolve any rust or mineral buildup that causes leaks to develop.

Trust Len The Plumber for Showerhead Replacement in the Mid-Atlantic Region

Would you prefer to have a professional replace your showerhead? Our certified plumbers can install or repair any showerhead brand, make, or model. When you contact Len The Plumber, you can expect exceptional service from an expert plumber who arrives quickly and has the tools and expertise to solve any plumbing issue in our first trip.

Call us at 800-950-4619 or schedule an appointment online, and we’ll be happy to replace your stubborn showerhead.