Toilets, Sinks, Showers, Tubs and Disposals - Shower arm removal
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L.Terry
08-20-05, 11:58 AM
Hey everyone ive got a simple question for you thats surprisingly hard for me to find an answer to!
Im trying to replace the shower arm in one of my bathrooms with one of those height extension arms so we can put in a large rain-shower head. everything I have managed to find, and everyone i have asked says that to take the shower arm off you just need to grab it with something and turn. first i tried a strap wrench like suggested in the instructions, then some channel-locks. neither one would actually get a grip on the shower arm, and i even tried finding various things that would improve the grip. no luck. this shower arm is the one originally installed in the house. can anyone help me figure out how to get it off?
Im trying to replace the shower arm in one of my bathrooms with one of those height extension arms so we can put in a large rain-shower head. everything I have managed to find, and everyone i have asked says that to take the shower arm off you just need to grab it with something and turn. first i tried a strap wrench like suggested in the instructions, then some channel-locks. neither one would actually get a grip on the shower arm, and i even tried finding various things that would improve the grip. no luck. this shower arm is the one originally installed in the house. can anyone help me figure out how to get it off?
majakdragon
08-20-05, 12:29 PM
Try vice-grips or your channel-locks again. Grip the arm as close to the wall as you can. This will remve some of the danger of breaking it off in the wall. Some duct tape wrapped on the arm may give you more friction for grip. If you have the showerhead off, stick a heavy screwdriver in the end for more leverage. Do NOT jerk on the wrench. Give a slow steady push/pull (counter-clockwise as you face it) and it should come unscrewed. Good luck on your project.
L.Terry
08-20-05, 08:31 PM
thanks i got the arm off! the duct tape did the trick, nothing else seemed to want to get a grip on it.
well now im facing another problem. the arm is a 10 inch height extension arm, and when i screw it in i find that the arm jiggles around really hard in the wall. it seems like the actual pipe its connected to in the wall isnt well seated, and because this arm is so much longer the movement is extremely pronounced. I installed the showerhead and all works but when i turn the water on or off or touch the head/arm the entire thing bounces around for several minutes until it calms down. any hints here?
well now im facing another problem. the arm is a 10 inch height extension arm, and when i screw it in i find that the arm jiggles around really hard in the wall. it seems like the actual pipe its connected to in the wall isnt well seated, and because this arm is so much longer the movement is extremely pronounced. I installed the showerhead and all works but when i turn the water on or off or touch the head/arm the entire thing bounces around for several minutes until it calms down. any hints here?
majakdragon
08-21-05, 06:03 PM
The elbow that the arm screws into SHOULD be what I call a butterfly elbow. It has two wings with holes that are used to secure it to a board. Your plumber may not have used it this way. Don't know anything short of going into the wall to permanently secure it. You could ue something that hardens and put it around the arm in the hole in the wall but I don't see this being a long time fix.