Shower Arm Help

[DKAudio]

Hi, I got a new shower head similar to this...

http://www.showerbuddy.com/Showroom/_Shower_Head/Rain_Shower_Heads/rain_shower_heads.html

Mine was a cheap one though that I got at Target for around $35 (the wife liked it). It came with a S-shaped arm like this...

http://www.showerbuddy.com/Showroom/_Shower_Head/Shower_Arm_Risers/shower_arm_risers.html

The problem is that the pipe coming out of the wall is bent down like these...

http://www.showerbuddy.com/Showroom/_Shower_Head/Shower_Arms/shower_arms.html

I cannot get to behind the wall to change the plumbing. There is an access panel for the tub plumbing but it doesn't go up high enough to work on the shower head area. Any ideas on how to get the shower head up and out all while keeping my downward outlet? I need one in a chrome finish and as cheap as I can get it. Any ideas? Thanks

[LazyPup]

If your shower mixer was originally installed to code there should be a Drop Ear 90deg elbow on the top of the riser to the shower head.

A drop ear 90 is a wrought copper fitting that has a sweat joint to connect it to the shower riser and the output end has a 1/2" Female Iron Pipe thread. The fitting also has two small projections that stick out the sides like ears and those projections have a hole through them so the fitting can be screwed to wood blocking in the wall to hold it firmly in place.

The chrome plated shower arm has a male iron pipe fitting on each end. One end is inserted through the hole in the wall, into the drop ear 90 and screwed in place, then you screw a shower head on the outer end.

The shower arm in your illustration that you intend to install looks like it may also have a female iron pipe thread input. If so, you will need to remove the existing shower arm then measure the depth from the finished wall surface to the drop ear 90 and get a brass or bronze nipple to connect the two. (Absolutely do not use an iron pipe nipple. code prohibits directly connection iron pipe fittings to copper pipe because that will cause electrolosis corrosion.)

My conceern is the length of your new shower arm is much longer and that will tend to increase the mechanical strain on the drop ear 90. I cannot tell from the photo but hopefully it has some means of additional support.

[DKAudio]

As of now, it has no additional support. I think all my plumbing is copper but I am not 100% sure. The problem is I didn't want to go into the wall (to the drop ear 90) I wanted to just connect to the piece that is already there (the 90* exsisting arm). I guess I could cut into the wall behind but it would be a lot of work re-sheet rocking, etc. Also, the pipe felt pretty loose, I could push and pull it in and out of the wall. It isn't horrible or anything but I don't think it is screwed into a stud like you were saying.

[LazyPup]

You do not need to go into the wall to replace a shower arm. It can be unscrewed and pulled out, then the new arm inserted back in through the hole, however if that top 90 on the shower riser is not properly secured to blocking it is very risky to attempt changing it. Adding that long arm that you propose onto the existing shower arm would further extend it outward. That would be very dangerous because of the leverage factor. If someone were to move the shower head their would be a great risk of breaking the shower riser in the wall.

[DKAudio]

Ok, so I should go in and secure it, etc? What if there isn't a stud or something to screw down the pipe? Thanks

[DKAudio]

What if I got one of these

http://cgi.ebay.com/Chrome-Plated-Adjustable-Shower-Arm-Only_W0QQitemZ4447249365QQcategoryZ71282QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I would still go in and try to secure the pipe but that should work, right? I could also get a new straight arm to go from the drop ear 90 to this new adjustable piece. What do you think? Anyone know where I can get it even cheaper? Thanks

[dkpbxman]

A while ago, I had to go through a similiar problem. I wanted to add one of those "S" shaped shower arms because it would give me extra height, but the shower-arm was not secured inside the wall and I was afraid that when I disconnected the existing shower-arm to add the new one, the riser inside the wall would now not be secured and would then "wave" around inside the wall, not allowing me to add the new one. I had horrible visions of me then having to rip down the wall to get at it. Luckily, I didn't have to,

http://www.homerepairforum.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3307#post3307

I'm definately not a plumber and hopefully someone who is or has more extensive knowledge of situations such as these can give you a better way to do things but I'd think that it might be best to stay with what you have, if there are no immediate problems or go ahead and rip down that section of the wall, secure the drop ear 90 and replace the arm. ????

[DKAudio]

Anyone know if that shower arm will work if I go in and mount the drop ear 90?

[pushkins]

The shower arm (in your last post with a link) will work as you require it to PROVIDED that you secure the 90 ear elbow. You will also have to add a small piece of pipe threaded at both ends to connect the 90 to the shower extension.
As previously mention by Lazypup this attachment your thinking of adding is going to put a lot of stress on the 90 degree elbow. If it were me I'd stick with your original idea of a shower head and extension

http://www.showerbuddy.com/Showroom/_Shower_Head/Rain_Shower_Heads/rain_shower_heads.html

[DKAudio]

Thanks for the tips. Won't that shower head put just as much stress on it as the one off ebay? I think this one ( http://www.showerbuddy.com/Showroom/...wer_heads.html ) would look better and everything, $50 is just more than I can spend right now. If I could get that one for $20 I would do it. Does that piece go right into the drop ear 90 or would I still need a piece to go from the drop ear 90 to the shower arm? Thanks

[pushkins]

From the link picture it looks like you will still need dual the male threaded piece from the 90 to the new shower arm.
It probably wouldn't put as much stress as the ebay one because it doesn't extend out as far and probably wouldn't be manipulated as much (if at all) as the long extended arm.

[DKAudio]

Need answer as soon as possible, thanks!

Ok, I got one of those adjustable ones (like the one off ebay) Menards had it for $14 so I thought I would try it. I was wondering, my shower arm now is the common 45* bending down. Is it possible to move it to bend up? If it is up then everything would work perfect. The way it is now the shower head is still just a little too low, not much though. The problem is that I cannot move it as of now, I tried strap wrenches and all. I am thinking that they used the liquid thread sealer and not the teflon tape. If I remove it and put teflon tape on there and go 1/2 turn less than it is now (to bend up instead of down) will it leak? Finally, is there a trick to get the pipe tight to where you want it? I tried installing the adjustable shower arm, the adjustment knob needs to go horizontal so that the arm will go straight up and down. When I got to that point it still felt too loose and like it was going to leak so I was going to go one more turn. I couldn't get it there, I was 1/4 turn off and it felt like something was going to break so I stopped. How do they get things to get tight right where they want it? Thanks

[pushkins]

Remove the head clean the thread of any teflon be it liquid or tape, apply tape or liquid teflon (whatever you have) if you need a turn less then add more tape. As long as it can thread on a good few threads it shouldn't leak.


MAKE sure it gets a firm tightness to it, it doesn't have to be super tight but at the same time it should be firm.

[DKAudio]

Awesome, it looks like it is working. The 45* bend went in pretty firm into the drop ear 90. I could still move it with my hands but it felt snug. The shower extension arm went into the 45* bend (now pointing up instead of down) very firm. I had to use a creset to get it to move the last 1/8 of a turn. I just ran it for a few minutes and no leaks. Guess time will tell...I don't know if this is ok but I used just a little (hardly any) petroleum jelly on the threads as well. I know it probably will want to move but I think I got it tight enough that it won't. I read about doing that and the teflon tape at some website.

Now all I have to do is repair the 1 sq foot hole in my linen closet. I think I will just put the sheetrock back up and then maybe just some thick poster board. It is near the top and with all the stuff on the shelf I don't think people will notice. Then I can get back in there if I need to. Any suggestions on that? Thanks for all the help!