How to Replace a Shower Head in 7 Steps

Lay everything out on a towel before you start. You need a 10-inch crescent wrench, a pipe wrench (or a pair of channel-lock pliers), a roll of Teflon plumber's tape, and your new shower head. If you live in an older home, grab a new shower arm and flange too in case the old arm is rusted in place or has a stuck ball joint - that's about a $10 add-on at any hardware store.

Keep a soft rag handy. You'll use it to pad the jaws of your wrench so they don't chew up the chrome finish on the new fittings. Watch the tool walk-through.

Walk to the shower valve and shut the water off all the way. Some valves turn left to right, others lift up and down. Run the shower briefly after you shut it to confirm nothing comes out and to let any line pressure drain through the tub spout.

If your bathroom doesn't have a dedicated shut-off, head to the main water shut-off for the house. It's usually in the basement, garage, or near the water heater. Watch the shut-off.

Wrap a rag around the old shower arm so your wrench doesn't scratch up the finish (in case you decide to keep it). Hold the arm steady with the pipe wrench and turn the head counter-clockwise with the crescent wrench to break it free.

If the ball joint between the head and the arm is seized (common in 80s homes), skip fighting it and unscrew the entire shower arm out of the wall fitting instead. Turn the arm counter-clockwise until it spins out. Watch the wrench technique.

Pick up the new shower arm and find the threaded end with the red sticker - that's the side that goes into the wall. Wrap Teflon tape clockwise around the threads four or five times. Wrapping clockwise matters: when you thread the arm in (also clockwise), the tape tightens instead of unspooling.

Thread the arm into the wall fitting by hand, then snug it up. Hand tight is usually enough on a fresh wall fitting. Slide the decorative flange against the wall so it covers the opening. Watch the Teflon tape technique.

The bracket is the small fitting that holds the handheld head when you're not using it. Wrap fresh Teflon tape clockwise around the bracket's threaded end (same four or five passes), then twist the bracket onto the shower arm. Hand-tighten firmly.

Point the bracket so the handle hangs straight down once water flows through the hose - that's the natural resting position. If you're installing a fixed (non-handheld) shower head, skip this step and go straight to threading the head onto the arm. Watch the bracket install.

Drop a rubber washer inside each end of the metal hose before you screw it on. The washers create the watertight seal at every hose joint - without them, you'll have a slow leak no matter how tight you crank the fittings. Most handheld kits include two washers; check the package.

Wrap a couple of passes of Teflon tape on the hose threads too, then thread one end onto the bracket and the other onto the back of the handheld head. Hand-tighten both. No tools - the metal hose has plastic collars that strip easily if you go after them with a wrench. Watch the washer install.

Turn the water supply back on slowly. Let pressure build for a minute, then run the shower and watch the wall connection, the bracket joint, and both ends of the hose. A bead of water at any joint means you need to shut the water off, add another wrap or two of Teflon tape on that fitting, and reseat it.

If everything stays dry, trim the excess Teflon tape sticking out around the joints with a sharp utility knife so the finished install looks clean. Towel-dry the tub and you're done. Watch the leak check.