How to Remove an Old Shower Head

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Removing that old, corroded shower head is a lot easier than it looks, requiring nothing more than a bit of elbow grease and possibly a wrench. It's time to replace the old one when you notice that you're only getting a few drips of water instead of a steady stream or you just want to spruce up the bathroom fixtures.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Pipe wrench
Rag
Penetrating oil

Step1

Check the area where the pipe connects to the shower head for signs of corrosion. This is usually caused by hard water that contains minerals found in water from wells or small, community water systems.

Step2

Clean off the corroded area using a damp cloth or rag.

Step3

Use a good penetrating oil, like 3-in-1 Oil, to eat away at any corrosive material that may make the shower head hard to remove. This should be applied at the junction between the pipe and shower head so that it seeps into the connection.

Step4

Try to loosen the shower head by hand, turning it counter clockwise. If it won't budge, follow Steps 5 and 6.

Step5

Place a rag or cloth over the area where the shower head is connected to the pipe. This prevents any scratches to the pipe when using a wrench to remove the shower head.

Step6

Use a pipe wrench to remove the shower head, turning it counterclockwise.