How to Add a Hand Held Shower to a Tub Fixture

Many people only have a tub spout in their bathroom, but want to have a shower as well. There are really only two options at this point. One of them is to call in a professional and have him install a shower head in your bathroom. This normally requires a lot of work and re-piping and can be quite costly. Your other option is something that you can actually do at home. You can simply install a tub fixture that has a hand shower diverter on the side of it. You can find these at almost any home improvement store, and they are easy to put in.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• New tub fixture with shower diverter
• Teflon tape
• Large screwdriver (possibly)
• Allen wrench (possibly)
• Pipe wrench (possibly)

1. Look at your current tub fixture. If you see a small set screw underneath it, you will need to remove that screw. If you don't see that screw there, that means that your entire fixture will unscrew from the wall.

2. Remove the fixture by either using an Allen wrench if you see a small slot concealing an Allen bolt. Or, if you don't see the concealed Allen bolt, unscrewing the entire fixture by putting a large screwdriver into the spout and turning the fixture around that way, or by using a pipe wrench.

3. Take your new tub fixture and, if you needed an Allen wrench to remove your old fixture, put the new fixture on the same way you took the old one off. Put it in place and reattach the Allen bolt. Otherwise you will have to layer the threads of the fixture with 4-5 layers of Teflon tape and then screw it into the opening using the pipe wrench or screwdriver to tighten it.

4. Attach the shower hose to the diverter on the side of the fixture. Again, cover the threads in Teflon tape before inserting and attaching it.

5. Follow the instructions that came with your new fixture to mount the wall mounting for the shower attachment.

Tips & Warnings

• Using the Teflon tape will help reduce water leaking through the threads of the fixture.