If your shower outlet is too low, there is a permanent, economical fix: install an S-style shower arm. You screw one end into the wall outlet. When it comes out, it bends up 90 degrees, goes up for ten or eleven inches, and then bends down about 135 degrees, for mounting the shower head.

Well, the builder of our condo put the shower outlet at seven feet, and my 5'3" wife could not reach the hand-held head at all. I found a suitable S-style shower arm, and installed it upside-down. From a technical perspective this was OK: the end of the arm pointed up 45 degrees, and I had the hose and adjustable connector attached to it. However, my wife can still only use the hand-held head if it is loose, and on tip-toes.

If the S arm were bent down 45 degrees instead of up, the connection would be up to seven inches lower, and all would be well. Any ideas on how to make such a bend (or reduce the existing bend)? Or other useful approaches?

The local plumbing supply house wanted to sell me an adjustable shower arm. Reading reviews and from common sense, these things can be problematic - all those moving parts tend to fail. I'm looking for a permanent fix, not another one down the road.

Any help would be appreciated. I have a pic, but no URL from which to post it.

Thanks - Pete

3 chrome nipples + 2 chrome ells

expensive, but permanent and durable

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

ONe brass nipple into the wall, one chrome 45, and one longer chrome nipple with the handheld attached to the end of it.

also works, but, a chrome nipple into the wall so it all looks the same

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

OR

(our sponsor sells it)

a long arm used with the short end into the wall:



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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

The 45 would be against the flange so it would no show.

Another option is to install an adjustable shower arm (used to have one ....). That we you can have it high and wifepo can lower it for her use.

Edited by Plbg Staff



Edited 1 times.

hj,

"The 45 would be against the flange so it would no show."

You are assuming the ability to measure and install NPT threads properly.

However, you are correct.



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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638



Edited 1 times.

Thanks. I dug out my original 6-inch shower arm, which was bent at 2.5 and 3.5 inches. A 12-inch 45-degree arm bent at 2.5 and 9.5 inches would apparently put the connection roughly where it is now. Because it would be pointing down, the hand-held attachment would result in a net lowering of about two inches. (However, the picture on the sponsor's site does not assure me that the 12-inch arm would actually bend at 2.5 inches.) I'm reluctant to take this approach for such a marginal improvement now, but it may come to that.

This good idea caused me to take a look at other products for misuse. I see a 12-inch right-angle arm. I'm thinking of putting the short end of one of those into the wall. This should give me the drop I need, although a little close to the wall, perhaps.

Just to make sure I finally get it: all standard shower pipes are compatible, a nipple is a pipe with male threading at both ends, and 1/2 IPS means there is 1/2 inch of standard threading.

So here is a better plan: a nipple out of the wall, with the extending threads starting just after the escutcheon, a 90-degree elbow pointing down, and a 45-degree 10- or 12-inch shower arm. This will present a normal 45 degree aspect, and the arm can be mounted with the long or short side vertical, as desired. I'm going to figure out specifically what I need and obtain the parts.

Thanks for all the help - Pete



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Interesting thread, as I'm redoing a bath and am moving the "too short" shower up. It never dawned on me that I could make it too tall. I will have a separate hand shower off to the side, so that's not a concern. Any other reason to keep it low?