Hi, I had a renovation gone bad last year and the plumber would not put in a 15 inch shower arm for my rain shower head and used a short 6 inch arm. Today I decided to do it myself. I got the rain shower head off no problem and noticed there was no tape used on the threads. The other end of the arm I could not get off as he used spray foam to secure the arm and cover the hole in the tile.
How do I get this thing off or should I not mess with it? Also, is it not common to use tape on both ends of the arm?

Any help would be much appreciated!



Edited 1 times.

here lies the problem

it depends on what fitting the shower arm is screwed into.

if it is an elbow with ears secured to wood you can really apply force to remove the arm.


if it is just an elbow that is not secured, you run the risk of twisting it before the arm comes loose.

depending on how big the hole is, you may be able to scrap away and shop vac the foam enough to get a peek at the elbow?

Thank you, it’s going to be tough to see as the hole is only about 1/4 inch around the arm and quite a bit of foam. Is there anything you can suggest I use to remove the foam. I’m picking at but a little difficult to scrap as there’s not much wiggle room around the arm.

something like this is what i would use.

[www.rockler.com]

as for no tape on the shower head end of the arm, a lot of shower heads have a rubber washer inside that makes the seal.

PLUS



==============================================

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

bern, my words of caution were to be sure there is a drop eared 90 behind the wall before applying too much force.

if the installer used a regular elbow with a female adapter solder into the end then it is a toss up whether it will unscrew or twist the tubing.

better they find out now in a controlled situation

easiest way is to 'let er twist' and fix as necessary


eg. if it IS a secured shower ell = easy removal of arm when proper wrench is used


if it is NOT a secured shower ell and does not unscrew (or twists) = open up from behind for access

OR

spend 4 hours with drill for an 'eyeball' THEN open er up anyway if unsecured or twisted - save the 4 hours

==============================================

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

do it on a saturday @ time & 1/2.. 10% discount for cash.

if the OP wishes to join MY OC club:


using a long THIN screwdriver or an equivalent object:

tap it ALONG the arm through the foam until it just hits the ell (whatever type it is)

work your way around the arm similar to packing a lead/oakum joint


the object is to free the arm from the foam but NOT 'freeing' the ell; allowing the arm to unscrew



@packy: sorry, only 1/2 hour at 1.5X = 45 minutes pay



==============================================

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

Foam is not an adhesive. The short arm probably isn't being saved, so just grab it with your Channellocks and go for it. Yes, you use teflon tape on both ends. Sometimes the head has a gasket so might not need a gasket at the head end.
Can you find out from the original plumber if he used a wing ell? If he's like me, he doesn't have to remember the particular job. I NEVER did a shower arm without a wing ell. That's an accident waiting to happen.



Edited 1 times.