How To Install A Hand Held Shower Diverter

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning we get a small commission if you make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you. For more information, please visit our Disclaimer Page.

Having a standard shower head installed in your bathroom is a good thing in case you like to have quick showers. However, there’s even a better thing you can try out – the Hand Held option. Namely, a hand held shower head offers quite a lot of benefits to a regular shower head.

But, the most important thing is that the installation process of a hand held shower is actually not a big deal. All you need is to get a shower diverter and attach it to your bathtub spout properly. So, we will show you how to do it.

Anyhow, let’s start!

How to Install a hand held shower diverter

How to install a hand held shower diverter

It may seem that this process is quite easy on the first glance, but, you will actually need to put a bit more effort into this. However, there’s nothing complicated about the installation process.

You will need to get some equipment that’s important for the job first. So, these are the items that you need:

  • Gloves
  • Plumbing tape
  • Wrench
  • An old piece of cloth

As you can see, these are actually quite easy to get and you can find them in every household. So, without further ado, let’s see how to install a hand held shower diverter. Just follow the steps.

Step 1 – Remove the Previously Installed Shower Head

The first thing that you’ll need to do is to prepare the tub spout for the whole process. Now, this requires you to remove the previously installed shower head. Usually, and in most cases, you will need to just unscrew the shower head from its base.

However, if that’s not going as planned, you can always use an adjustable wrench and try to loosen the shower head first.

But, make sure to use an old piece of cloth and wrap it around the shower head first. This way, you will not leave any scratches on the shower head and prevent damages as well.

hand held shower head

Anyway, once you do this, you will be left with an empty shower pipe and a separated shower head. After that, it’s time to continue to the next step.

Step 2 – Install the Shower Diverter Valve

Here comes the most important part.

If you want your hand held shower to work perfectly, you will need to install a shower diverter into the shower pipe where you detached the shower head. Simply put, the place where you just removed the previously installed shower head is the place where you need to place the diverter now.

There shouldn’t be any problems with the installation process since all you have to do is to screw the diverter into the pipe. Just make sure to tighten it properly and you will be all set for the next step.

Also, keep in mind to use an old piece of cloth or a rug to cover the diverter if you are going to use an adjustable wrench for tightening.

Nevertheless, once you do this, it’s time to go to the next step.

Step 3 – Attach the Shower Head

Now, it’s time to reinstall the previously detached shower head back to the diverter. As you can see, the only thing that was needed here is the installation of the diverter since it’s important for the water pressure.

However, if you don’t have previously installed shower head on your bathtub, then get a new one and install it now on the diverter.

showerhead-low-water-pressure

This step also doesn’t require you to do anything special. Just take the shower head and screw it into the diverter and make sure that everything is tightened properly. You can use an adjustable wrench for this step as well.

That being said, let’s continue to the next step.

Step 4 – Install the Hand Held Shower

So, once you have a fully running shower head installed now, it’s time to add a hand held shower now and end this installation process. This means that you need to insert the hand held shower head into the part that’s empty into the diverter.

Since the diverter has two holes, and one is attached to the shower head, the other hole is made for hand held shower. In that light, just fit the hand held shower head into the diverter and tighten it properly.

You can use an adjustable wrench here as well to tighten everything up as much as you like. But, make sure not to damage the diverter or the shower head.

Step 5 – Run a Quick Shower

Once you did everything properly, it’s time to make sure that everything is running the way it should. Now, here are a few steps that you need to take in order to make sure that everything is fine.

  • Run the original shower first – First, it’s important to test the original shower and make sure that water runs properly. If you notice any changes in the water pressure, make sure to call a professional. However, if everything runs smoothly, you can check the hand held shower then.
  • Run the hand held shower – Once you completed the check for the original shower, turn the water off and switch the diverter to the hand held shower. Now, turn the water back on and see the results.
  • You should be able to see water coming through the hand held shower head under proper pressure.
  • Try switching the diverter while the water runs – Lastly, you will need to make sure that the switching between shower heads is working as well. So, just test it. If the results are good, then you successfully installed the hand held shower.
  • On the other hand, you should definitely call a local plumber and see what he has to say.

That being said, the only thing left is to check for the leaks.

Step 6 – Check for Leaks

Now, once you installed everything under the presumption that it works fine, it is absolutely important to check for the leaks. You will see if there’s something that doesn’t seem good. Check for the leaks in the places where two applications connect.

For example, check the shower diverter if you tighten everything properly. This is quite important since your water pressure could suffer from leaks and you wouldn’t be able to take a proper shower.

You might also like:

Conclusion

So there you have it. Installing of the hand held shower diverter is not that complicated at all. But, that doesn’t mean that everyone could do it easily. It’s always a good idea to pay more attention to guides and see what they have to say about the installation process.

Anyhow, we sure hope that this guide helped you to install your hand held shower diverter properly.

How-To-Install-A-Hand-Held-Shower-Diverter