
That way, you can get help or test whether it’s compatible before having to make the trek home to try it out. If you don’t have the existing showerhead available, you can also remove the shower arm and bring it. In that case, it’ll save you a lot of time by simply removing and bringing your existing showerhead to the store.

If you’re like me, you may stare at your shower arm and not have a clue as to whether it’s the standard size. Tip #1: Take your old showerhead with you to the store Tips for Checking the Showerhead FitĪs you prepare to dive into all your showerhead options, you’ll need to have a good way to double check that it’s going to fit your shower arm. Hopefully you won’t fall into any of these showerhead sizing exceptions, but to be sure, let’s cover a few ways you can make sure you’re getting a showerhead that will fit your shower. One common problem that I’ve seen online is that some old homes have a ball end shower arm, which used to be made by only a few companies, such as Price Pfister, Gerber Ball, and American Standard.īecause it’s so old, you probably won’t be able to find any adapters in local stores, but there are adapters available online if you do a quick search for ball end shower arm adapters. If you run into that problem, you might want to replace the shower arm or find an adapter if you don’t want to mess with anything in the shower walls. If you live in an older home, you might find that your showerhead is not compatible with the existing shower arm.
Raindrop shower install#
While it is currently the standard to install pipes to fit a 1/2-inch NPT showerhead, that hasn’t always been the case. While there are smaller rainfall showerheads that might work on the wall, you’ll have to consider the angle of the shower arm to get the rain effect you want. If you have a wall-mounted shower arm, like most people do, a rainfall showerhead might be too large (the head itself, not the pipe threading). However, you might come across some unconventional shower rigs that you’ll want to avoid.Īnd unless you plan on doing some remodeling and making major changes to your plumbing, then you’ll want to avoid this type of hardware.įor example, rainfall showerheads, designed to imitate falling rain, sometimes have a ceiling installation. In most cases, you’ll probably only find showerheads with the standard ½-inch NPT. A common showerhead thread size in these places is 1/2-inch BSP. On the other hand, most countries around the world use a different pipe thread standard-BSP, which is an abbreviation for British Standard Pipe, and you’ll likely find it in Asia, Australia, Europe, New Zealand, and South Africa. The “NPT” stands for National Pipe Thread Tapered. In the US and Canada, the standard thread size is 1/2-inch NPT. If you’re purchasing online and find an amazing showerhead made in another country, be sure to look closely at the specs. Are Showerheads Universal?Īs I mentioned earlier, the standard size for showerheads in the US and Canada is ½-inch NPT, but there are exceptions to that standard that should be kept in mind when replacing a showerhead.

To make sure that you don’t end up spending hours scouring the Internet or running back and forth from the hardware store, check out the details and tips I’ve compiled below to help you successfully choose a compatible showerhead. There’s so much more involved in selecting the right showerhead. The exceptions to this rule are showerheads sold in other countries, unconventional showerhead designs, or very old homes. As a result, any locally sold showerhead should be compatible with your shower arm. Showerheads have a universal thread size in the United States and Canada, which is designated as ½-inch NPT. The good news is that for most homes, there is a

Will fit your shower arm-that pipe in your wall that connects your showerhead to To get a new showerhead, you might naturally be wondering if any showerhead
