Good news: you don't need a plumber to replace a shower head, and usually no tools either. Almost all shower heads and shower hoses in the Netherlands use the same standard 1/2-inch thread. Your new head is on in five minutes.
What you need
Your new shower head, a cloth, and just in case a pair of water pump pliers (only if the old head is stuck fast) and a roll of PTFE tape (only if it leaks). Nothing more.
Replacing a shower head in 4 steps
- Unscrew the old head. Anticlockwise, simply by hand. Stuck because of limescale? Wrap a cloth around the connection and carefully use water pump pliers. With a lot of scale it helps to descale the connection first.
- Check the rubber washer. There should be a rubber sealing washer in the hose connection. A new shower head usually comes with a new washer. If the old washer is dried out or cracked, replace it: that prevents nine out of ten leaks.
- Screw the new head on hand-tight. Clockwise, by hand only: tools can damage the thread. Do you have a shower head with filter? Then check that the filter cartridge is seated properly before you connect the head.
- Test for leaks. Turn the shower on briefly. Dripping at the connection? Tighten the head another quarter turn, or wrap two turns of PTFE tape around the thread and tighten again.
Replacing the shower hose too?
A shower hose has the same standard thread at both ends: unscrew the old hose from the tap at the bottom, check the washer there as well and screw the new one on hand-tight. If your hose is stiff, cracked or leaks at the connection, replace it at the same time, or go straight for a complete set with shower head and 1.5 metre hose.
When do you need a plumber?
Only for problems before the tap: a leaking mixer tap, a broken thermostat or the pipework itself. The shower head and the hose are always a job you can safely do yourself.
Done in five minutes
All Besjaar shower heads fit the standard Dutch connection and can be fitted without tools. Ordered today, a better shower this week.