💧 Repair guide
One sequence that covers all four flow faults. Skip a step and you will usually redo the one you skipped — most often the inlet screen.
You need an adjustable wrench, an old toothbrush, a toothpick, a zip-top bag and a rubber band. Everything else is optional. The whole job is done from standing height — no ladder, no wall opening, no mains shut-off unless the fixture valve will not hold.
Budget thirty-five minutes of work plus a four-hour soak. The soak can run overnight, which is what most people do.
Stop immediately ifthe arm moves in the wall, water appears at the wall plate, or the valve will not hold a steady temperature. Those are valve and pipework faults. Shut the water off at the main and call a plumber.
💧 Step 1 of 6
2 minClose the shower valve, then open the head briefly to release pressure. If the valve will not hold, shut the main. Water left in the riser will come out the moment you unscrew the head — a towel under the fitting saves the floor.
Hot water in a pressurised system can scald. Let it cool for a few minutes before you start.
💧 Step 2 of 6
3 minTurn the collar counter-clockwise by hand. If it resists, use an adjustable wrench with a cloth over the chrome, and turn only the collar — never the body. Once loose, spin it off by hand and keep the gasket; you need to know which type it is.
If the whole arm turns in the wall, stop. That is a pipe problem, not a head problem.
💧 Step 3 of 6
5 minPick the conical screen out of the inlet with a fingernail. Rinse it under a tap in both directions, then work a toothpick through the mesh. Hold it up to the light: if you cannot see through it, it was your restriction.
A torn screen passes grit straight to the nozzles. Replace it rather than refitting it.
💧 Step 4 of 6
4–8 h soakFill a zip-top bag with white vinegar, submerge the faceplate, and secure it with a rubber band. Four hours minimum for visible scale; overnight for heavy crust. Citric acid does the same in a third of the time with less smell.
Ventilate the room, and never mix a descaler with bleach.
💧 Step 5 of 6
10 minAfter soaking, brush the face with a soft toothbrush, then push a wooden toothpick through each blocked orifice. Rinse from the inlet side so loosened scale exits the way it came in, not deeper into the head.
Never use a needle or drill bit — both enlarge the orifice and ruin the spray pattern permanently.
💧 Step 6 of 6
5 minSeat the gasket flat, thread the head on by hand until it touches, then a quarter turn with a wrench at most. Run the shower for a full minute, check the joint with a dry tissue, and measure the flow with a litre jug and a stopwatch.
If it still leaks at the joint, the gasket is the problem — not the torque.
| Mistake | What happens | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Removing the head with the water on | Water sprays across the bathroom; the riser empties | Close the valve, open the head briefly to release pressure |
| Over-tightening the collar | Gasket folds; the leak gets worse | Hand-tight plus a quarter turn |
| Adding thread tape to a gasket joint | Gasket cannot seat; persistent drip | New gasket, no tape |
| Cleaning nozzles with a needle | Orifice enlarged; spray pattern ruined | Wooden toothpick, or a soak |
| Skipping the inlet screen | New head inherits the blockage | Rinse the screen before anything else |
| Judging flow by feel | No baseline; no way to know if it worked | Time one litre into a jug |
The simulator scores each step, and shows you what a crushed gasket or a blocked screen actually looks like.