💧 Tool list
Three tools you probably own, and four optional extras that make the job faster. No specialty plumbing tools, no drain snakes, no pipe cutters.
If you only buy one thing, buy the wrench. If you only do one thing, use the bag.
The only tool most jobs need. Use it to crack the collar loose, then finish by hand. A strap wrench is kinder to polished chrome if you have one.
Pad the jaws with a cloth. Chrome scratches permanently, and a scratched collar is the first thing anyone notices.
An old soft toothbrush lifts scale off the faceplate. A wooden toothpick pushes through a blocked orifice without scratching the plating or widening the hole.
Never use a needle or a drill bit. Both permanently change the orifice size and ruin the spray pattern.
Fill a zip-top bag with white vinegar, slip it over the head so the nozzles are submerged, and hold it with a rubber band. The most-repeated advice in every plumbing thread for a reason.
Check the bag is not leaking before you walk away. Vinegar left dripping down a wall overnight leaves a mark.
These turn a two-trip job into a one-trip job. None is required.
Buy three. They cost almost nothing and fail silently.
A hardened gasket is the single most common cause of a leak at the collar. Keeping spares means one trip instead of two.
Tip: Match the size to the head: most are 1/2-inch, but rain heads and imported fittings vary.
For prying out a stuck flow restrictor.
Grip the plastic disc through its centre hole and pull straight out. Only after the screen and nozzles are clean.
Tip: Check local water-use rules before removing a restrictor — in many places it is required to stay in.
For tapered metal joints only.
Useful on the arm-to-wall fitting. Unnecessary, and often counter-productive, on the head collar where a gasket does the sealing.
Tip: Two to three wraps clockwise. More than that stops the fitting seating.
Gentler than vinegar on delicate finishes.
A tablespoon per litre of warm water. Less acidic smell, and kinder to brushed or coloured finishes.
Tip: Never mix descalers, and never use hydrochloric-acid products on chrome.
Hardware shops sell "shower repair kits" containing six gaskets you will never use. A five-pack of the right size costs less and actually fits. Measure the old gasket before ordering, or take it with you.
Replacement heads are rated 1.5 to 2.5 gpm. If your supply is marginal, a 2.5 gpm head will feel better than a 1.5 — and a 1.5 will feel like a downgrade even though it looks identical on the shelf.
Strong proprietary descalers work fast but need thorough rinsing. If the head does not detach easily, vinegar in a bag is the lower-risk choice.
No shower head creates pressure. A head that claims to boost it is narrowing its orifices, which trades flow for velocity. If supply pressure is the problem, the fix is upstream.
PricesRanges are indicative retail prices in US dollars, checked October 2026. They are not quotes and we do not sell any of these items.