I had just installed a new shower head on the shower pipe.
I took one shower.
When I went back the next day, I went to adjust the shower head angle,
and the whole head came off in my hands.

Turns out it actually broke the tip of the pipe in the shower head
itself (about one quarter of an inch of pipe is inside the plastic
shower head).

Now the pipe only has like 1 or 2 grooves (instead of the original 4
or 5).

I could buy another shower head, and just screw it on the one or two
grooves, but there is no telling if it will fit right, or if it will
leak, or what.

Darn it, all I want to do is take a shower.
How can I get a shower head on this thing?
I really don't want to take apart the whole thing.

Is there some sort of adapter pipe I can attach to the pipe (not
needing grooves) that comes with grooves?
It's okay if it extends the length of the pipe an inch or two.

Or do they make shower heads that can attach to any old pipe, grooves
or no grooves?

The shower pipe as you call it should unscrew from the fitting in the
wall. You can then get a replacement at most hardware stores.

Go hit the shower!

Robert Schultz wrote:

I had just installed a new shower head on the shower pipe.
I took one shower.
When I went back the next day, I went to adjust the shower head angle,
and the whole head came off in my hands.

Turns out it actually broke the tip of the pipe in the shower head
itself (about one quarter of an inch of pipe is inside the plastic
shower head).

Now the pipe only has like 1 or 2 grooves (instead of the original 4
or 5).

I could buy another shower head, and just screw it on the one or two
grooves, but there is no telling if it will fit right, or if it will
leak, or what.

Darn it, all I want to do is take a shower.
How can I get a shower head on this thing?
I really don't want to take apart the whole thing.

Is there some sort of adapter pipe I can attach to the pipe (not
needing grooves) that comes with grooves?
It's okay if it extends the length of the pipe an inch or two.

Or do they make shower heads that can attach to any old pipe, grooves
or no grooves?

When you say "grooves" you really mean threads. (You gotta "talk the
talk", Robert.)

Your shower arm broke because the cheap ****es who made it used such thin
metal that the act of cutting the threads ("threading") took away enough
metal so that it was paper thin at the root of the thread and broke off
without much provocation.

If you can find someone with an "internal pipe wrench" you can probably
remove the broken off part from your shower head and reuse the head.

If you can't get the use of that tool, and the broken off piece is as thin
as I expect it is, you might be able to drive the tip of a small
screwdriver between it and the female threads in the shower head and bend
it in and pry it out without damaging the shower head.

If you do get the broken piece out, or buy a new shower head, try seeing
if it will screw onto what's left of the existing threads on the shower
arm. If your luck is spelled with four letters rather than the three mine
is (B-A-D), then it might just go back on. If it does screw on, and
doesn't leak at the joint, then you're home free.

If it does dribble a little at the threaded joint, and that bothers you,
then you need to unscrew it and put some thread sealant on the threads,
then screw it on again. You could go out and buy some, "pipe dope" or
teflon tape, but since it's a low pressure application, you could probably
get by fine just by drying the parts and painting some nail polish on
them, then screwing it back while the polish is wet and waiting a couple
of hours before trying it. (I'll deny saying that...)

If the old one or a new shower head won't screw back on what's left of the
threads, then as suggested by others, you'll need a new shower arm. They
unscrew at the other end too, and hopefully that end won't break off like
the front one did.

Good Luck and Happy New Year,

Jeff

You might be able to get the


--
Jeff Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"If you can keep smiling when things go wrong, you've thought of someone
to place the blame on."

Robert Schultz wrote:

I had just installed a new shower head on the shower pipe.
I took one shower.
When I went back the next day, I went to adjust the shower head angle,
and the whole head came off in my hands.

Okay, I had somone I know come look at it.
All he had to do was unscrew the section at the top.
This turned into about a 6 inch segment of angled pipe.
He went and bought a new one, screwed it back into the wall pipe and
put a new shower head on it.
Bingo!

People in IRC efnet #help told me I'd have to cut open the wall and
replace the entire shower.
I'm glad I didn't listen to their advice

Thanks everyone for your help! I know a little more about things now.