Many bathtubs can serve double duty as a shower. Usually a secondary water outlet is mounted in the wall a few feet above the tub faucet. This is a good setup if you like to shower standing up. There are alternatives for installing a hand-held shower in your bathtub without having to make major changes to your bathroom plumbing. Save money by installing a hand-held shower yourself.
Tub Faucet With Fitting
Tub faucets are available with a fitting that a hand-held shower can thread into. Many of these types of faucets come with a bracket--either as part of the faucet or a separate wall-mounted one--for the showerhead to rest on when not in use.
How It Works
The tub can still be filled with water if you wish to take a bath. A pull rod at the top of the faucet diverts water from the faucet to the hand-held shower when you wish to shower from a sitting position. An advantage to this type of system is the hand-held shower is permanently mounted and ready to use at all times. A disadvantage may be that if your tub drain stopper is activated by a pull rod, you may need to convert to a hand-operated or toe-touch stopper when this type of faucet is installed.
Installation
Installing a tub faucet with a hand-held shower fitting is much the same as replacing your tub faucet spout. You must remove the existing spout by twisting it off counterclockwise. If it won't twist off by hand, protect its finish with a rag and loosen it with a pair of adjustable pliers. Twist the new faucet spout with the shower fitting back onto the original plumbing. A few wraps of Teflon tape over the threads before installation will keep the new spout from leaking. Thread the fitting on the end of the hand-held shower hose into the fitting on the spout, then tighten with the wrench.
Portable Shower
This type of hand-held shower gets its water supply from the tub faucet but is not permanently mounted. A rubber fitting on the end of the shower hose fits over the end of the tub faucet. When the water is turned on, it flows though the faucet and out of the hand-held shower. This type of showerhead may be cost-effective over a permanently mounted hand-held shower, and no modifications are required to the plumbing or the existing faucet. A disadvantage may be that you have to install this showerhead every time you want to use it, and you'll need to remove it when you fill the tub with water.
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