my rental needs a showerhead upgrade..

By knitrat

I am renting a house and would like to change the showerhead, but the existing fixture is sealed with silicone tape. How do people deal with this stuff? Should I go at it with a monkey wrench and just force it off and tear the tape or is there a better way to approach it? Also, can anyone suggest how to remove it (it's sticky stuff).

Here's a related question, does anyone know of a less dangerous /toxic sealant than tile and tub sealant? I wonder what people doing green renos use..

thanks for your wisdom, curblies..

Tagged:
ecosafe-sealant bathroom-fixtures

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May 17, 2007

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knitrat

May 17, 2007

oh ok it must be teflon tape. thanks!

jerseyhouse

May 17, 2007

are you sure it's silicone tape? It sounds like teflon tape, which is used to seal pipe joins so there's no leak. In my limited experience, the way to get the head off is to just unscrew it with force.

If you don't care about the finish of the shower head, got to town with a wrench (you may need two, one to hold the pipe, the other to move the wrench)

Also, you'll probably want more teflon tape to make a secure seal with your new showerhead.

knitrat

May 17, 2007

that could help.. the tape is between the showerhead and the pipe, wrapped around the thread part and then the head was screwed on over it. thanks for the suggestions..

DLM900

May 17, 2007

If I am imaging your problem correctly, I would take a utility knife and move it around the connection to break the seal of the tape. That would make it easier to grab a wrench and loosen the connection. To clean off the tape, I've found WD-40 to be great at removing sticky substances (worked on silly putty)...