Twin Shower Heads for Dummies

double shower head

You know you're probably in the wrong place when you fins instructions for a plumbing project and the author included "references" and "resources" that had nothing to do with plumbing, right? Right... Well, that's exactly what happened when one of the staffers did some research on an eHow.com post by Jennifer Ratliff. Jen's citations for "How to Add a Second Shower Head" included a blog post on replacing shower heads and a vendor site on choosing the right shower head. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything about plumbing...

There are a couple of ways you can answer that question: some showers are big enough that you can plumb them for two full shower sets (control valve and head) on different walls. What's probably more likely is that the OQ wanted to install one of those nifty rain shower heads in the ceiling, or even a setup with spray heads in the walls. Either way, it would take a lot more plumbing expertise than Ratliff displayed.

We aren't real sure where Jennifer came up with the notion that all you do is,

• "...Carefully gain access to the shower plumbing..."
• "...draw a line... where the existing shower head was installed... 6 to 12 inches to the right or left of the hole; this is where your new shower head will go."
• "Cut the supply line... 6 inches below the original shower head..."
• "Put a tee fitting on the supply line. On each side of the this [sic] attach a 1 ½ inch piece of pipe that will connect to 90 degree elbows. At the top of each elbow attach a 7 inch pipe, followed by another set of 90 degree elbows. Add a 1 ½ inch piece of pipe to these elbows, and place the new shower head connectors."
• "Assemble the pipes permanently to the shower head connectors using solder or PVC glue."
• "Once you've attached the shower head to the wall, repair any holes or cracks that occurred during the process."

Umm, Jennifer? Those instructions make a Y in the supply line: shouldn't that second shower head be connected by a T? And while we're at it, why in the world would you want two shower heads six inches or so apart? We mean, sure, like you said, "A shower after a long day at work can be relaxing, especially if you can share it with a loved one..."; but two shower heads that close together? Nahhh... Clearly, Jennifer had no idea what she was talking about, especially given her little "warning" at the end of the post: "Don't put a hole in your shower until you have made certain that the showerhead [sic] will fit in that spot. It takes a lot of work to fix a hole in bathroom tile."

No duh! Well, we have a warning for readers, too: if you really do want two shower heads, don't follow the instructions our Dumbass of the Day barfed out!

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