Do showerheads need replacing regularly?

Hi everyone,

Just curious to see if showerheads need to be replaced regularly? I've got a tenant who has been in the property for around 2 years and when they first moved in (Aug 2017) they reported that the showerhead is leaking so the PM suggested to get a plumber to replace it and thus done so. In September 2018 the tenant said it's leaking again so it was replaced once more by a plumber. They're now saying that it's leaking yet again and the PM suggests replacing the showerhead. I've emailed them asking if it's normal for showerhead to need replacing that often and was wondering what everyone's thoughts are?

Thank you!

 

How is it 'leaking' ?

 

No, it is not usual to need to replace a shower head every two years.

The cause of leaking can be determined by where it is leaking from.

If it’s leaking from the connection to the shower head (during showering) it could be that the threadseal tape wasn’t used correctly, or the screw on fitting just needs to be tightened a bit. These can work loose over time when the angle of the shower head is adjusted.

Alternatively, the tap washer might need replacing if it’s leaking when the tap is turned off.

Most shower heads will have a warranty. What did the plumber say the issue was?

 

More likely to be from tap washers than the head.

 

(assuming it's not the tap washers)

Is it one of these adjustable types.

I had a similar issue and tried a few types and found they do tend to leak from the pivots.

I'ts hard to find a good quality adjustable unit that doesn't leak or constantly come loose.

I ended up replacing it with a fixed unit that is less likely to leak.

 

Make sure a good quality fitting is used.
The cheapies don’t last long, and are false economy.

 

It is unusual that you have to replace so often. Have a look at the invoices, are they from the same Plumber? Did they explain?

I think I now know why I get so much stress from this job. Because we are husband-and-wife team and I am always very diligent: if we have this complaint, I will normally do the first diagnosis and trying to find a longterm solution, rather than a quick-fix. This is because I dont want to go back multiple times burdening ourselves and the Tenants. If it is a larger office with Receptionist on the other side of the phone, the person would just ring a Plumber. Repeat this three times until the Owner questions.....

We have one Unit which had "beautiful" (read: expensive) tapware installed. Since we took over it constantly gave problem. First hubby looked up the replacement and was shocked to find out the cost. Chat with Plumbers and they agreed. We then spoke with the Owners who had no idea what tapware they were (replaced 2 years earlier). Later we had several other Units with same complaint. Long story short, they then agreed to change to ordinary taps, not the cheapest but good enough. And the parts only cost one-third of the initial ones.....

 

Thank you everyone. I usually do try to go in and inspect the maintenance required as on a few occasions it has saved me the handyman fee (I'm no where near handy so it baffles me sometimes when all the tenant needs to do is pick up a screwdriver - I guess they don't want to be held responsible if anything were to go wrong?).

Unfortunately I'm currently overseas and when I enquired about the need for the 3rd replacement via email on Thursday, the PM replied to me on Monday saying the tenant ended up buying a new showerhead and cancelled the work order. Interesting...

 

It's not their responsibility, they report things not fix them. Unless they broke them you'll never here about those events though!

Some tenants will fix things and that can be troublesome for you too. Your shower may no longer be "water compliant" you may see an increase in water usage too.

Leaks from the replaced shower head should now be the tenants issue in my opinion.