Professional plumbing services can be expensive, but it’s often worth using them – even for simple things like changing taps, faucets or shower heads. However, the truth is that it’s not that difficult to change your own bathroom fittings (or kitchen ones for that matter) to complete your bathroom renovation.

With this in mind, we’ve decided to put together a short guide to help you change your own fittings without running into any problems. Remember, if you do have trouble at any point, it’s always a good idea to speak with a professional to ensure you don’t accidentally cause costly damage.

Before You Start

Before you start changing taps or shower fittings there are a few things that you need to do. Make sure that you:

• • Turn the mains water supply off if you’re changing taps, otherwise you will have a major problem on your hands.

• Use an old towel or t-shirt to block the drain so that you don’t lose any small parts.
• Place a piece of cardboard or blanket in the sink, shower or wherever else you’re working to prevent damage if you drop tools or other hard objects.
• Make sure you have everything you need.

It’s very important to make sure you have all the tools and materials you need, otherwise you might be stuck with no water while you try and find the missing parts. It’s a good idea to speak to someone at your local hardware store to ensure you have everything.

Changing Bathroom of Shower Fittings

Actually changing taps, shower head and other fittings really isn’t that difficult, especially if you follow a clear set of steps. The following should help you avoid any problems.

1. Ensure the water is turned off. We can’t stress this enough.
2. Remove the old fittings. This is usually quite easy. Begin by removing any trim or cover plates, and then move on to the fittings them selves. You may have to use a pair of pliers or other gripping tool here.
3. Make sure the exposed plumbing is in good condition without obvious signs of leaks or damage.
4. Take your new fittings, wrap them in a towel or shirt to protect their finish, and screw them into place.

Different plumbing systems can be slightly different, so the above process may not be exactly correct for all situations. However, it should give you a good idea of the steps involved.

Once you’ve successfully installed your new fittings, you can turn the mains water back on and test for leaks and other problems.

Although it’s entirely possible to install your own shower heads, taps and other fittings, there’s always the chance that you will run into problems. With this in mind, it could be worth using a professional plumber.

We’d always recommend speaking with a local plumbing business to see how they can help. Choose a small, local operator who specialises in residential plumbing. Ask them for a quote – you might be pleasantly surprised by how little they actually charge!