Bathroom · DIY guide

How to replace a showerhead

A like-for-like showerhead swap onto an existing arm is maintenance, and you can do it yourself in Victoria. Changing to a rail shower, a ceiling-mounted head, or anything that needs the wall opened is installation work and needs a licensed plumber.

  • DifficultyEasy
  • Time10–20 minutes
  • Materials$40–200

Legal in Victoria when you are changing over to a 3-star shower head

Checked as at September 2026. Rules and prices change — confirm anything you are about to act on.

What you need

  • New showerhead with the same thread (almost always 1/2 inch BSP)
  • Thread seal tape (plumber's tape)
  • Adjustable spanner or multigrips
  • Cloth or masking tape to protect the finish

Step by step

  1. Check what you actually have

    Look at how the head attaches. If it screws onto a protruding arm, this is a DIY job. If it comes straight out of the wall with a concealed connection, or it is part of a rail set with a mixer, stop here.

  2. Remove the old head

    Wrap the arm in cloth or masking tape so the spanner does not mark it. Hold the arm still with one hand and turn the head anticlockwise. If it is seized, a few minutes with vinegar on a rag around the joint usually frees it. Do not lever against the wall — you will crack the tile.

  3. Clean the thread

    Strip off all the old thread tape and any mineral build-up. Anything left behind stops the new tape sealing and you will get a weep at the joint.

  4. Tape the thread correctly

    Wrap the thread seal tape clockwise as you look at the end of the arm — the same direction the head screws on — three to four turns, pulled firm into the thread. Wrapped the wrong way it simply unwinds as you tighten.

  5. Fit and test

    Screw the new head on by hand until firm, then a quarter turn with the spanner. Do not gorilla it — these are usually brass or plastic threads. Run the shower and check the joint for weeping; another quarter turn usually settles it.

Common mistakes

  • Wrapping the thread tape anticlockwise
  • Overtightening and cracking the fitting
  • Levering against the tiles
  • Not checking the flow rate — a high-flow head on a low-pressure system disappoints

When to stop and call someone

Anything that involves opening the wall, changing the arm, moving the outlet, or installing a mixer is licensed plumbing work in Victoria. So is fitting a rail shower where none existed.

This guide is general information, not advice for your particular house. Rules change — check the current position with the Building and Plumbing Commission, Energy Safe Victoria and WorkSafe Victoria before you rely on it. Plumbing, gas and electrical work must be done by a licensed practitioner. If your home was built or last renovated before 1990, assume asbestos until it is ruled out — see what a strip-out finds.

Doing this in an older Melbourne home?

What you find behind the wall depends a lot on when the house went up, and that varies suburb by suburb. If the job turns out to be bigger than a weekend, these pages set out what we usually find and what a full renovation costs there:

See every suburb we cover →

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