Ooops - B00gered Up My Shower Head.... now I smell

PasturesNew

Hey... I hope somebody can help me.

I've got a shower. I am not used to having a shower. It is a Triton T80si.
I don't know if the shower-head is original or a replacement.

I know nothing about showers/shower heads.

Tonight I decided to take a shower. What I tend to do is stand outside of it for the 10 seconds while it warms up. As I was doing this, I spotted that the shower-head looked like it needed cleaning, so, handy J cloth in my hand, I wiped/rubbed across the shower-head with the J cloth while the water was coming out .... only the water stopped coming out.

Ooops!

It seems bunged up. So I turned it off pronto. There was a light hissing sound and it sounded like the water was backing up through the pipe.

The shower-head itself is white plastic with some grey bumps around the outside edge (almost as if you can turn it to change the spray, but I've never managed to make it move round, so it might be decorative).
Then there is the straight plastic handle part.
Next there is the metal-covered pipe.
Under the shower unit on the wall is a nut.

Now, I have 0 (ZERO) DIY skills. In fact I am cursed.
I have 0 tools. And no idea how to use the simplest.
I am also petrified that if I touch a thing the whole thing will explode in a fountain of unstoppable water.

If anybody can help guide me as to what's gone on, what I can do ... that'd be great.

I can take photos if required (although that won't be quick/easy, it's achievable).

*smiles*

Thanks!

jackieb

You haven't pushed the rubber bits where the water comes out, up into the actual showerhead, have you? If you have, just unscrew it and push them back down.

pboae

Screwfix have an instruction manual here
http://www.screwfix.com/sfd/i/cat/pdfs/65/p4205365.pdf

The showerhead is removable, but it looks you need a special tool to remove it. Do you have the packaging and instructions for the shower somewhere?

PasturesNew

jackieb wrote: »

You haven't pushed the rubber bits where the water comes out, up into the actual showerhead, have you? If you have, just unscrew it and push them back down.

Oh, no idea. I will put that down as "possibly/most likely/hope so as it sounds fixable"

pboae wrote: »

Screwfix have an instruction manual here
http://www.screwfix.com/sfd/i/cat/pdfs/65/p4205365.pdf

The showerhead is removable, but it looks you need a special tool to remove it. Do you have the packaging and instructions for the shower somewhere?

Thanks, I will look at that, although mention of a special tool is a pain.

No packaging/instructions - this is a rented flat. I should think the landlord doesn't have them either, I bet he bought it from another landlord and never had them.

I'll check out that PDF.

PasturesNew

Well, if I am reading the PDF right it indicates that the shower head should just twist off. And it tells you the direction.

If you're weak and pathetic, and trying in both directions doesn't work, you can get nowhere.

But knowing that twisting IS the right thing to do and the direction, means I can really try to come up with some genius ways to grip and twist it. I wouldn't normally do that because if I just tried there's the chance it would break and that it didn't screw off at all. So I am always wary.

I'll try that tomorrow. I don't like doing things at night time. I figure if it all goes horribly wrong, at least in the daytime you're dealing with a crisis in daylight, which is better.

jackieb

Good luck. I hope it's something easily fixable!

[Deleted User]

Hi,

if you can't get into shower head to check things out, stop futtering about, with water off, remove shower head from hose, point hose into bath/base and turn on water, to make sure water is flowing through hose.

If so, good, turn off water, and nip down to Argos for new shower head,

3 mode for only £2.99, sorted. :j

PasturesNew

[Deleted User] wrote:

Hi,

if you can't get into shower head to check things out, stop futtering about, with water off, remove shower head from hose, point hose into bath/base and turn on water, to make sure water is flowing through hose.

If so, good, turn off water, and nip down to Argos for new shower head,

3 mode for only £2.99, sorted. :j

This is all well outside of my skill set and capability. And I have Aspergers, so dealing with this kind of thing is a major test of my reserve energies as I go into meltdown.

As you can tell, I am hiding from the shower. I've been awake an hour and too petrified to go in there and dabble.

I know there will be tears.

I was hoping the head would come off from the hose because that makes it easier to take it away and force it (force because I am weak/pathetic and can't undo jars often) Well, I was hoping it would just easily unscrew off or something. But that'd be another fear if it did ... I could just not shower. Ever again. I could use one at a swimming pool or something. For years.

Nip down Argos, now I really want to cry. I am rubbish at this. I really am. In fact, I could just move house instead.

But really, I am petrified of doing any of this. And now having an anxiety moment

Sucks to be me.

I'll make a coffee, have a cig and think about. I can't avoid the room entirely, the loo's in there.

And it's annoying because I tried to do the right thing (clean the shower head) ... and fooked it up. Should have just left it dirty. DIY cursed I am.

PasturesNew

Well, the shower head did unscrew. And my worst nightmares didn't happen. So it didn't all break, water didn't start spraying/flooding everywhere.

There was a thick/floppy rubber inlay in there, with nobbles on. The nobbles go through the holes in the hard plastic shower head. So I had an old toothbrush for these jobs and I scrubbed it all through with hot water, washing up liquid and a toothbrush. Although it wasn't manky or clogged. I then seated the floppy rubber bit, making sure the nobbles were back through the shower head. All looked a treat. Then I used a big pin to check all the holes in the nobbles were clear. Yes.

Screwed the head back on. All confident. No change. Water is dribbling out of a few holes, not using all the available holes. And there was still a sound of water backing up in the system. So I tried one more time. Same result.

Plan B: Phoned landlord.

I feel I did something. They're coming over later to look.

Thanks for your help guys, I'd have not got round to doing anything about this for days if you'd not been here ... and that shower is the only way I have to get clean, so things would have been getting a bit too funky in the armpit region!!

jackieb

PasturesNew wrote: »

There was a thick/floppy rubber inlay in there, with nobbles on. The nobbles go through the holes in the hard plastic shower head. So I had an old toothbrush for these jobs and I scrubbed it all through with hot water, washing up liquid and a toothbrush. Although it wasn't manky or clogged. I then seated the floppy rubber bit, making sure the nobbles were back through the shower head. All looked a treat. Then I used a big pin to check all the holes in the nobbles were clear. Yes.

That's what I meant in post #2.

Well at least you know it isn't that, and you tried to do something.