Expert: Sharon McCarthy - 7/10/2009

Question
Hello Sharon,

I installed a handheld shower in the toilet, the plastic ones they sell at Home Depot, but before a month, it started having problems, the flow doesn't stop when the "trigger" is released, and it keeps leaking forever. It's due to low quality manufacturing, and this is the only model HD carries, so I'm not going to replace it with the same.

I wonder if a kitchen sink spray can be adapted for this use. Maybe the spray is too strong? Is there a way to reduce the pressure?

Thank you in advance,

Rick


Answer
Dear Rick,

  I did this for a customer some years ago, and I used a kitchen hose and spray head. I believe the connection on most kitchen sink sprayers is a 3/8" compression fitting, some have "male" threads, some "female", whereas the shower hose connections are 1/2" "female" pipe thread.

  You didn't mention how you hooked up the hose for the showerhead. You'd need to find an adapter that would allow you to switch from 1/2" pipe thread to 3/8" compression. Also, you could get fittings to add on that would allow you to put a little valve on that same line. If you had a valve there, you could turn it down to reduce the volume of water coming out to a gentler stream.

  You are correct, the kitchen sprayer would be pretty powerful, so adding a valve should make this work. Note: no matter how large or small a pipe is, the water "pressure" is always the same. Only the volume of water is increased or decreased according to the inside diameter of the pipe.

  Let me know if this worked, OK?  sharon