Do you want to raise or lower your shower head height? It might be time for a shower head extension arm (or another plumber-free option to make your shower head higher).
Whether you're too tall or too short for your shower head, we'll show you 5 ways you can easily adjust the height of your shower head without hiring a plumber.
How Do You Adjust the Height of a Shower Head?
The way you adjust the height of a shower head depends on the type of product you want to use, the set-up of your shower and your plumbing skills (or lack thereof).
Thankfully, there are many products on the market that make a shower head extension a relatively easy project (like, an actually-get-it-done-in-a-weekend kind of project).
Let’s explore all the different ways you can deal with a shower head that is too high or too low.
1) Adjustable Shower Head Extension Arm
The easiest and most affordable way to raise the height of your shower head is with an adjustable shower arm. This type of shower head extension arm attaches to your existing shower arm pipe, acting as an extension, and then you can attach your existing shower head. (Or add a really nice rain shower head for that true rainfall experience!)
From there, you can elevate or even lower the height of your shower head by loosening up the wing-nut fittings and retightening them in your ideal position.
All you need for this installation is an adjustable wrench or pair of pliers, as everything else will come included with the shower arm extension. Even if you're inexperienced with plumbing, this install should be a breeze and will likely only take you 15 minutes to do!
2) Swivel Ball Adapter
We recently added this part to this article because we found readers with shower head height issues didn’t always need a shower head extension arm, they actually had issues with the adjustability in their shower head.
What we also found is that even though some of the other parts we recommend in this article work great at increasing shower head height, like the S-style shower arm, it presents an issue for shorter members in the household getting the shower sprayer to angle low enough to get decent coverage.
Here's a question, does your shower head spray the back of your shower wall instead of you? That's very likely due to the fact that the pivot ball in your shower head does not angle far enough downward.
The solution is very simple, a swivel ball adapter. It simply attaches between your shower arm pipe and shower head and increases the adjustability of your shower head.
It actually will lower your shower head height about an inch, but it will give you much more flexibility with positioning your shower head.
3) S Shower Arm
This is not your typical shower head extension. The biggest benefit of this type of shower arm is its durability. The drawback is you have to remove your existing shower arm pipe from the wall. While replacing your shower arm isn't technical, it takes a bit more force to loosen it up from the wall and might turn some people away from this option.
Although this is one of the sturdiest options, because it is fixed to your wall, it won't give you the most flexibility like the other options. However, it will give you a healthy balance of height and durability.
4) Shower Slide Bar
Last but not least, the most complex but most high-end touch - the shower slide bar. The slide bar mounts to your wall and then the hand held shower head attaches to the holder on the slide bar.
If you’ve been wondering, “How do I make my shower head adjustable?” then this solution is for you. With a shower slide bar, you can easily raise the height of the shower head up or down by sliding the holder mount up or down the track of the slide bar pole.
The slide bar we've recommended below mounts to your wall using screws and can be adjusted up or down by over 25 inches! So, you'll not only have a very sturdy product, but you'll have a lot of flexibility to position the shower head at its perfect height.
This is a great option if you have people of different heights living in your home and using the same shower. Users can simply lower or raise shower head height as needed when they get into the shower.
With a shower slide bar, you can use your existing detachable shower head with hose or you can buy a complete set that includes the slide bar, hand shower and shower hose to complete this set.
*BONUS* Matches Made in Heaven for Shower Head Extension Projects
Look, if you're going to go through the work of adding one of these shower head extension components to raise your shower head height, you should at least take the time to consider upgrading your shower head too!
After all, you'll already be removing the old shower head so it's not going to take more time to do so.
To make your decision a little less complicated, here are some of our top selling packages to raise your shower head height.
Option 1: Adjustable Shower Arm with Shower Head Package
These shower arms work perfectly with rain shower heads to create the ultimate adjustable height shower head. Even if you don't need to raise the height, you can use the shower arm extension to have the shower head reach overhead so you can stand under the rainfall.
Option 2: Shower Head with Slide Bar Package
Most slide bars only come with the slide bar and holder. Instead of buying an entire shower head set, that comes with a useless shower arm mount, it's usually more cost effective to buy the handshower and shower hose separately.
Luckily, here at The Shower Head Store we've put together the ultimate shower head with slide bar package. This package includes a slide bar, handheld shower head and shower hose.
Start Your Shower Head Extension Project
Ready to get started on your own project to raise your shower head height? There’s literally no need to wait. Stock up on the parts you need for your DIY shower head extension and get to work!
In no time, you’ll have an elevated shower experience - no plumber required!
And if you need help choosing between the different types of shower heads or need more advice to choose the solution that’s right for you to raise your shower head height, don’t hesitate to contact The ShowerHead Store.