Tool for scratchless install?

[crosby1]

ok, so i need to install a straight showerarm in the ceiling for an overhead rainshower.

i don't want to scratch the finish. i tried a strap wrench; couldn't get it tight enough and the strap broke.

i don't think i want to grab it with vice grips wrapped with cloth; i tried this once before and the whole thing slipped and ripped through and i ended up buying a new fixture.

what's the right tool for this job?

thanks.

[taysan]

Here's a thought - install either the new or maybe preferrably an old shower head to the pipe - this will give you something to wrench on to tighten the pipe down.

Then remove the showerhead and replace with the new one (if you used an old one for the installation of the pipe).

Don't forget the escutcheon or whatever the decorative cover is called!

[Verdeboy]

You can try inserting the rubber handle of a channel locks into the hole of the shower arm and tightening it down that way.

They also make scratch-free pads for channel locks:


http://www.protechproducts.net/images/tools.asp

[crosby1]

both good ideas. thanks very much.

[hj]

the mount for the shower head should have flats on it for use with a Crescent wrench.

[taysan]

He was trying to install the arm without the shower head on it, just clamping down on the arm itself.

[Basement_Lurker]

You can try inserting the rubber handle of a channel locks into the hole of the shower arm and tightening it down that way.

They also make scratch-free pads for channel locks:


http://www.protechproducts.net/images/tools.asp



Oooh thx very much Verdeboy, I didn't even know such a product existed...should come in very handy if I can get my hands on it!

:)

[hj]

Why? A tight arm, or rather drop pipe in this case, does not have to be tight until the head is installed, and then tightening the head will tighten the pipe. Channelock handles are useless for a straight pipe out of the ceiling.

[crosby1]

hj:

you are right. that's exactly how i ended up installing the assembly.

now, the problem is that there is a very slow leak from the showerhead/showerarm threaded connection. this is despite teflon tape.

should i use a thread sealant here instead? would that work better than the tape?

[hj]

It could take a better paste compound, Teflon tape, or both. No way to tell until you try them.

[gear junkie]

holy smokes, get an internal pipe wrench from hd for about 4 bucks. Get the 1/2" size. I like the kind with the swing arm instead of the screw type. Pipe dope always works better than tape.

[Winslow]

It should either have a place to put a wrench on the end by the threads or a place inside to put a hex/ allen wrench