How To Fix A Leaking Shower Head Hose

A dripping shower head hose is more than just a nuisance.

It's a waste of water and money. Luckily, fixing that leaky hose is a simple and inexpensive DIY. 


I absolutely adore decorating my house and all the DIYs that go along with it.

Making new pillows, painting furniture.

Those are the fun ones. 

Unfortunately, when you own a home, there are also a lot of necessary DIYs.

Today I'm going to share one of them.

And it involves fixing a leaking shower head hose.

Is it pretty? No.

Is it creative? No.

But it's the kind of share that will save you a bundle, because I promise, you can do this one yourself.

In minutes. And often for free.

My tale begins years ago, with a fabulous two headed shower fixture from Pfister that I adore. One of the sprayers was fixed in place.

The other was a handheld shower sprayer on a hose. It's similar to this one.

It turned my shower into a spa and worked well, until a few weeks ago, when it sprung a leak.

The hose material split, high up near the shower wand and was spraying my ceiling, the wall and me. Right in the eye whenever I turned to face it.


Not as big a water problem as my kitchen flood, but not good.

Excess water can quickly damage sheetrock, make a mess of your glass shower doors, create mold and, even though I'm not a five year old who doesn't like to get their face wet at bathtime, it's still not comfortable.

So what's the fix?

Replace the hose.

Where To Get A New Hose

Now, I love Pfister. They have a super warranty and they replace their parts forever, no questions asked. I called them when I needed to replace my kitchen faucet sink sprayer hose and they sent a free one right over.

This time, I emailed them and they sent me a new hose, again for free, and almost overnight. 


Most manufacturers will do the same, so I always recommend a contacting them first. Let's face it, free is best.

Of course, you can purchase replacement hoses and other parts, too. I did that when I replaced my kitchen soap dispenser. 

You may want your part on the same day.

Or you may want to replace a plastic hose with a metal version. Or perhaps you want a longer one.

If that's the case, here are a few good affordable choices:

Extra Long Chrome Hose
72" Metal Hose
Metal Hose In Several Finishes

Either way the process will be the same.

A few quick points thought before we get started.

Many sprayer hoses are plastic. They tend to be stiffer and don't move well. Metal is a better choice if you have the option. It'll spin freer and won't tangle.

Some hoses will come with a teflon tape. You can use it, although it's not necessary. It's a sealant that you can add to the pipe before you screw the hose on to it. 

However, your pipe threads need to be very dry and if you install it wrong it can cause a leak. 

Most hoses will seal well enough on their own.

How To Replace and Fix a Leaking Handheld Shower Head Hose

1. Turn Off The Water

The first step here is to make sure your water is turned off. A lot of sites will tell you to turn the water off from the source, but we didn't need to do that. 

If the faucet is off, the water will not come out once you remove the hose.

2. Organize Your Parts

Next up, you want to remove your replacement hose from its packaging and give it a good stretch, so it straightens out.


Included with your hose should be two washers. One will have a screen. Place them aside for a moment while you remove the old hose from the shower head.

3. Unscrew The Leaking Hose

To do that you simply unscrew the hose from the faucet end of the fixture. 

If your fixture only has one shower head, you'll be unscrewing the hose directly from the pipe that comes out of the wall. 


Then you unscrew the other end of the hose from the shower head. Neither of these tasks should require any tools. 

Although you might need something to help you get a sturdy grip if they're wet.


Putting the new hose on, is just the same process in reverse. Super simple.

4. Add The Washers

Start by grabbing the washers and placing them inside the new hose.

The plain rubber washer should go in the side that will connect to the fixture.


The washer with the screen will go on the end that connects to the shower head. The screen will filter out any small pebbles or grit that may come through the hose and prevent them from getting into the shower head.

Gumming up the works.

5. Screw The New Hose In Place

Then just screw one end back onto the fixture itself.


And the other - again the side with the screen washer - into the handheld head.


When you're done you'll have a brand new shower head hose that doesn't leak.

And your bathroom will be as good as new.


It's an easy DIY.

A functional before and after.

And sometimes that's even more beautiful than being pretty.

Are you a DIYer?