Honestly, I’d push back a bit on the rubber washer thing. In my experience, if you’re getting leaks or weird spray patterns, it’s usually because the washer’s either the wrong size or wasn’t seated right to begin with. I’ve had some last years without a hitch—especially if you spend a couple bucks more for decent ones. Teflon tape’s great, but if the threads or washers are shot, no amount of wrapping will save you. Sometimes it’s just time to swap out the whole shower arm or head... saves a lot of midnight drama in the long run.
Honestly, I’d push back a bit on the rubber washer thing.
I get what you’re saying about the washers, but honestly, I’ve had “decent” ones go bad in under a year. Sometimes it’s just mineral buildup or gunk in the shower head itself causing the weird spray. Before swapping parts, I usually unscrew the head, soak it in vinegar, and scrub out any junk. Nine times out of ten, that fixes the crazy spray for me—way cheaper than replacing stuff right away.
Honestly, vinegar soaks are great for mineral buildup, but if you’re getting leaks around the threads or water spraying out the sides, a worn washer’s still the usual culprit. I’ve seen plenty of “decent” washers degrade fast, especially with hard water. Sometimes it’s not one or the other—it’s both. I’d check both the washer and clean out the head. Not much point in doing one and skipping the other, in my experience.
Yeah, I’ve run into that a bunch—sometimes you swap out the washer and it still sprays sideways because there’s gunk stuck in the little holes or around the threads. Hard water’s a pain for both washers and buildup, honestly. One time I thought I’d fixed it with a new washer, but it was still leaking until I gave the whole thing a vinegar soak and scrubbed out the head. It’s weird how fast those cheap washers can go bad too... seems like you really do have to check both if you want it to stop spraying everywhere.
Hard water is the worst for this kind of thing. I totally agree that just swapping out the washer isn’t enough most of the time—if you don’t deal with the buildup, it’s just going to keep spraying all over the place. I’ve actually started using a little filter on my shower line, and it’s helped cut down on the mineral deposits a lot. It’s not perfect, but at least I’m not scrubbing out the head every month.
Honestly, those cheap rubber washers are a false economy. They degrade so fast, especially if you’re using any kind of cleaner or if your water’s even slightly harsh. I’ve switched to silicone ones—they cost a bit more up front but last way longer and don’t get brittle as quickly. Plus, less waste in the long run.
One thing I’d add: make sure you’re turning off the water supply before messing with anything. Sounds obvious, but I’ve seen people skip it and end up with a soaked bathroom floor... or worse. Safety first, always.