How to get shower riser off the wall?!

[CloudsAway]

I'm trying to replace my shower riser as the rubber is coming apart. But I've no idea how to get it out of the wall brackets. All the instructions for new ones show the front end-cap coming off to expose the screws, but I can't see anything that would come off with mine. If I look carefully, I don't even see an edge at the front that would suggest something that would possibly come apart even, let alone a way to get hold of it. And just pulling doesn't seem to do anything - obviously I haven't pulled too hard as I don't want to break anything! It was installed when the bathroom was first built so I didn't see how it went in. No visible screws or edges/seams.

Any ideas? Thanks.

On the disc which is flat to the wall, is there a little screw on the bottom at right angles to the wall? If there is, it probably needs a fine allen key to undo it. It looks to me as though the bit with the rubber slots through that disc from the back.

no, nothing on the disc that attaches to the wall - in fact there is sealant all around that, so doesn't look like it's meant to come off at all. I thought it would probably pull out somehow from the bit where the riser goes into the wall bracket, as at least I can see some kind of join there, but nothing like screws or indentations or anything. And nothing at the front - all I could think is that maybe it's a really fine end cap that somehow fits inside the tube and once it's screwed on you can't even see it, but trying to twist the flat piece to get it to unscrew has so far done nothing at all - no movement. It's really puzzling!

Would the bit where the riser goes into the wall bracket manually unscrew if you turned it anticlockwise?
No offence OP, but you may need to spray the whole lot with some descaler to get anything to budge.
What make is it?

No offence taken! We live in a very hard water area. The chrome looks like that after a couple of showers, as soon as the water has dried on it, doesn't really matter how recently it was cleaned. But I will spray some vinegar on it and see if it makes a difference to the front cap, thanks for the idea. I'm not hopeful, though, as it still doesn't show where it should unscrew. Maybe with some kind of special tool to grab the flat edge so that it could be turned - a suction or magnet or something?! But you'd think I'd see the join in that case.

It can't unscrew at the wall, as it's got sealant all around it.

The rubber disintegrated in just over a year, and the riser spins round in the gap, so that's not scaled on . Just looks bad!

I can't find a brand name. Most of the taps are Bristan and I have a Bristan replacement, but the new one has screw on end caps where you can see a join a few mm in from the end. This one doesn't and they didn't recognise it. It might be that it's not something I can do myself and can only be done when the whole bathroom is retiled (in about 20 years time when I can afford that!)

The silicone seal will need to be cut very carefully, is your riser fixed to shower panels? If so proceed with caution, stay close to the backplate with the blade (scalpels are ideal for this type of job) rather than the panel so you don’t mark the panel surface.

The backplate looks like it should slide away from the wall along the support and turn upwards 180 degrees to reveal the fixings underneath.
Double check there’s no tiny grub screw underneath at the very bottom of the back plate as that’s the usual way of fixing backplate on bathroom fittings.

Definitely no screw; I've just gone it with a torch and checked carefully around both the top and bottom ones. The top one is easier to see as no scale on that one!

Even if I cut the seal, it's not clear that it would unscrew there, but maybe it would. I don't want to cut the seal unless I'm sure though! The new one looks like it has backplates that are pretty much the same as that, and they screw into the wall. Then the riser bracket fits into that, screws on, and an end cap then covers the front. It looks pretty much identical to mine, except mine has no obvious end cap. So it's very mysterious how the builders did it! And they, of course, are long gone.

I don't think it's on shower panels, not sure what that is.

There's a bathtub, with tiles around it going most of the way up the wall, and this is on the end wall in the tiles. It just holds the hose from the mixer tap.

The new one doesn't come with backplates, so I assume it's meant to fit into the same ones, somehow, which suggests that it should be removeable.

Otherwise I might just have to live with the unsightly rubber

Unfortunately the seal is going to need cutting if you want to change the riser anyway, if there’s no grub screw then it’s likely the seal that’s sticking the backplate to the wall. If the wall’s tiled then it’s an easier job but not necessarily easy depending on how much silicone was used!

I can’t see a front cap on the arm/bracket either so I can’t see any other way that it can be fixed other than how I’ve suggested, the backplate will only be a cover for the fixings and as such it needs to slide along the arm/bracket back towards the riser before you’ll be able to turn it upwards.

I also think the rubber shouldn’t have been fitted exposed the way it is and should have been further down the riser rail inside the bracket?

If you’re brave enough to try cutting the seal then do it on the top fitting where it’s less important.

I have to admit that I’m slightly puzzled that the replacement riser doesn’t have backplates? Is it not a complete unit?

Can you post a photo of the top fitting and have you checked that one for a front cap?

Interesting. The top fitting doesn't have any screws or anything either, but also doesn't have the silicon seal! Hadn't noticed hat before. However it still doesn't move (by hand), though it could be the water scale problem again or maybe I need tools. Sounds like that is the one to work on, though.

The new one doesn't have backplates but now that I look st it, I expect that it is supposed to go straight into the wall without them, as they have screw holes and fittings.

So maybe it means I will need to get the entire thing off the wall, backplates included, before installing the new one. In which case, it might be a job for someone else - plumber? not quite sure who actually as it's not plumbing. Someone with more tools that me perhaps.. I thought I wouldn't need to be dealing with any holes/drilling, but just replacing the tubes into the backplates and tightening screws somewhere. But looks like it's more complicated than that, if the new one just goes directly on the wall. No idea if the holes will even be in the same place. And I definitely don't want to take it apart if it needs new holes etc, as I have no drill and would be wary about drilling in tiles anyway.

The top one won't have sealant round it because the water from the shower is not going to get on it very easily. With no grub screw, it's likely the chrome coloured parts screw onto a backplate - like a lid to a jar -which is screwed into the wall.

Have you got a Stanley knife? You can use that to cut the sealant. If you have a Stanley scraper blade holder you can use that to clean the sealant off the wall before fitting the new bit.

I don't have one, but can get one easily enough. I might try harder on the top one first though. If I could get it off and see what the screws are like, I could tell if I could re-use the same holes to put the new one on. If not, and they need drilling into tile, I'd need someone else. Of course I have to get it to unscrew first. I'll spray with vinegar or something now and see if that helps!

It's much shinier now, but still not a hint of movement on the top one. Maybe it's screwed on really tightly, or needs a tool of some sort (I was just trying to unscrew it by hand)

I've realised that although I was sent the new one as a replacement, it's a newer version of what we think the old one might be, and the new one doesn't have the backplates whereas the older version does (or maybe there are just two versions of the same Kit number). So I'm enquiring about getting the one that does have the backplates, to see if that might give me any clues!

It appears to be a Bristan KIT100 C and I’ve noticed discrepancies with the part no. too and two different versions - even on Bristans website the photos don’t match the technical data! Anyway can’t find fitting instructions but found this drawing

Also found it for sale on Amazon, in the Q&A section a buyer mentions the backplates are attached via a grub screw yet the reviews state the riser rail looks nothing like the image so I’m guessing they received the ‘other’ version even though the images are of yours.

In case your not familiar with grub screw here’s what they look like

they’re very small 2-3mm screw into the backplate so they’re flush and not obvious unless your looking for them.

yes, it's the Kit 100C, so it looks like there are two versions. I suspect when they identified mine as that, they matched up my photo with the old version, but when it was sent to me, I got the newer one, which looks quite different. Mine has no grub screw, but looks like the first picture. Those instructions/diagrams sort of suggest it does just push on, somehow, doesn't it, the one that looks like mine. Not sure how I can get it off if I can't get it to move, though!

Also the photo from amazon of the one with the grub screw doesn't look like the new version I was sent, either. That one has screws through the back, and end-caps on the front. So the amazon photo seems to be something else entirely.

I've asked if they might be able to send me the old version that is closer to mine instead, but I don't know if it'll help if I can't get mine off anyway. And it will rely on convincing them that there are two versions of that part number! I did send links with photos, so it depends who reads the email I guess.

I may have to live with disintegrated rubber I guess, but it seems a shame. It is only an aesthetic problem for now though - although the shower riser twists around easily in the rubber rather than being held in place, it doesn't actually affect anything and the shower stays in position with normal use, so I guess it's fine. Just looks a bit grim!

thanks for finding that diagram though - I was looking everywhere I could find for instructions or illustrations like that to see how it was installed!

I think it might not screw in, but is a kind of push fitting.

If you get a flat screwdriver you should be able to pry the cover off. Work your way around it carefully though, so you don't snap the plastic.

Good luck

Sorry, that might that be confusing what I wrote.

I think the plastic cover is a push on fitting (held by small clips)

I think I see what you mean about it pushing on. I think it's chrome (though might have a plastic bit underneath) so hopefully less likely to snap than plastic.