Rough in for shower head

[Debg]

this is the final rough in for the shower head before cement board . Already had rough plumbing inspection and nothing was said. Just noticed that the top of pipe is not secured. Dont want a wobbly shower head !
Should it be secured and how ? With the screw holes that are already there and a piece of wood to support the screws?
Just want to check before I contact the plumber or contractor. Walls are going in early this week
Thank you
I have attached a photo

 

[Reach4]

Showerhead is not a high stress thing. I am not a plumber. It is probably OK as is, but I might add my own piece of wood while the walls are open. Certainly stronger than necessary is not a problem.

While the walls are open, you may want to screw and glue some pieces of 4x4 in case you want to screw in some grab bars in the future. If you never use them, then the amount of work is not that great. Some places will cut the 4x4 pieces for you free or for a reasonable cost.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Bcarlson78248]

The added blocking for grab bars is a great idea. Also take a picture and measurements for the location of the blocking so that its easy to find later on.
I think the minimum grab bar to install initially is a vertical bar near the entrance point or controls, since it provides stability when stepping in and out of the shower. A horizontal bar across the end near the controls is also good to catch your balance once you are in the shower.

Bruce

 

[Cacher_Chick]

Yep, another piece of blocking and some screws to lock in the shower arm.

 

[Reach4]

Yep, another piece of blocking and some screws to lock in the shower arm.

Would you say that leaving it as-is would be bad practice, or meets minimums?

If you do that yourself, and if you have a self-centering drill bit, that is good for starting the pilot for the screws. Otherwise find your center punch.

 

[Cacher_Chick]

Thi

Would you say that leaving it as-is would be bad practice, or meets minimums?

If you do that yourself, and if you have a self-centering drill bit, that is good for starting the pilot for the screws. Otherwise find your center punch.

Think about 20-30 years of people adjusting the shower head. Think of all the accessories people use that hang off the shower arm. It's one of those things best made to be as solid as possible.

 

[Jadnashua]

They put those dog ear slots/screwholes on the el for a reason. It always bugs me if I'm somewhere and they didn't anchor the line. Being tall, I tend to need to move the head so I can rinse my hair without bending way over. IMHO, it's just a lazy way to do plumbing for a shower. Some don't anchor the valve, either, relying on the pipes' rigidity to keep the valve in place.

 

[Debg]

Thank you! Had contractor fix this issue
Now I have another issue of possible bad cement board installation in tub/shower alcove and squeaky acrylic tub since this installation . Did not creak before and they supposedly did mortar bed but maybe installer standing on ledge of tub loosened things up
Won’t let tiling happen until this is corrected .any thought?
Attached photos of cement board
In addition, looks like they used dry wall vs cement board screws

 

[Bcarlson78248]

What are they going to use as a moisture barrier over the cement board?

I'm not experienced with installing tile in a shower, but my understanding is that cement board still allows moisture penetration, so you need to used Schluter Kerdi membrane or RedGard, or some other means to make it waterproof before you install the tile.

Bruce

 

[Cacher_Chick]

Should be a proper screw every 9 inches into the studs. Should not be gaps larger than 1/8". Cement board must have waterproofing applied before tiling.

 

[Jadnashua]

What are they going to use as a moisture barrier over the cement board?

I'm not experienced with installing tile in a shower, but my understanding is that cement board still allows moisture penetration, so you need to used Schluter Kerdi membrane or RedGard, or some other means to make it waterproof before you install the tile.

Bruce

Industry standards call for EITHER, a moisture barrier BEHIND the CBU, or waterproofing ON the CBU...it appears that the contractor is using the former, which is an approved method, assuming the other things are done properly (which do not appear to be so).

CBU is not waterproof, but is not damaged by being wetted. Because some moisture can get in, you need to protect things like the studs behind. Your enclosure should be built to prevent water flowing behind it, but nothing should be damaged if it got there by going through, since the volume and vapor pressure is so low...the moisture barrier will prevent it from damaging things behind.

My preference is to make the enclosure waterPROOF, and that can be done with something like RedGard or Kerdi (or other products).