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Home Mod Monthly: The Inside Scoop on Hand-held Showering
Equipment
 For
seated showering, the ability to shower without hands is a
critical and necessary requirement. Frequently, it is difficult
to hold a hand-held shower and wash your hair or body at the
same time. For those with limited upper body movement the
task becomes almost impossible. Conditions such as arthritis,
carpal tunnel syndrome and multiple sclerosis can make it
difficult to grip a hand-held unit. It is also important to
be able to stop the flow of water easily and conveniently,
for example, when you are shampooing your hair. For these
reasons, our experts’ first choice in hand held showering
equipment is a product line from Alson.
When installing a hand-held showering system there are several
components that must be included in addition to the hand-held
unit itself, including a hose and mounting equipment. Many
showering systems are mounted on rails. These rails should
never be used as a substitute for grab bars. Sometimes, hand-held
showers can be mounted on grab bars but some of the flexibility
in directing the shower spray will be lost.
Our experts recommend the Alson 462 full-spray hand shower
unit. It has an integral on/off switch that pushes in one
direction to reduce the flow of water to a small trickle,
and then the button pushes back to restore the flow of water
at the same temperature. The button is of good size and easy
to push. An 84’’ long hose, #494 C Ultraflex is the best choice
to use with this device. While the accessibility code specifications
call for a 60’’ long hose, that length hose is only marginally
useful in many instances. The 84’’ long hose allows the hand-held
shower to reach behind a seated person to spray and rinse
a person’s back and bottom more efficiently.
The #4002 pin-mount swivel connectors are recommended for
use with this unit. The connector attaches to the base of
the hand-held shower, and has a female receptacle that is
mounted on a male-type pin so the unit can be held on a small
wall-mounting bracket and directed from side-to-side, as well
as higher and lower, while it can be used hands-free. This
allows a seated person to direct the flow of water to a desired
part of the body, and the adjustment is easily controlled.
The limitation of this equipment is the male/female connection
system. This requires control over fine motor skills to operate
in the hand held model. The small female receptacle must be
placed over the male pin in a precise fashion. For those who
are showering independently and who lack the needed fine motor
control, the Alson #3001 conical hose nut wall mount can be
used. This unit requires less fine motor skill to place the
hand-held shower in the wall mount, but this type of wall
mount allows less flexibility as regards the direction of
the shower spray.
The Alson # 15511, 24’’ long glide rail with the pin mount
is recommended for use with the Alson 462 full-spray shower
unit. This rail should not be used as a substitute for a grab
bar. This rail allows the user to adjust the shower spray
to the right position. This rail attaches to the wall of the
shower, usually the side-wall within easy reach of the user,
and it receives the hand-held shower and holds it when it
is in hands-free use. The male receptor in the glide rail
slides up and down with one-handed operation, and does not
require locking and unlocking to maintain its position.
There is a large variety of Alson products to choose from
in many styles and finishes including the Alson 62003 which
includes the Alson 462 head and the Alson 65003 which includes
the Alson 425 head for mounting directly on to grab bars.
Our experts report that the Alson products are virtually trouble-free
and easy to install. The water connections are made very simply,
and the small wall-mounting brackets and the glide rail both
come with adhesive backs. It should be noted that this adhesive
has a tendency to fail, so it is a good idea to attach these
members with screws through them that are received by hollow-wall
anchors.
The basic hand-held shower, swivel connectors, two simple
wall-mounting brackets, and the 84’’ hose have a retail list
price of $52.80. The 24" glide rail with pin mount has
a list price of $50.40.
Alson products are distributed nationally and are available
at many home center stores and at nearly all plumbing supply
stores. For more information about Alson’s products, visit
www.alsons.com
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