rain head mount & polished nickel questions

12 years ago

I am in the process of purchasing Rohl Polished Nickel hand free 3 func shower set/rod; 8 inch rain head; thermostatic control and 2 volume controls for my shower.

1. I need help deciding if 8 inch is wide enough to enjoy the rain shower experience. I am concerned that if I go larger, I will have an issue with less pressure causing it to be less enjoyable.

2. I also don't know whether to ceiling or wall mount it.

3. If I do wall mount it, how long should the arm be?

4. If I ceiling mount on 8 foot ceiling, how long is the arm?

5. Is there a disadvantage to a arm with a hook rather than a straight design w/wall mounting?

6. Can I mix other vendor hardware - is polished nickel the same across vendors?

Featured Answer

treasuretheday

12 years ago

Our rain showerhead will be installed this week so I'm still waiting to find out if we made a good choice but here are my thoughts...

1. I need help deciding if 8 inch is wide enough to enjoy the rain shower experience. I am concerned that if I go larger, I will have an issue with less pressure causing it to be less enjoyable.

Besides the diameter of the head, there are also varying numbers of nozzles and also the GPM rating to consider. I would look for the highest GPM, which seems to be 2.5, from what I found.

2. I also don't know whether to ceiling or wall mount it.
3. If I do wall mount it, how long should the arm be?

I also prefer the look of a ceiling mount but agree with nycbluedevil.

4. If I ceiling mount on 8 foot ceiling, how long is the arm?

It will depend alot on the height of the rainhead that you choose because I found that they vary quite a bit. We have a tiled 8' ceiling and just had to choose a different rainhead because we decided to go with a shower door that went right up to our soffit. The door cleared the 5" stub left by the plumbers but none of us realized at the time that our rainhead was unusually tall. We ultimately found a rainhead with a lower profile and won't be using an arm at all.

5. Is there a disadvantage to a arm with a hook rather than a straight design w/wall mounting?

I can't think of a disadvantage other than any limitations (outside walls, etc) you might have on where you could run your plumbing.

Can I mix other vendor hardware - is polished nickel the same across vendors?

It's not the same across vendors but it can still be mixed in many cases. We have all Sigma faucets but will use a Jado rainhead in place of the Sigma rainhead. Jado calls their polished nickel "platinum nickel" but it goes just fine with my Sigma faucets. Sitting side by side with my Sigma rainhead, it might look ever so slightly cooler in tone but that would never be noticeable once it's installed. If you decide to mix vendors, I'd just make sure that one (or both) have a return policy if you don't like how they match.

Here is a link that might be useful: My previous thread about rainheads

Comments (6)

nycbluedevil
12 years ago
1. 8" is a bit small. It depends on what you are looking for though. The more concentrated spray from a smaller head can be quite nice, just not the whole body feeling you get from a larger one. We did a 10" in our master bath but we did a 7" in a tub/shower where we did not want to have a door and wanted the water to come straignt down to reduce overspray. They both feel really nice, just different.

2. Ceiling mount is a cleaner look, so if you can do that, it would be better, in my view. However, if you are unsure about using a rainhead, then a wall mount would let you change out to a regular head later on.

3. Long enough to stand away from the wall. The 15" arm is what I would do.

4. They come in varying lengths. Hansgrohe makes the mounts at 4" and you can stack them if you want. I just use one 4". It depends on the height of your ceilings and the people who will be using the shower. I used a 4" mount on an 8" ceiling.

4. Not sure why there would be.

6. They are not the same.
Martha Alvarez
Original Author
12 years ago
The Rohl shower head arms for wall mounting the rain head are either 12 or 20 inches so I guess I have to use 20 inches since 12 would put be me nose to wall under a rain head. I am using a separate hands free shower set on a rod so I can get a pressurized shower from that.
I was told by Rohl that the spray from an 8 or 12 inch rain head is the same since the can fills up and the outflow is 2.5 either way.
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busybee3
12 years ago
i have found that there is MUCH less variation in finish with the polished nickel finishes than with brushed nickel and stainless...
we have cifial PN faucets and shower head, a hansgrohe handheld shower, RH switch plates, alno knobs, and a TP holder i picked up at lowes i think and they all seem to 'match' color/finish wise very, very well...
Martha Alvarez
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks. I decided to go with a ceiling mount on my shower head.
1. So now I have to decide between Rohl 8" anti-cal rain shower head vs Danze 10" rain head. Would prefer bigger, but afraid of losing pressure on larger head. I called Rohl back and they gave me contradictory info on whether the flow was affected. Also, is anti-cal worth staying w/Rohl smaller head?
2. If I hang it 6" off my 8' ceiling, isn't that too high? I am only 5' tall, but my husband is 6'. Can't I use a 12" rod? Won't it splash over the shower doors if I only go 4-6" off the ceiling?
3. Speaking of glass shower doors, how high do they go?
Martha Alvarez
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks everyone. The order went in yesterday. I thought I was going to faint when I saw the total. But, my fault for picking Rohl I guess. I went w/a ceiling mount w/6" rod because I am 5' tall, if it ends up being too long, I could swap it out for a 4 inch or maybe cut it. I also went with Rohl 8" anti-cal rain head in polished nickel at the advice of the salesperson. I just have to get going on the doors next.