Posts Tagged by handicap grab bar
Common Installation Mistakes With Handicap Shower Grab Bars, Benches, And Faucets
| Filled under Installing grab bars for handicap showers |
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The goal with any handicap shower stalls is to keep your family safe. However, there are some handicap shower unit assemblies that don’t have safety as a top priority, or the safety features may not work well with your current bathroom arrangement. When this is the case, you can install your own accessories, but you are going to want to keep a few golden rules in mind during the installation of each piece.
Handicap Shower Grab Bars
- Avoid any diagonal angles with your handicap shower grab bar assemblies. When pressure is exerted onto the bar from a diagonal angle, and the metal is wet, your family member could potentially slip from the bar, injuring themselves on the fall. Instead, mount the bars at key heights, both vertically, and horizontally, to ensure that you won’t have to worry about any accidents stemming from a wet grab bar.
- If you are personally installing the grab bars, make certain that they are installed to the studs in the wall rather than screwing them into the fiberglass enclosure. Fiberglass does not have the strength of the wood studs, and can easily give way when your family members apply pressure. You can avoid this by using a stud finder during the installation, and making sure that your screws bite into the meat of the wood, rather than simply holding onto the enclosure itself.
Handicap Shower Chairs
- Some shower chairs are incredibly expensive, but one great way to save money is to use a nylon, or plastic garden chair from your local big box retail store. These chairs are excellent in the shower, and do not hold water, so once you are finished, you can simply dry it off and remove it from the enclosure so that other members of your family can gain access.
- Fold down benches are another excellent way to accompany family members with disabilities, but avoid hindering the use of the shower for other people who need it. If you have multiple people in your family sharing the same shower, you may be unable to install a full handicap shower chair. When this is the case, consider the fold down bench seats that can be moved out of the way when not in use.
Handicap Accessible Shower Wands
- Remember to purchase a shower wand that has multiple power settings. Some wands have a large amount of pressure, which could easily irritate family members who have sensitive skin. When your handicap family member is bed ridden, this is especially true. Sometimes, the excessive force caused by single mode shower wands is enough to cause red marks and bruising.
- Install the wand in a place where your family member does not have to move around to reach it. Moving inside of the shower for any person with disabilities is providing a chance for a slip and fall injury. In order to cut down on the time your family member spends moving around, you will want to make sure the shower faucet or wand gets installed in a low enough position that they can reach without standing.
