using hand-held shower bar as safety bar?

14 years ago

We are having a hand-held shower installed on a long bar (Kohler shower slide bar). I understand that it just screws into the tile and perhaps the backer material and is purely for holding up the shower head.

Does anyone know if that same type bar can be anchored to the studs to be used as a safety grab bar as well, or would you have to have the pretty shower bar on one wall and the fat safety bar somewhere else? Our parents visit often and aren't getting any younger (compared to hubby and I, who are forever young!)

http://www.faucetdirect.com/kohler-k-8524-traditional-30-inch-slide-bar-for-performance-showering-systems/p231152

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janel84

9 years ago

I went with the Alno one inch ADA bars in both baths - one chrome, the other brushed nickel or stainless steel. One 18" horizontal on the wall opposite shower head wall up high at towel bar height and one 24" for the shower sprayer. On the ones for the sprayers I used the Grohe "Glide"part no. 12 353 in matching chrome & SS or Bn. I had to take an emery board and carefully file down a slight bit of a white liner part inside the grohe glides so they would fit onto the bars. They were slightly too small. I did cut pieces of lumber for braces behind all of them when the walls were open to the studs. I screwed the wood braces onto the studs. On one the measurement was off (mine) and the bar was too short for where the brackets were - it fit in okay but the set screw was missing it on one end. So I cut a copper pipe to fit inside that was just a little bit longer and the set screw then tightened up against it. That particular bathroom was plagued with troubles: Had to send 1st tub back as it was damaged, no one wanted to do my floor - small area but slate in two sizes & thicknesses and tiny mosaics also a diff. size and thickness (it looks good - I did it myself!) Then the sheet rock guy was drunk, the electrician wasn't one - he was a trainee (yes, I filed with the state license board on his boss), the wall tile crew wouldn't listen to a woman - they tried to put back up the drunk SR guy's cut wrong backer board. More than you needed to know.

I do absolutely love the bars. I'm used to holding on to the vertical one getting in and out of the shower. And they look good. I get a lot of "why didn't I do that" comments. But they were pricey - the Grohe parts alone were about $65 each then and the Alno bars were each $115 to $130.. I had to get out my insurance card and look at the emergency room deductible to justify them. Totally worth it many times over.

PS For the smaller bath, I put in a "rotator" shower curtain rod. It's pretty wonderful too.

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Comments (24)

David
14 years ago
I think you'd want a real safety bar. The shower bar is not strong enough.
davidro1
14 years ago
ditto.

I also agree that there Should Be One Somewhere to do both functions, but I've never found one yet and I've stopped looking.
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There's no one correct answer regarding elevation. The slide bar should be installed at a height that makes its range functional. That can make it dependent on the highest height you want, the lowest height you want, as well as the length of the bar itself. Some folks simply want to take a traditional shower. Some want to be able to lower the head so there is no way that their head can get wet. I've had some require a height for waist-down showers. And for shaving legs, some have requested the head to be able to be lowered to a mid-thigh height. I do have to say that I prefer the shower head to be able to be raised about 8" above the height of the tallest user. If there is no "tallest user" then I shoot for the bar to be set so the head can be raised up to a generic 7' above the shower floor. As far as centering things, again, that can depend on the style of the bar, the bracket, and the head. I do prefer the head to be close to centered. It can depend on the length of the hose too. Let's say the bracket offsets the shower head to the left of the bar. I might install the sliding bar to the right of center so the head can be centered. I might install the wall outlet just to the right of the bar. That way the hose will hang down from the wall outlet, make a "U" under the bottom of the slide bar, then go upwards to connect to the handheld. But again, that's dependent on the length of the hose and the length of the bar. But that layout will allow the hose to hang in a "U" shape flush to the wall instead of the hose crossing over in front of the bar and projecting out into the shower, or getting looped over itself in a twist. Sounds like a weird point to make, but it does neaten things up. The height of the wall outlet can depend on those same things. Your configuration, the length of the hose, etc. What you don't want is your hose to snag on anything when you adjust it upwards or downwards, the location of the wall outlet can be varied to minimize the possibility of that happening. Again, it all does depend on the fixtures in the shower. The length of the bar, the length of the hose. It's easy to mock things up with tape on the wall and a piece of rope for your proposed hose length. Don't forget that the style of the handheld itself can result in the actual shower head being several inches higher than the height of the sliding bracket. Some brackets are adjustable so that the handheld can be rotated up/down on the bracket, as well as the bracket sliding up/down on the slide bar. So a sort of ambiguous reply, but there is no hard and fast rule. Example, in my own shower? I'm 6'4, my wife 5'1. I have a 40" long slide bar. I have a large shower, so I have an 8' long hose. The shower head can go from well above my head to below the height of my wife's head. The hose allows the head to reach out and touch every point within the shower for bathing or for rinsing the shower walls down if needed. Depends on what you want. Some want the head lower for kids using the shower. Lastly, you can usually by just a wall bracket that can get mounted to the wall. So you can have your handheld on a slide bar that goes up and down as needed. If you then need an out of that range height, say for shaving legs, you can mount a small wall bracket lower on the wall just for that.
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That doesn't work like that, he is taking you for a ride. Completely wrong. Go read the pro's on the other post again. Thinset must me keyed into the Kerdi, 95% coverage at the beginning, there is no going back and adding.
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dianne47
14 years ago
No no no. Only use a true grab bar and make absolutely sure it's anchored properly to studs or properly installed backer. We had four grab bars installed for my father-in-law and took no chances.

We hired a pro do do the work and he did a great job. There are all sorts of "rules" for safety with grab bars. Call the local council on aging and get a referral for a pro. The guy we chose was an occupational therapist and did the grab bars as his second job. He was thoroughly knowledgeable.
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jacobse
14 years ago
Yes, there is such a thing! We just bought a grab bar which is also a hand-held shower bar. It's made by Jaclo. Our style is contemporary, so it's this grab bar...

with this handheld shower mount on it:

I haven't had a chance to shoot final pictures since these went in a few days ago; I'll post them when I do. Meanwhile, I couldn't find one picture with both on their web site. Jaclo makes a finish to match almost every other manufacturer. The grab bars are expensive, but this fit the bill to do the double duty that we wanted. (We also installed another one, just the grab bar, along the long wall of the bath.)

-- Eric
lecuzz
14 years ago
I have been looking at a moen hand held. If you want to use the moen shower bar as a safety bar, they sell an $18 bracket that must attach to the shower bar I suggest you call Kohler customer service and see if they sell a bracket or part that turns it into a safety bar.

good luck!
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User
14 years ago
We have the Moen and installed it to the studs while building in our walls. I bought the brackets but ended up not using them. But yes, it serves both purposes now, it's a bar to adjust the height and a grab bar. Works Great!
janel84
14 years ago
I need help with this too.
I just took back a Moen because the brackets were made out of plastic. I called Grohe and they said theirs were plastic too. I've ordered Alno safety bars that are one inch diameter thinking I'd pitch the bars that come with the shower slide systems and use those in their place on both baths. I'm not having much luck finding anything that will fit the alno bars. I guess I'll just keep buying every brand until I find one that fits. The P-f is also an inch in diameter but doesn't slide on the alno bar well at all.
This shouldn't be this hard.
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jacobse
14 years ago
Jane, it's not hard if you buy the bar with the slider from the same manufacturer -- only if you try to piece the bar and slider together from different companies. I posted above about the one we purchased from Jaclo; if that's not your style, you might still want to take a look at Jaclo because they have many styles of bars. (And Jaclo makes all their products in 17 different finishes to match most other manufacturers' finishes.)

-- Eric

Here is a link that might be useful: Jaclo
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Renovating Soon
9 years ago
We are looking for our shower fixtures and are wondering about this. It has been a few years since these posts. Has anyone started offering more shower bars as grab bars? We'd appreciate any info.
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sheloveslayouts
9 years ago
We have Delta grab bar as a slide bar. It was installed in February and we're happy with it. If I remember correctly, it was part of a new product line with Delta where all the products (towel bars, slide bars) are grab bar rated.
Renovating Soon
9 years ago
janel84 - Thank you for the detailed explanation of how you made things work. And...your story was kinda terrifying. I absolutely don't want to have the same experience!

But I'm glad things worked out for you, sounds like you created a beautiful-and safe- bathroom.

benjesbride - Do you happen to know the name of the Delta line?
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sheloveslayouts
9 years ago
I don't remember the grab bar line. One warning about our chrome delta grab bar is that there is one component that turned a slightly different color after a couple months daily use in our shower. This doesn't bother me, otherwise I would contact ferguson and ask them to replace it. We had great service from Ferguson Plumbing, their salesperson was knowledgable and pointed us in the direction of the grab bar slide bar. I think they're a national plumbing supply place.
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Renovating Soon
9 years ago
Wow....I am really wary about buying a fixture that changes color. I think that would bug me...a lot.
sheloveslayouts
9 years ago
Just so you know exactly what I have...The two rings that trim out where the grab bars attach to the wall each have circlular section that are a slightly warmer tone, almost satin nickel-ish compared to the rest of the chrome grab bar.

It would probably normally bother me a lot, but after a total gut renovation on this old houseI've had to let go of perfection to save my sanity. Especially on things that I might only see for a moment each day when I turn the shower water on and off. Also, at the time I was shopping for grab bars, these deltas were the style, function and best price point for us. I'd buy them again. I might request replacement trim pieces after I get a kitchen counter, but right now they're way down on the renovation's prioritized to-do list.
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Renovating Soon
9 years ago
ah ok! That doesn't sound as bad as it looked in my head. Do you think this might be the one you have?
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Renovating Soon
9 years ago

http://www.amazon.com/Faucet-52001-DS-Adjustable-Shower-Chrome/dp/B006WL03B2
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sheloveslayouts
9 years ago
No idea. My husband accuses me of seeing flaws that no other human being sees. I'd take a picture, but I don't think you'll even detect the difference. It's probably similar difference in the chrome components like fabric or carpet but from different dye lots. I noticed the difference after a couple months here, but honestly they could have always been that way.
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Renovating Soon
9 years ago
haha! I know what you mean about seeing flaws! I'm incredibly detail oriented and my better half teases me about it, too. After reading your description I thought "dye lots". If you don't think I would detect the different in the photo, I bet it is one of those things most people wouldn't even notice.
Nothing Left to Say
9 years ago
Fwiw, we have two of the jaclo slider grab bars. Very happy with them. When we put the first one in our master bath reno a couple of years ago, our GC joked that when the big earthquake hits, the jaclo bar will be the only thing still standing in the house.
marie2222
9 years ago
I installed a fancy Delta slide bar. I wanted to be able to grab it if I needed to. The part they sent to anchor it securely was just a giant molly bolt. I had it installed into a stud and it is really strong. I also have a grab bar. I am now looking for a towel bar that can double as a grab bar. I will check out jaclo. My towel bars disengage with a heavy towel - even though they are mounted on studs. It is very frustrating.
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aquinski
8 years ago
crl_, I know this is an old post, but can you tell me how the slider mounts on the Jaclo grab bars have held up? I'm thinking of the doing the same thing in our MB, but haven't seen any reviews of the grab bars used as sliders? Can you angle them at all, or just go up and down?
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Diane Clayton
8 years ago
Just moved into a new house that has a horizontal grab bar that I put a washcloth on. I like a horizontal grab bar. Looks nice.
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remodelzombie
8 years ago
I installed a Moen grab bar for our tub. I don't think the hand held shower mount would be safe to use as a grab bar.
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using hand-held shower bar as safety bar?

janel84

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