Replacement shower hose UK: lengths, materials and fitting

A replacement shower hose for a UK shower must match three things. It needs a length that reaches you but can't dip into the bath or reach the toilet, the 1/2 inch BSP nuts most showers use, and your shower manual's rules. Common lengths run from 1.25 m to 2 m, in metal or plastic.

This guide compares lengths and materials, explains when a hose needs replacing and shows how to swap one by hand, including on an electric shower. For the wider picture, see our guide to filter shower heads in the UK.

We sell a filter shower head kit that comes with its own hose, so every rule we quote links to its source.

What to look for in a replacement shower hose

A replacement shower hose should match your shower's connection, suit the length you need and be allowed by your shower's manual. Most UK showers take a hose with 1/2 inch BSP nuts, with the conical end usually at the shower head.

• Connection: one major maker's hose page says its hoses use standard 1/2 inch BSP connections, and that almost all of them suit most showers and shower heads.
• Length: long enough to reach you, short enough to stay out of the bath and away from the toilet.
• Material: metal or plastic; what matters most is the compatibility each hose is listed for.
• Your shower: on an electric shower, the manual decides which hose can go on the outlet.
• Washers: one flat washer inside each nut.

Which end goes where?

The same maker's advice is to fit the conical end of the hose to the shower head; the other end screws onto the shower outlet. For conical and flat nuts, washers and how to measure your outlet, see our guide to shower head thread sizes in the UK.

Which shower hose length do you need?

The shower hose length you need depends on where your shower sits and who uses it, within one limit: the head must not reach into the toilet or dip into the bath. Replacement hoses are sold from 1.25 m to 2 m.

A hose buying guide from one major UK shower maker (December 2021) calls 1.25 m the standard length, with longer options often available. It suggests thinking about whether the shower is over a bath or in a cubicle, how low the tap is and whether anyone who uses it is tall.

The hose page quoted above lists hoses in 1.25 m, 1.5 m, 1.75 m and 2 m lengths. It says the longer ones suit people who need a long hose for accessibility reasons. The buying guide lists its own maker's hoses in 1.25 m and 1.75 m.

A longer hose also reaches further, and that has rules behind it. Water Regs UK says a shower in a typical home may be a fluid category 3 risk. A hose handset that can reach into a toilet bowl or bidet, though, is category 5. Unless the hose is permanently restrained or shortened to keep a set gap, the whole shower supply then needs category 5 backflow protection.

For the bath or tray, the handset should hang a set gap above the spill-over level. A shower maker's 2017 fitting guide for a shower kit asks for at least 25 mm between the showerhead and the spill-over level of a bath, shower tray or basin. For a toilet or bidet, it asks for 30 mm.

So hang a new hose at full stretch before you settle on it. If the head can dip into the bath or reach the toilet, choose a shorter hose, fit a hose retaining ring or ask a plumber about backflow protection. A shower maker's guide to replacing a hose (June 2023) says shortening a hose with clips may affect performance, and recommends a shorter hose instead.

There is no single legal hose length in the guidance we read. What the rules care about is where the head can reach.

Stainless steel or plastic: which shower hose material?

Shower hoses are made in metal, such as interlocked stainless steel, or in plastic such as PVC. Metal is traditionally seen as the durable choice and plastic as the modern one, but compatibility is listed hose by hose, not by material.

The buying guide describes its maker's metal hose as double interlocked, with a stainless steel clad sleeve, and says its metal and plastic hoses both work with most showers on any system. It adds that many plastic hoses imitate metal ones with a chrome finish.

Compatibility is the part to check. The hose page quoted above also sells a 1.5 m smooth hose, which its product details list as PVC and for mixer showers only. The page adds that this hose won't suit other types of shower, like electric showers.

Both makers sell their hoses as anti-twist or anti-kink, and smooth hoses are sold as easier to wipe clean. Neither feature changes the connection, or the rules your shower's manual sets.

When should you replace a shower hose?

Replace a shower hose when it leaks along its length, has stiffened with age, has collapsed or kinked inside, or restricts the flow. A drip at a nut is different: check the washer first.

The hose page quoted above lists three signs: leaks at the connection points or in the hose itself, a clogged hose restricting the flow, and stiffness from age and wear and tear.

The 2017 fitting guide adds a check you can't see from outside. It says a hose should be inspected periodically for damage or internal collapse, because internal collapse can restrict the flow from the showerhead and may damage the shower. It also says to avoid layouts where the hose is sharply kinked, as that may shorten its life.

• Drip at a nut: turn the water off, check the washer is there and sitting flat, then refit hand-tight. The replacement guide says a washer in good condition can be reused.
• Leak from the hose itself: replace the hose.
• Weak flow: unscrew the hose and check it is clear, not collapsed or kinked; replace it if it isn't.

On an electric shower, act sooner. An electric-shower maker's 2025 installation guide says not to operate the shower with a damaged or kinked hose, or a blocked head, because this may cause its pressure relief device to operate.

How long does a hose last? The makers' guides we read describe signs of wear, not a lifespan, so judge a hose by its condition rather than its age. For a drip that keeps coming back, our guide to fixing a dripping shower head goes through each check.

How to replace a shower hose, step by step

Replacing a shower hose is a by-hand job: unscrew the old hose, put a washer in each new nut and screw the new hose on hand-tight. Then run the water and check both joints for drips.

1. Prepare. Turn the shower off and lay a towel in the bath or tray, covering the plughole so a washer can't slip down it, as the replacement guide suggests.
2. Take the old hose off. Unscrew the head from the hose, then the hose from the outlet, anti-clockwise and by hand. Keep the old washers until the new hose is on.
3. Fit the washers. Place a flat washer inside each nut of the new hose, starting with the end that goes on the outlet.
4. Screw on the hose. Fit the outlet end first, then the head, turning each nut clockwise until hand-tight. On most hoses the conical end goes to the head.
5. Test it. Run the shower for a minute and check both joints. If one drips, turn the water off and reseat the washer rather than forcing the nut.

Don't overtighten: the replacement guide warns that it could break the washer or damage the thread. If an old nut won't turn by hand, a dry cloth gives more grip; if it still won't move, ask a plumber rather than forcing it.

Only if a threaded joint still drips with the washer seated and the nut hand-tight, turn the water off and add a few turns of PTFE tape to the outlet thread. Our step-by-step guide to fitting a shower head and hose covers that and the checks to make before you start.

Renting? Keep the old hose and washers so you can refit them when you move out.

Replacing the hose on an electric shower

Replacing the hose on an electric shower starts with the manual, because some makers allow only their own hose and head on the outlet. Order the hose your manual specifies, then fit it by hand as above.

The 2025 electric-shower guide calls the shower head and hose supplied with the shower a safety-critical part, and warns that not using genuine parts can invalidate the guarantee. It also says the outlet acts as a vent and must not be connected to anything other than the hose and shower head supplied.

Finger tight is sufficient for the hose and shower head connections, the same guide says. Hoses can be limited the other way too, like the smooth hose above that is sold for mixer showers only.

The 2017 fitting guide adds that no flow control should go in the outlet pipework of a shower, such as an electric one, that needs its fittings to act as a vent. If you were thinking of a filter head as well, note that Waterhush is not for electric showers unless your shower's manufacturer confirms in writing that a filter head can be fitted to your model, and read what electric shower manuals say about replacement heads first.

What we don't know

What no general guide can tell you is whether a particular hose suits your particular shower, or how long it will last. Compatibility is listed hose by hose and shower by shower, and the guides we read give signs of wear rather than a lifespan.

• Your outlet: most showers take 1/2 inch BSP, but the buying guide notes that some take 3/4 inch, and we can't see yours.
• Your shower's rules: manuals differ by maker, model and edition; the one for your unit is the one that counts.
• Flow: a collapsed, kinked or blocked hose can restrict the flow, but no general figure says how much a given hose changes it.
• Our kit's hose: its thread size isn't confirmed yet, so we can't promise it fits your outlet; contact us if you're unsure.

If anything here conflicts with your shower's manual or the leaflet with a new hose, follow those, and ask a plumber about anything you're unsure of.

Waterhush and your shower

The Waterhush Shower Kit is a handheld filter shower head that comes on its own 1.5 m hose, with one washer and PTFE tape. The kit makes sense only if you want a new head as well as a new hose and your shower has a hose outlet, and even then we can't promise the connection matches: the kit's thread size isn't confirmed yet, so contact us if you're unsure.

If you only need a hose, a replacement that matches your outlet and length is the simpler fix. If you want a filter head too, check the reach, as our 1.5 m hose may be longer than the one you take off. Hang the head at full stretch and make sure it can't dip into the bath or reach the toilet. The kit doesn't include a hose retaining ring, so if it can reach, you'll need one or a plumber's advice.

Waterhush is not for electric showers unless your shower's manufacturer confirms in writing that a filter head can be fitted to your model. Before you buy, our three-question check covers the basics, though it can't confirm the thread.

The bottom line

A replacement shower hose should match your outlet, usually 1/2 inch BSP with the conical end at the head. Its length should reach you without reaching the toilet or dipping into the bath. Metal and plastic both work if the hose is listed for your type of shower. Replace a hose on its condition, check the washer first for a drip, and on an electric shower use the hose your manual specifies.