Securing Shower-arm?

[dkpbxman]

It is my understanding that the showerhead should be connected to an arm that screws into a "winged elbow"(?) that is secured to a stud or bridging between two studs behind the wall.

I wanted to change my shower-arm to an off-set one, to give me more headroom while showering. I'm really not that tall (6') but I think the house was originally designed for pygmy's.

Inspecting the old shower-arm, I found that it wasn't secured to anything and was able to move in and out of the wall(it had been knocked loose probably when the previous owner whacked it with their head while showering). Enlarging the hole in the wall, the pipe came out of, I was able to see that instead of using a "winged elbow", originally the shower-arm was secured by, First, attaching a 2 x 4 directly below the hole on the inside of the wall and, Second, bending a piece of metal strapping over the elbow "lip" and nailing both sides to the 2 x 4 below it.

I eased the elbow "lip" back under the strapping and was then able to change out the shower-arm so now I don't have to "scrunch down" to rinse my hair.

My question is: Is this set-up acceptable? and I just need to be careful in the future? Don't want to rip down the wall to do it "right" if I don't have to.

Thanks for any help,

Dan

[LazyPup]

It definitely would not pass a code inspection, but on the other hand I would not go to the expense and bother of tearing a wall out to change it either.

This is a situation where you may have to live with what you have until it either becomes desirable or necessary to open the wall up, then take the proper corrective action.

[dkpbxman]

Thanks, maybe when the house was built (1971) this was accepted practice.

Dan