What the Clark shower line covers
This collection holds the Clark shower range: fixed and adjustable showers on an arm, hand showers, rail showers, rail showers with an overhead, overhead heads on their own and a run of wall and ceiling arms. The line is built in a few named groups. Round Basic is the plain round set for replacing an old shower. Round II and Square II are the overhead and rail ranges, with a round or square head. Every shower item lists a WELS 3 star rating at 9 litres per minute, a half inch connection and easy-clean silicone nozzles.
The range is small, so the useful question is which model suits the job. The same choices apply across all of them: fit, material, flow and pressure, height and care. For the arms on their own, see Clark shower arms. The full range across makers sits in showers.
Round Basic: the replacement set
The Round Basic range is written for replacement. The Round Basic Fixed Shower is a rose and an arm in the box, with a single function and easy-clean silicone nozzles. The Round Basic Adjustable Shower adds an adjustable arm, so you can set the height after fitting. The head is 100 mm across, in metal construction with a chrome finish, rated 3 star at 9 litres per minute. The Round Basic Hand Shower and the Round Basic Rail Shower are the handset versions. The hand shower has a combined water inlet and shower bracket that fits an existing half inch water inlet, and the rail has a slider for height adjustment and a top inlet for a retrofit.
Round II and Square II overheads
The Round II overhead is a round rain shower with easy-clean silicone nozzles, a generous 200 mm radius and a choice of chrome, matte black and brushed nickel. The Square II overhead is the square version with the same 200 mm radius. Both are sold as the head only, so you pair them with a ceiling or wall arm, and a matte black head wants a matte black arm in the ceiling or wall option. Their boxes list a shower rose and installation instructions. For the wider rain head guide, see rain showers.
Rail showers and rail showers with an overhead
The Round II rail shower puts the handset on a vertical rail with a slider, so each person can set the height. The Round II rail shower with overhead and the Square II rail shower with overhead add a fixed overhead and an integrated diverter that switches the water between the hand shower and the overhead. The rail has water running through it, which removes the need for a separate inlet for the hand shower, and a top water inlet makes a retrofit or replacement easy. The Round II rail with overhead has a rail length of 600 to 800 mm and a top inlet, with 3 star ratings at 9 litres per minute on both outlets, an integrated diverter, a smooth hose and a pressure range of 150 to 1000 kPa.
Check at least 600 mm of wall width for a rail, and put the bottom of the rail at about 950 to 1100 mm and the top at 1600 to 1800 mm. A rail needs a solid fixing and proper sealing to avoid leaks behind tiles, so check what is behind the tile first. For the general rail guide, see shower on rails, and for how twin sets work, see twin shower heads.
Hand showers
The Clark hand showers are the simplest way to add a spray you can aim. The Round Hand Shower has a combined water inlet and shower bracket, fits an existing half inch water inlet and has one spray function on the handset. A handheld is useful for rinsing hair, bathing children, cleaning the shower and for people with limited mobility. A handset on a hose has more joints, and the hose wears over time, so inspect the hose now and then, and replace it if it kinks or splits. For the wider guide, see hand held shower heads.
What the pieces are made of
The materials are worth knowing before you buy. The Round II rail has an ABS plastic hand piece and a metal rail and brackets. The Round Basic Adjustable is metal. Stainless steel and solid brass resist corrosion better than ABS plastic, especially in humid bathrooms. A plastic hand piece is light in the hand and does not scratch tile when it is dropped, and many handsets are plastic for those reasons. Treat the finish on a plastic part gently, and choose a metal head if you want the longest life from the part that faces the water every day.
The finishes include chrome, matte black and brushed nickel. Chrome is bright and wants a regular wipe for fingerprints and water spots, matte black hides fingerprints and looks best with a soft cloth, and brushed nickel suits hard-water households better than a polished finish. For finish-led browsing, see chrome showers, black showers and brushed nickel showers.
Can you replace a shower head with any brand?
Mostly, yes. Most Australian shower heads use a standard half inch BSP thread, and the Clark showers have a half inch connection. A Clark head will usually screw onto another maker's arm, and another maker's head will usually screw onto a Clark arm. The things that differ are the weight, the finish and the length. Check that the arm carries the head, because compatibility depends on the head's size, weight and connection type. Then match the finish so the two read as one piece. For the arms, see shower arms.
What shower head gives you the most pressure?
None can raise the pressure that arrives. The head only changes how the flow feels. A high-pressure style head changes the nozzle design and the spray pattern to feel stronger, and it cannot increase mains pressure. What actually weakens a shower is a clogged head, flow restrictors, ageing pipes, hidden leaks, limits on the supply at peak times, a faulty valve or a low-pressure water heater. The first steps are to clean or replace the head, check the main valve is fully open and try the shower at an off-peak hour.
Flow, WELS and water use
Every shower item here is rated 3 star at 9 litres per minute, which is the 7.5 to 9 litres per minute band and the most common rating. Moving from 9 to 7.5 litres per minute saves thousands of litres of water a year, and some instantaneous gas hot water systems need a higher flow to fire. The Clark range is at the 9 litre end, so it is a safe match for a gas instantaneous system. For a rail with an overhead, both outlets are each 3 star at 9 litres per minute. A diverter that runs one outlet at a time keeps the flow at that figure.
Matching Clark showers to the rest of the room
Match the shower with Clark taps and accessories for a consistent look, because the same finish names run across the range. Use one main finish with at most two in a room, and a single finish across the tapware, shower, towel rails and accessories. A chrome shower works with almost anything, a matte black shower wants black fittings nearby so it does not look like an odd one out, and brushed nickel pairs with warm timbers and white stone. The mixer is a separate purchase; see shower mixers. A rail with an overhead still needs a mixer with a diverter, or a combination outlet.
What is in the box
- The Round Basic Fixed and Adjustable showers: the rose, the arm and installation instructions.
- The Round Basic Hand Shower: the hand shower piece, a hose and installation instructions.
- The Round Basic Rail Shower: the hand shower piece, the rail, a hose, a slider and installation instructions.
- The Round II and Square II overheads: the rose and installation instructions, with the arm sold separately.
- The Round II and Square II rails with an overhead: the rose, the rail, the hand piece, a slider, a hose and installation instructions.
- The Clark arms: the arm only, with the shower head sold separately.
Anything not in the box should be treated as a separate purchase, bought with the rest in the same finish.
Heights
Set a fixed wall head at 2000 to 2100 mm above the finished floor to the centre of the arm outlet, and 2100 to 2200 mm for a tall household. The top of a rail sits at about 1800 to 1900 mm, and a wall mixer goes at 1000 to 1100 mm. Wall arms project 300 to 400 mm. A rain head on a ceiling arm sits at 2100 to 2200 mm, depending on the ceiling, with at least 20 cm between the head and the user's head. Confirm the heights at rough-in, before tiling.
Cleaning and fit
For care, use warm water, mild soap and a soft cloth, rinse and dry, and keep abrasives and strong chemicals away. Silicone nozzles rub clean with a finger, which is a help in hard water areas. For a deeper clean, tie a bag of warm water with a few drops of mild dishwashing liquid over the head for 30 to 60 minutes, then use a soft toothbrush on the nozzles. Check the care line before using vinegar on a coated finish.
A like-for-like head swap is a simple job with an adjustable wrench, thread seal tape and a soft cloth. Turn the water off at the shower valve, unscrew the old head anticlockwise, clean the threads, wrap new tape clockwise two to three times, hand-tighten the new head and give it one gentle turn with the wrench, then check for leaks. Other water supply plumbing work needs a licensed plumber, and the rules on what an owner may do themselves differ by state. Call a plumber for leaks that will not stop, a damaged arm pipe or any change to the outlet.
