1. 06/2011
Holger Jentsch (TQC)
6th of May 2011
Freehander exposed
Freehander concealed
Freehander US

2. Problem Description: Frequently upcoming customer complaints about seized and stiff Freehander shower arms, in worst case this leads to a complete break.
Root Cause: Corrosion on the inner elements (sleeve and bolt) of the breaking system leads to the described malfunction.
The nitrated stainless steel material used was generally not compatible for use in water surroundings.

3. Measures initiated:
The material of sleeve and bolt changed to a special tool steel 16MnCr5. This material has identical handling characteristics but shows no corrosion problems.
The nitration process improves the corrosion resistance of this material.
New sleeve and bolt in series production since May 2011.
Furthermore we detected in the Lifetest that there is a risk that the grub screw on the water supply side can get loose during use. Therefore the grub screw is glued from April 2011 on.

4. Solution/What we want you to do:
In case of upcoming problems with seized or stiff products we offer a repair kit that includes:
sleeve and bolt made from the new material 16MnCr5
grease for the lubrication of the parts
The repair kit can be ordered by SMO Number
For dis- and reassembling a special adaptor key is needed.
The adaptor will be sent out to you according to the quantities forecasted.
Please refer to the separate step by step repair instructions for further details.
Only if the shower arm already broke, the complete product has to be replaced.