Bathroom Shower Drain

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bholbrook1003

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I am a bit of a handyman, sub-contractor, and DIYer and this is my first post so don't be too harsh. I evidently have been doing good work because I keep getting referrals. I am doing my third shower from the ground up and have run into a problem.
The previous plumber/installer made the drain too low AND the concrete base slightly slopes away from the drain causing a leak. That is why I have the job
My question is simple enough. I have searched this forum and online and cannot find an answer. Is there a drain extender of sorts that can bring the drain assembly up to the level of the concrete without having to bust it all up and basically start over?

Any help would be greatly appreciated
 

Jadnashua

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Is this a clamping drain? If so, the top part is threaded and adjusts in height.

A conventional shower is made up of the following layers:
- preslope
- liner
- setting bed
-tile

You notice that the liner is on top of the preslope (required by code - the tile is NOT the waterproofing, it is a decorative, wear layer) which connects to the clamping drain, keeping the weepholes free to drain water that gets there...then, the setting bed gets added on top of the liner. Over a slab, you can taper the preslope to almost zero thickness (you need lots more over a wooden subfloor).

A picture of what you have might help. If you have questions on industry approved methods of building a shower, you might want to buy a copy of the TCNA Handbook (updated yearly), and choose one of the approved methods.

Depends on what you actually have, whether there's an easy way to fix this, but it's critical that things get done according to one of the approved methods to have long-term reliability. You could also check out www.johnbridge.com to discuss the actual construction of the shower.

If it IS a clamping drain, www.schluter.com does make a conversion drain and you could then use one of the newer shower construction methods that I prefer (well, it's been around nearly 25-years, so not new, but many people still haven't heard of it). That would allow a bit more height. It's critical, though, that the top of the drain be perfectly level to work properly and look good, and that might be a reason to tear things up by itself.
 

bholbrook1003

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it is not a clamping drain...it is schedule 40 glued in.
Are you saying I can make my pre-slope meet the drain? I had this in mind, but it would basically leave it to be a very thin/nothing layer at the drain. Also, there is a slight slope away from the drain itself.

What I was hoping to do was raise the drain somehow and use a micro topping to level the floor before my pre-slope. I am guessing that is out of the question.
 

Jadnashua

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Just to be clear, many of the clamping drains ARE glued in. If you just have a floor drain, you cannot make a proper shower, at least if you want to follow any industry guidelines. Unless you're making a surface-applied membrane shower (which requires its own special type of drain), all other types of shower drains have weepholes, which a floor drain does NOT have.

A bonded mudbed should be at least about 1/2-3/4" at the drain, but many people get by with it being thinner.
 

bholbrook1003

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I am not a plumber so maybe I am missing the difference. It has a rough in with hex head screws, then a plate of sorts that goes on the hex heads and then a drain that screws into that.

The problem I am having is with the pre-slope meeting the drain like I need to. I can make the drain itself meet the mud bed just fine by adjusting the screw-in drain, but I am worried it might mess everything up by not getting the pre-slope right.
 

Jadnashua

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Sounds like you have a clamping drain...when the hex screws are removed...what is the height of the part left? The preslope must line up with that at the drain, then the liner goes on top, onto that flat spot with sealant underneath, then the clamping ring is bolted down. The height of the top part of the drain is adjusted for your setting bed with tile attached so it ends up flush.

Personally, I'd use a Schluter conversion drain, then, the new mudbed you make is both the preslope and the finished bed...the Kerdi membrane then goes on the whole shower, including the floor, making the whole thing waterproof, then you tile it. That drain would allow you the height you need to get the pan exactly the desired height with a perfect pitch. If you go to the Schluter website, there are a bunch of videos you can view to get an idea of what I'm talking about. It makes for much better shower in the long term.
 
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