centered shower drain?

Users who are viewing this thread

Messages
29
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
California
Our remodeled shower will be long and narrow because of space. Does the drain have to be centered? The contractor asked if I want the drain moved or leave it as is (not centered and it wouldn't be under the shower head-I think it would save him some work). I would appreciate help with this decision! Thanks!
 

Kristi

Tradesman Plumber
Messages
176
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Location
Vancouver, BC
Website
www.prettyplumbing.com
Nope, the drain does not need to be centered. I can certainly be accused of making my job easier by leaving the drain where it is (after removing a tub) and offsetting it a bit to make sure it's not under the tiled wall at all... some say that it looks funny with the tile (as it must all slope towards the drain) at the short end and sides, but i disagree. It looks fine to me if tiled nicely.
 

Jadnashua

Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
Messages
32,770
Reaction score
1,190
Points
113
Location
New England
While you can place the drain anywhere, the preferred location is centered. The floor of the shower needs to be sloped towards the drain from all sides. You determine how much lower the drain is based on the longest distance water has to travel. Say 4', it must be 1" lower than the walls. Dropping 1" over that 4' is a nice gradual drop, but if the drain is only 1' from the other wall, it still has to be 1" lower. Now, you have 1" over 1', a quite steep slope. (This is assuming you want the bottom row of tile to be even all around which is what is normally done.) So, now you can decide. Check out www.johnbridge.com and read up in their 'liberry' section on how a shower is supposed to be built. It will explain things, and help you know if yours is being built properly and maybe help you decide how you can prevent problems in the future. It's a big expense, and should last decades if done right...dig out the knowledge, it's worth it.
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks