Glued In Shower Drain Repair Question

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KC27

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I have a fiberglass shower on a second floor that has sprung a leak - see photos below. What do I need to do to correct this problem?

The lock-ring that is visible from the top of the shower reads:
Caspers Industries Oakland CA
No. 101-PS
ABS IAMPO
Use glue only. Warning: Do not use oil base sealant or overheat caulking material or overtighten lock nut. May cause drain to break or destroy.
I did a search, and it looks like that drain is now made by Oatey.

If a repair is possible, how do I proceed? I am handy, but have not done a shower drain before. The tub drains I have done were pretty straightforward, where as this one with the glued on lock-ring has me wondering how you compress the gaskets to prevent leakage.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

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KC27

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Anyone have any ideas on the best way to proceed? Should I open up the ceiling below the drain and replace the metal trap with PVC?
 

Terry

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I like using the Jack Rabbit drains as replacements.
Installing a new p-trap at this time will make the job easier. I also have been using Silicone instead of putty on these.

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Sylvan

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Very easy fix

Remove remove the old drain and cut out the plastic going into the P trap (re tap if needed)

Get a domestic inside caulk drain amd measure how long the nipple should be

Buy either a 2" galvanized nipple or if you want it to last for over 100 years buy a 2" brass nipple

Get some oakun and 3 pounds of pig lead (you will need less than 2 pounds ) pack the oakum tight allowing for about 11/2" dept of lead and choose if you want a round or square strainer

https://www.build.com/proflo-pf4295...QguVZxUGtmZiX5Wbb2BoCbI8QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
 

Sylvan

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Here is a lead pan we installed and they normally last well over 5 years. The main thing is use a good quality cast iron drain with stainless steel bolts or brass and throw away the bolts supplied
 

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Sylvan

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The lead should be 4 PSF and no need to solder the corners or folds
 

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KC27

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Thanks for the replies. A previous owner of the house the shower installed. Whomever did the installation left a 9" x 14" section of the shower pan unsupported, so the pan always flexed a bit - we just thought flexing was normal. All was well until the lock nut on the drain cracked, causing the shower drain seal to fail.

Some of the shower pan is installed over flooring. To eliminate the flexing, I was going to support 9" x 14" section that does not have any flooring beneath it with 3/4" plywood attached to the joists. Does this seem like a reasonable solution in this situation? Photo below shows the unsupported portion of the shower pan.


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Terry

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Never seen this before, where and why would you use this?

It comes with a rubber seal that is snugged up by a threaded ring.
The paper in the drain is to prevent the flat tool that tightens the ring from falling into the drain. Snug it up, pick up the tools and remove the paper.



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There isn't always room to get a set of pliers up in there to spin the lower nut on. With these I can hand thread them and make the final snug by tightening the bolts.
 

Cacher_Chick

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Thanks for the replies. A previous owner of the house the shower installed. Whomever did the installation left a 9" x 14" section of the shower pan unsupported, so the pan always flexed a bit - we just thought flexing was normal. All was well until the lock nut on the drain cracked, causing the shower drain seal to fail.

Some of the shower pan is installed over flooring. To eliminate the flexing, I was going to support 9" x 14" section that does not have any flooring beneath it with 3/4" plywood attached to the joists. Does this seem like a reasonable solution in this situation? Photo below shows the unsupported portion of the shower pan.


20190710191616_IMG_2931_OVERVIEW.jpg

If you are not going to pull the shower to fix it, any kind of blocking to support the pan from below would be better than none.
 

KC27

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I installed 3/4" plywood and that eliminated the flexing of the pan. Are drains a wear item that are eventually going to fail? If so is there any difference in length of service between a brass drain and a plastic one? If I go with brass, I will use the JackRabbit by Sioux Chief because this is a tight spot in which to tighten a locknut. The plastic drain that I am considering is the WingTite drain, because it installs from the top, also eliminating the locknut tightening problem, plus eliminating the need to open the ceiling if the drain would fail again.

On a side note, The home was built in 1938, and I am not the original owner. Years ago, when we were looking for a house, there were clues that substandard work had been performed on this house before we bought it, but we were not knowledgeable enough to recognize them. For example, the kitchen is small, so to accommodate a deeper refrigerator, a previous owner had open a a section of the wall in the kitchen and cut out a couple of the wall's 2x4s to create a recess for a larger refrigerator. Knowing what I know now, I would have taken that as a warning, and passed on the house. The missing 2x4s and the wall were restored when we remodeled the kitchen shortly after moving in. The upstairs shower installation was just another one of the deviations from best practices. It is a small house, so I think I've found them all by now. Thanks again for the help.

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Cacher_Chick

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Even brand new houses can have workmanship issues. I cringe thinking of all the houses that have been flipped by hacks in the past 20 years.
 

Jadnashua

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While there may be places that require a lead shower pan, it's way more money and work than some of the more modern methods that will last at least as long, and probably longer. Plus, while it's possible to make the pan sloped using lead, most of those I've seen are installed flat on the floor which, as I understand the plumbing code, should cause it to fail...the tile and grout is not the waterproofing, and the waterproofing is required to be sloped to the drain. That doesn't happen if your lead pan is installed flat on the floor. The pan needs to be more than just waterproof...it needs to allow any moisture that gets under the tile to flow to the weep holes of the drain, and that requires slope to make that happen reliably. Otherwise, the deck mud holds more water than it should, and what does get there doesn't flush the old stuff out leading to problems longer term. Saturation of the deck mud can take awhile, but once it happens, that will show up as wet grout, and often, that's accompanied by that musty, mildew odor.

The TCNA handbook is the bible for building a tiled shower. Every installation method in that quite thick book requires the pan liner to be sloped to the drain.
 

Sylvan

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I installed shower pans made of lead over over 50 years ago and even 14 ounce sheet copper pans with soldered seams and one drain I used lead coated copper for $12,000 back in 1982

I also use Terrazzo bases such as my own house has

Longevity pays for itself
 
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