I discovered our shower was leaking this morning. What I found was more of the PO's berkeleyery.
We have a fiberglass shower stall with a 2" drain out of a concrete slab. The pipe is 2" below the flange of the stall, but the drain is only 1.5"...so he made up the 1/2" difference with plumber's putty. Yes, seriously.
Pics for reference.
See that gap?
Also see how it's misaligned slightly?
I went to HD looking for a solution, or at least another drain that's 2" & I might be able to reuse the existing ring that's still under the shower, but all of theirs were designed to be fitted from underneath. I stopped by a local plumbing supply shop & he said there's no way to fix it without tearing out the shower stall - is that true?
No way to repair that without getting under it somehow. Not permanently anyway. Time for a shower remodel.
Mndsm
MegaDork
2/8/21 12:06 p.m.
Offset drains exist, though I only have them in closet flange. The plumbing supply guy is mostly right though, there really isn't a good solution.
Bummer :( Thanks for the input everyone!
Probably a stupid question.... can't you just glue a reducer onto the end of the 1.5 inch pipe and go 1.5 to 2 inch?
Seems like you should be able to get that purple glue dobber around the outside of that pipe (looks like pvc to me)
What about cutting the drain out bigger and then fit something like this?
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/zurn-fd2254-pv2-fmt-2-pvc-adjustable-shower-drain-with-4-1-4-round-strainer-full-metal-top-and-2-pvc-hub-outlet/995FDPV2FMT.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&gclid=Cj0KCQiA34OBBhCcARIsAG32uvNoGv62u3D1OouN4JeqYC3huWyuzOlbsWqyY8n-2iuIcgqZwGcbWpkaAupAEALw_wcB
The way I see it cutting the drain out larger should give you enough room to clean and glue a stub to the pipe. Once that is addressed, fit the new drain to the old surround using silicone adhesive and if you are feeling zesty, a few small stainless screws to hold it all together. If it works - it works. If it doesnt, you are really no further behind.
In reply to 93gsxturbo :
The problem is it's already damage the(E36 M3ty) laminate flooring in the adjacent closet & foyer - the bathroom floor is tiled, so we didn't realize we had leak until it wept out from underneath the underlayment & got the edge of the carpet in the next room wet.
At that point I thought we had a roof leak, but when I couldn't find any sign of that I ripped up the laminate in the foyer this weekend - which was completely saturated underneath. My wife just happened to notice water seeping out of the edge of the remaining laminate in our bedroom after her shower this morning.
I'm not a plumbing guru, nor should this be interpreted as an officially sanctioned fix, but I'm always impressed by how flexible ABS is when heated up with a heat gun..
I wonder if you could distort a ABS reducer enough to make a custom offset adapter? I'd probably do it by sticking a metal tube in each side (the 2" and the 1.5" side), stick the assemvbly in the oven on 350 for a few minutes until it gets pliable then grab it and pull it offset by however much you need.. Doesn't look like much, maybe at most .75"?
I would expect some further water damage, and the need to do some mold mitigation given the sitch. MS is hot and humid. Sorry :-/
Mndsm
MegaDork
2/8/21 2:03 p.m.
WonkoTheSane (FS) said:
I'm not a plumbing guru, nor should this be interpreted as an officially sanctioned fix, but I'm always impressed by how flexible ABS is when heated up with a heat gun..
I wonder if you could distort a ABS reducer enough to make a custom offset adapter? I'd probably do it by sticking a metal tube in each side (the 2" and the 1.5" side), stick the assemvbly in the oven on 350 for a few minutes until it gets pliable then grab it and pull it offset by however much you need.. Doesn't look like much, maybe at most .75"?
It would be easier to pie cut it to angle. Not an endorsed solution, but it would be doable.
Mndsm said:
WonkoTheSane (FS) said:
I'm not a plumbing guru, nor should this be interpreted as an officially sanctioned fix, but I'm always impressed by how flexible ABS is when heated up with a heat gun..
I wonder if you could distort a ABS reducer enough to make a custom offset adapter? I'd probably do it by sticking a metal tube in each side (the 2" and the 1.5" side), stick the assemvbly in the oven on 350 for a few minutes until it gets pliable then grab it and pull it offset by however much you need.. Doesn't look like much, maybe at most .75"?
It would be easier to pie cut it to angle. Not an endorsed solution, but it would be doable.
Pie cut and cement it back into shape? Does ABS/PVC/Whatever glue work well as a "general adhesive?" I've only ever really used it all the way around a slip fit to glue them together..
The pipe is pvc. ABS is pretty flexible. There is glue made specifically to join the two together. A bushing or bell reducer is the answer there but the problem is going to be getting the flanged drain piece under the shower enclosure. Sorry, Pete. No good answers.
Can you open up the floor of the shower stall just a little bit. When you do that, make the new hole on the centerline of the pipe down below. Do you have access to a metal lathe? Machine an adapter to fit the pipe on the lower end and then an adapter to fit the shower floor to that adapter.
Know anyone with an Xbox Kinect and a 3D printer? Seems like you could easily make a thinish wall liner out of ABS and glue it to the pipe, silicone it to the tub base? Need to scan the joint to get it exactly right. Again anything you do to buy yourself time is money ahead.
Know anyone with a 3D printer
Fippity jippity boom bang pow
In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :
There are drains that are installed from the top. I linked to one above. Maybe not the very best solution, but it seems they are available.
Google wingtite for example.
https://www.amazon.com/WingTite-Shower-Replacement-Installs-Entirely/dp/B008E338FY
Well the shower stall came out in pieces. They apparently plumbed it after it was installed, and in trying to flex it around the hot/cold valves the surround cracked. Just got back from HD with a new shower pan, FRP panels & trim, drywall, and couple 2x4s to replace the the ones behind the shower that got damaged.
I discovered something once the shower stall was out though - the depression in the floor that the drain is in, it's lined with what looks/feels like coated fiberglass batting, and underneath the edge of it was sandy dirt. Is that a normal way of installing a shower drain in this part of the country?
Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) said:
Well the shower stall came out in pieces. They apparently plumbed it after it was installed, and in trying to flex it around the hot/cold valves the surround cracked. Just got back from HD with a new shower pan, FRP panels & trim, drywall, and couple 2x4s to replace the the ones behind the shower that got damaged.
I discovered something once the shower stall was out though - the depression in the floor that the drain is in, it's lined with what looks/feels like coated fiberglass batting, and underneath the edge of it was sandy dirt. Is that a normal way of installing a shower drain in this part of the country?
I believe some minimally expanding foam is the current answer... I could be very wrong.
