No Caulk Shower Drain - Leak

9lostboy5

Hello.

We had a leak from our shower and it was the drain. It’s a no caulk shower drain and the park the screws in is cracked. Everything else is fine. This is a ~$10 part that I can not find anywhere. I can't find the right size with the right threads.

I talked to a plumber and the only way to fix it with out the part is to cut through my kitchen ceiling to access the plumbing, remove the old drain, install a new one.

Considering I am not skilled enough to do that I would have to pay for it which will be a lot more than the $10 part I need.

Anyone have any suggestions on where to find this part? I have searched the big box stores, small hardware stores, and a variety of plumbing stores. It seems most carry oatley which do not fit. I have been looking for about 3 weeks now.

TIA

fabrk8r

Do you happen to know the brand of the shower itself? Is it a kit type shower stall with a plastic pan?

If it's a Mustee brand (very common around my area) you can buy a complete drain assembly from the mfg.

http://www.mustee.com/products/durastall/80.shtml

There is a diagram and a parts list when you open the "Instruction Sheet".

9lostboy5

good question, I never thought of the shower and drain being a kit. The shower is a one piece stand up unit so this is a possibility.

Jim F

If you do have to pay someone to replace your drain, make sure they leave an access panel when they are done. This is as simple as framing a hole in the ceiling below the plumbing and framing a piece of drywall with some type of trim wood.

Is there movement in the shower floor? That often causes the drain to leak. There should be no movement. A base such as thin-set morter is sometimes used to prevent movement in the shower floor.

You might also just try sealing the drain with a bead of caulk but this is something that will have to be watched for leaks and redone periodically if necessary.

9lostboy5

So, its a 10 year old Aqua Glass shower. I couldn't find anything on it like the link above.

We thought about sealing up the drain but its threaded with a lip on the top. The 'crack' is between the top and the 1st thread.

I do think the shower moves a little which is what caused the plastic to crack over time.

Jim F

Aqua glass. Hmm. Check out Lowes top-selling Aqua Glass tub and surround models then check out the reviews page. Ten years is pretty good from what I've read.

Alan

If it's a shower stall, the drain openings are standard as far as I know. There are a few different varieties of drain assemblies that you can get.

This kind is the easiest to tighten through a small opening.

http://www.davke.com/img/PICT0177.JPG

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NHMaster

I have a feeling you are going to have to replace the whole drain

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zacker

if you can get at the crack from above you may beable to use a good, waterproof epoxy to seal it.. although, it may olny be a "Bandaid" and not last for another 10 years. I have used 2 part epoxy to fix everything from leaky copper tube joints to a car radiator.. even my Koi pond!!! if you do need to cut the ceiling, you should consider an access panel.. but if its in a weired spot then it might look funny..lol I did a very small drop ceiling only because the installer of my upstairs shower was a nut and brought the plumbing down too low so the part under the drain is about 6 inches lower.. you should see it.. not only does it do that but it actually goes outside and back in and over hangs into the downstairs bathroom...lol a crazy man built my house!!!

Alan

Don't use epoxy. If you get it on the shower stall you will ruin it.

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Alan

It was probably an after-the-fact installation. He ran it under the existing floor joists upstairs rather than drilling through them all, and then built a giant soffit for it. The reason he went outside and then came back was probably so he had a place to vent it without opening sheetrock inside.

There are other ways to do it, but that was the easiest without doing too much damage and repair.

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Journeyman Plumber

zacker

lol Alan.. you are right, but the reason for it going out was the drain pipe for the tiolet has an elbow...its the 90 ell that goes out..lol he was a real hack and yes, the house was one story and a second story was added AFTER termites had eaten through the main beam, a few floor joists and almos all of the rim.. we actually had to shore up each side of the house, cut loose all the wall studs at the bottom, pull the mostly powdered 6 x 6 out and put in new ones... a nasty summer long DIY project.

zacker

true.. if you do try it, be carefull and try not to make a mess....