Repairing Shower Drain
Learning about the possible outcomes in repairing a drain problem is so vital that, I have dedicated this page to educate my visitors of when one should attempt to do it him or herself Vs when a professional takeover it. A leaking shower can be very disruptive, especially if the water is dripping from the ceiling onto your expensive dining room table. How to quickly fix such a problem? What To Do First?
Before anything is done, before cutting drywalls and ceiling, one must first find the real source of the leakage, which in most case can be very misleading.
The best option would be to use a leak detector tool that can be easily found in most plumbing supply stores; however, using such a tool is not always a guarantee accuracy of the reading, those who decide to try such a tool, will do so at their own risk. In my opinion, I would that if the leakage has caused enough damage to the drywall or ceiling, you will probably have to replace them, so, why not just cut it out where most of the damage is present? Once the whole has been made, use a flash light and mirror to help you better see where the water is coming from. If you see where the water is coming from, you will be able to know right away whether it is something that you can do or not.
Why Shower Drain Leaks?A shower drain repair will be necessary for one or more of the following reasons: 1 – Broken Shower Pan 2 – Faulty Drain 3 – Dislodged Drain 4 – Broken or Corroded P-Trap 5 – Broken or Cracked Pipe 6 – Broken Seal between Pipe Fittings 7 – Broken Supply Lines or Shower Valve inside the Wall
Repairing A Drain: You Or The Expert:
If a shower has leaks that are hidden inside the wall, chances are that, it will be a more complicated job; however, if you own the house and you are up to the task, you should probably try to repair it yourself.
If you’re unsure about working on the shower drain repair, then, you should just call a professional to do it for you. Even if that means that you will you have to spend a couple hundreds of dollars to get the job done right because you don’t want to play with water leak in your home. But, if the problem is simple and you have decided to repair it yourself, below you will find instructions on how to repair a gasket leakage problem.
Repairing A Shower Leak:If the shower pan is cracked, it might cost several hundreds of dollars to fix the problem properly; don’t try to do a quick fix, don’t take water leakage lightly, it might cost you a lot more in the future. If the shower pan is broken, the best approach is to replace the pan and, this means that you might have to re-do the whole shower base. If the shower gasket is broken or just not sealing properly, you can probably fix it yourself. The best way to fix a gasket problem is by replacing it and, for that, you need to buy a drain fixing kit which is available at all plumbing supply stores. Wingtite shower drain replacement kits work well and they are simple to be installed just follow the instructions below.
Removing The Old Drain:
1 – Remove the shower drain cover with a flat head screw driver.
2 – Remove the compression gasket pipe rise and drain body by unthreading it. 3 – Pull the gasket out with a pair of pliers. 4 – Remove the drain body. 5 – Use a hack saw to make two vertical cuts with one-inch apart in the drain body. 6 – Completely cut through the drain body but, be careful to not cut the pan. 7 – Make 2 cuts through the drain flange but, do not break the pan. 8 – Once the flange is cut, use the flat head screw driver to pry on the piece to free it from the pan. 9 – The rest of the body will fall apart, and the retaining nut below should drop.
Installing The New Kit:
1 – Apply soap in the new drain O-Ring for lubrication.
2 – Silicone caulk to the inferior section of the flange. 3 – With the 4 fastening wings against the drain body, insert the new drain into the shower drain body, insert the new drain into the shower pan and press evenly over the drain pipe. 4 – Once the drain touches the pipe, hold it for a couple of minutes to allow it to seal it effectively. 5 – Tight all the screws evenly until is completely secured. 6 – Clean everything around it and test the shower to see if it leaks or not. 7 – If there’s no leak then the problem has been resolved, otherwise, you might have to call a plumber to proceed with the repair because, it could something more serious and it will likely require an expert to take care of it. If you have any comments and or suggestions concerning this article, please, send us an email and we will gladly strive to attend your request. Thank you.
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