I live in a single story, 45 year old, concrete slab foundation home on the Gulf Coast. My problem is that the shower drain P trap, located in/under the slab appears to be leaking. After showering, the level in the drain/P trap falls and the loop seal is lost. The P trap appears to be approximately 8 inches below the shower floor. This causes/allows 1) Roaches to crawl up through the drain from the septic line into the shower. Some nights 10 or more roaches will appear in the shower. My wife hates this. 2) Loud drain flow sounds emanating when a commode is flushed.

The shower continues to drain well. However these roaches are annoying. A wash cloth sprayed with roach spray placed over the drain keeps them at bay. I suspect a small amount of shower water is leaking out of the P trap into the soil below the slab. I think I may have caused the leak by using bleach mixture to clean mold from the shower wall for 20 years. I believe the metal drain/trap was attacked by the standing bleach after each cleaning. Surprisingly, we do not have bad odors emanating from the drain.

My questions are:

1) Is it possible to repair the P trap without tearing up the shower floor and concrete below? The shower is tile over concrete slab and tile over sheet rock on the walls.

2) Have you heard of anyone using a belzona type product applied with flexible brush to patch the metal drain/P trap? Is there a kit available?

3) Do you know of a kit whereby a flexible drain liner could be inserted into the drain pipe through the P trap and sealed at the shower floor for repair? I am trying to avoid the $ thousands it will take to replace the drain piping, shower pan, and tile.

4) If I continue to use the shower, do I risk additional damage to the house, such as foundation damage due to leaking water?

dcsicking

Hello again. I just completed my "do not use" test of the shower. Recall that we are both concerned that the P-Trap may be slowly leaking and draining dry, allowing roaches to crawl up from the drain line and causing loud drain noises when an adjacent commode is flushed. The test consisted of stop using the shower for days and intermittently measure P-trap liquid level. Here are the results.

Time since shower last used and P-Trap Level

0 hours ---------------------------------4.5"
12 hours---------------------------------1.5"
24 hours--------------------------------0.25"
36 hours--------------------------------0.0" wet
48 hours--------------------------------0.0" dry

At 36 hours I could not wet the bottom of my 3/8 inch dowel rod that I used for a measuring stick. However I could see a small bit of water in the bottom of the P-Trap. At 48 hours the P-Trap was completely dry. Also with the P-trap dry or almost dry, flushing noises from the adjacent commode were very loud in the drain. Also a couple of roaches crawled up through the drain.

What do you think?

speedball1

I really hate to tell you this but it sounds like the trap has developed a crack in the base of the U bend allowing the trap seal to seep out and I know of nothing that you can put down there to repair it with. Unless some of the other experts can come up with a better solution then replacing the trap about the only thing you ban do is remove the tile and mortar and take up the slabto replace the trap.
I don't think so!
I looked over their web site and it seems that they offer commercial applications.
You haven't told us what your trap's made of. PVC, ABS or cast iron?
Google could find no trap liner repair kit and I never heard of one. Yours is not a common complaint. Was a rod or object jammed down the drain causing a crack in the bell of the trap?
I'd duct tape the drain until repairs could be made. good luck, tom

dcsicking

I have not said what the trap is made of. However, being 50 years old and based on appearance of the drain line I am confident it is cast iron. I have found some flexible plumbing brushes on brushetechbrushes.com. Prior to tearing out the shower I plan on attempting repair by cleaning the P-Trap with a flexile brush. Then let it dry completely. Finally apply some liquid Belzona or equivalent with the flexible brush. I may put on two coats. I believe that there will be enough cast iron remaining for the Belzona to attach to and seal the crack. I may be able to fix this for $50 vice several thousand dollars to tear out the shower.

As I stated earlier I think I caused the leak myself via use of a strong bleach mixture that I use to fight mold in the shower. I spray a 50% bleach mixture on the walls and floor. It is very effective to remove mold which is aggressive in the South Texas humidity. I've been doing this every couple weeks for almost 20 years. I believe the bleach runs into the drain and stands. I do not immediately rinse the shower with clean water. I let it stand until the next shower to kill the mold better. Cast iron is very susceptible to corrosion when in contact with bleach. Over the years the P-Trap must have corroded through wall.

I will let you know if this works.

How can I compensate you for your advice? I am not a member of PayPal.

Thanks for all of your time!

Dan

speedball1

While I'm on social security and can use the $ It's not necessary to pay me. Your thanks are plenty. Good luck and let me know. Tom