Hi,
We bought a 1986 mobile home and have recently had a plumber out 4 times and still all I have is an empty wallet and a glorified closet. I need help. The guest bathroom is just a stand up shower with waterproof walls (like wallpaper on regular walls) and a shower pan. My sons foot went through the shower floor pan (there was a weak spot when we purchased) and water was coming out between the floor and pan. No one is working at present and my husband is disabled so I will have to do repairs myself (I don't understand plumbing). I went to mobile home depot and purchased a new better quality shower pan and called the plumber out to install for me due to unfamiluar with plumbing. Next thing I know now that bathroom was clogged and water came up toilet and sink and shower that had not even been used. We called plumber back out and he snaked the whole length of house. Instruced us to pour drano down kitchen and bathroom sinks and leave for 24 hours. Ok fine. Done. Then allowed son to use new shower and water still leaks between floor and shower pan. Called plumber again, he said drain was installed correctly and it leaks due to decorative molding replaced incorrectly. It appears fine (the molding). He knocked two holes in my walls looking for reasons for a leak, but never came up with a solution. I stopped him at this point. Am I just going to have to save up and have the entire shower replaced, or is there some way to determine where a leak is coming from? There is no water coming out on the ground under the mobile home so he didn't know why a leak between shower pan and floor. (I still think it's the drain! Ugh! Are you able to give advice on this please? (Sorry for rambling.)

Halfjillian

If you don't locate the leak for this shower and continue to keep using it your entire floor will be ruined and need replaced and it could be in several rooms not just this shower area.

Most floors in mobile homes are made from wood composite material that expands when wet, holds the water, and weakens considerably to the point where you can literally put your foot through the floor without much pressure.

The entire shower floor needs replaced for starters. Then you'll be able to properly have the shower drain installed. Would recommend hiring someone who works on mobile homes as a living as they understand the flooring system used is not the same as a regular home's flooring.

If no water is coming out under the house that means the water is coming out inside the home into the flooring.

Stop using this shower until it is properly fixed. Floor repairs should be done with 3/4" solid plywood which is more expensive but won't take on the water and swell.

Someone needs to get underneath the house and look at the actual underside of the home. This entails carefully cutting away the underbelly membrane enabling the person to look at the underfloor to see just how wet it really is and just how much needs to be totally replaced. Then after the repairs are done the underbelly membrane must be properly patched up using special belly tape you can buy from a mobile home supply company. Don't try to fix with duct tape as it will not hold. The belly tape is super sticky and costs much more but will hold for years versus duct tape holding for weeks. Don't chitz out when repairing the membrane.

You might want to ask at the mobile home supply store who they would recommend to fix your shower and floor problem as I am sure they know all the mobile home repair guys since they have to come in there to get supplies. Or if you live in a mobile home community ask your neighbors just who does their works and how happy they are with their repairmen and how much do they charge. Don't be shy in asking about how much they charge as it's your money and your home and you want to get the best person you can afford to do the work.

It's hard to find a good mobile home repair guy versus a regular plumber. Regular plumbers are fine and all but in your case I think you need someone who is VERY familiar with mobile homes to do the repair considering the plumber ripped holes in your walls. A mobile home repair guy would have carefully cut sections out of the wall so the wall could be properly put together again. Sometimes an entire wall panel can be removed so as to see just what is behind the wall and then carefully put back together.

I live in a mobile home and I have taken walls down and put back up with no problem. I have even cut access holes in the walls near the floor to enable me to have access to my bathtub's plumbing and then carefully put the wall piece back into the hole and patched it up.

Plumbing is plumbing and is the same but what happens when water gets into the composite floor of a mobile home is a completely different story. It needs repaired or the water can leach into the underflooring for many feet and weaken floors in different rooms if not attended to.

Hope this helps you to at least try to understand why the regular plumber couldn't fix the drain in your home.