Shower Drain Leak

cameronq · #1 Dec 21, 2006, 05:46 PM

Today my wife was taking a shower in our second floor shower. I was in the office directly below and heard what sounded like water dripping down the inside of the wall. I followed it all the way down to see water dripping off the drain pipe that goes to that shower (dripping into our crawlspace) We have a fiberglass shower pan that is made by Florestone and that is all I can tell you. It has the removable drain strainer and when I lifted it up it appears that water is getting behind the outside wall of the rubber seal that is around the pipe (PVC) and the gasket itself is not seated level (one side is higher than the other). The gasket has four divets around the edge that almost give me the impression a special tool is needed to remove this gasket. I would like to replace it since water and gunk have built up between it and the shower base.

Any help on what this gasket/seal is, can it be replaced, and how do I get it out of there would be of great help.

Thanks,

Michael

cameronq · Dec 22, 2006, 06:41 AM

The base we have is a molded drain with a lock seal around it. Here is what I found about the setup. Hope this helps. Now that the seal has been breached (lack of better word) I would like to get it out, clean the area to get a good seal, and put a new one in. I also wonder based on your other responses to shower drain questions if this seal should have had some type of silicone jell applied before it was put in.

Thanks for the quick response.

dclynch · Dec 22, 2006, 09:04 AM

I have a Kohler drain with a similar set up. The seal in this system is a Fernco donut. I lubricated it with soap suds and had to hammer it into place. No silicone required. If I had to get mine out, I'd drill a couple of holes each quarter to get gripping spots and then pull up with needle nose pliers. Speedball1 can probably tell you which replacement part you need.

cameronq · Dec 23, 2006, 05:30 PM

I was able to get a new Wedge Lok seal and replaced it getting the new one in level. The shower still leaks so I did some trouble shooting and purchased a test plug. I put it in and filled the shower pan with water from the sink faucet (to keep the water source seperate) and the seal does not leak. The water still exists in the pan and it has been over 8 hours and it has not gone down any amount I can notice. So now it appears the leak is from when the shower is on.

I'm thinking it might be an o-ring in the cartidge but my wife needs the water on for the night so I will have to wait until the morning. I read online sometimes the leak can occur at the shower arm and we did have one of those new scrubbing bubble battery operated jobs hanging from the arm and it did have some weight to it.

Here is a link to the faucet, the water appears to be heading straight down the wall following the drain pipe so it could be leaking inside. Any further items I can try would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Michael

http://www.moen.com/shared/pdf/TL2378pt.pdf

cameronq · Dec 26, 2006, 10:31 AM

I removed the handle and chrome face plate. I turned on the shower on cold, shined the light in there, and no leaks, turned it on to a mix of hot and cold, no leaks, turned it on hot, no leaks. I went to the basement where that drain pipe comes out and no water was dripping so I have two really bad theories. I also attached two pictures of the plumbing (this house was built in 2005 and I took a ton of "might need to know" pictures).

Theory 1: The Shower handle was pretty loose. I can't imaging that having that tight would affect water leaking out but by tightening it would that have compressesd the cartridge to stop a leak? Lame theory I know but I wanted to check.
Theory 2: We live in Colorado and just had that huge storm and during that storm is when we realized it was leaking (but only when we ran the shower). The pipe it was leaking down is also the vent pipe going through the roof. When we realized there was a leak we went to the attic and noticed snow had gotten in through the air vents. Not a ton but enough to see a thin white layer on the insulation. Is it possible that the vent pipe is not sealed well enough and when we ran the shower the vent pipe warmed up enough to melt the snow around it and leaked from the roof down the outside of the pipe?

I am at a loss because as of today (now that the majority of the snow has melted from the roof the shower is not leaking.

speedball1 · Dec 26, 2006, 10:39 AM

I like door #2. If you can't find a leak in the shower valve or the drainage then you must look elsewhere. You have done that and come up with a plausible explanation of events. I would seal off the air intakes in the attic and I'll bet the leak goes away. Good thinking, Tom

baseman · Jan 2, 2007, 08:46 PM

Speedball,

I have a similar problem...I have a fiberglass shower base in my house, about 6 yrs old. I find now that water is leaking below to the 1st floor when the shower is used. I haven't been able to try too many investigation tricks but plan on clogging the drain and filling up the tub to see if it's the plumbing.

Anything else I should try? Would hate to have to rip up the base and put in a new one.

Also want to mention I'm a new homeowner so trying to become more familiar with everything.

Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedball1

I like door #2. If you can't find a leak in the shower valve or the drainage then you must look elsewhere. You have done that and come up with a plausible explanation of events. I would seal off the air intakes in the attic and I'll bet the leak goes away. Good thinking, Tom