I have a upstairs tub, which is structurally sound, and the wall around it (tile) appears to be in good condition, and the grout looks excellent. However, every now and then, the ceiling below gets water. I can't quite figure it out, because it seems to happen somewhat randomly. For example, it happened tonight. The floor outside the shower was and is dry.

My only guess is that sometimes the drain is leaking, but not all the time.

Anyone have any ideas before I go cutting the ceiling open to see what I'm dealing with?

Oh the floor is ceramic tile, and the tub is a steel tub, circa 1984. This problem has happened on and off for 10 years, but seems to be a bigger annoyance. Furthermore, the kids are older now...when they were young, I always assumed that one of them left a bucket of water standing on the tile floor. That probably isn't happening now.

Thanks.

bb

big1bird

OK, here's the update. I tapped around the drain with a hammer, and then applied the newly bought "dumbell" wrench, which was a reasonable alternative to the grooved socket. Drain out.

The gasket was covered with a layer of plumbers putty, and after exposing it, I tried to extract it. The material broke easily. BINGO. But did not come out easily. Before I went and destroyed it, I checked against my bag of parts. I don't have a replacement gasket the same thickness. The old one looks like it's a little over 3/16" I have 3/32, 1/8 (rare by my survey), and 3/8".

At this point, I know I have a funky gasket, but I may end up using the silicone "RTV" fix until I can figure out how to get a suitable replacement gasket.

The other thing I expected was a flat flange on the tub drain. Instead, it appears to be curved to a sharp edge, which exerts a fair amount of pressure on the rubber gasket. That makes me concerned about getting a new gasket into there. The brass piece underneath doesn't seem to be very yielding to 20 or 30 pounds of pressure.

Your thoughts?

bb

speedball1

OK! Ya got the drain lip out. But there ya lost me. Was the rubber gasket under the lip of the drain or on the flat part of the tub shoe under the tub?
Most tub shoe gaskets look to be about 1/8th" thick. Why not go to a plumbing shop and buy one? I don't know if I gave you a run down on the way a tub shoe and drain is set up but I'll do so now. It goes like this. On top of the tub, The drain and lip with a small rope of plumbers putty or silicon jel. This screws into the tub shoe that has the rubber gasket on the flat top of the tub shoe. You sound like you're attempting to install the gasket under the drain lip and that's wrong. Let me know, Tom

big1bird

Tom, thanks for your persistance and patience.

The installation I have is as you describe.

The gaskets I could find were 3/32, 1/8 and 3/8. My gasket measures just over 3/16. 1/8 would be
small, perhaps causing the show to be angled. I spent a couple of hours looking for a gasket closer to 3/16, and when I couldn't find one, I put a rope of putty in place and tightened the drain down. I figure I'll go back in extract the old gasket, replace it, and seal with RTV/ silicone.

My shoe is brass, and does not flex away from the tub. Getting the gasket out will be tough, but readily doable. Putting the same thickness one in will be real hard.

bb

big1bird

Here's what I did...because we were down to one shower...

-left the old gasket in place.
-cleaned things up.
-put a rope of putty around the old gasket.
-cleaned the old putty off the drain, in the threads and on the flange.
-tightened down the flange.
-tested, then plungered the drain with a small plunger, to assure that the trap wasn't slow.

Eight showers later, the ceiling below isn't getting wetter. I put a floodlight on the ceiling to help dry it out. Winds here were 50 or so; the infiltration should help exchange any damp air out.

Tom, thanks for your help. I understand now how the system works. I'll try to find a 3/16 gasket, and I'm sure I'll be in there again.

speedball1

You may have already fixed the problem since the main seal is the rope of plumbers putty under the drain lip. The rubber gasket on the tub shoe seals the tub shoe to the bottom of the tub but it's the lip seal that keeps out the water. Good luck, Tom