[Barry Campbell]

I have an acrylic shower stall in the basement. The drain seems to be leaking and I want to remove it. I've cleaned all the sealant around the floor collar but it won't budge. Is is glued in? Does it twist off (threaded)? What tool do I need to get a grip on it? Help. -Barry

[Knucklez]

I happen to be on the forumn when you post, so I try to answer. There are many others that are more qualified, so wait for their answer before you do anything...

The "sealant" you refer to is probably silicon. It is placed under the lip on the top side of the drain. When you remove the grill, this is the part you see when you are standing in the shower. There are basically two places your shower will leak.

I) between the base and the abs plastic plumbing
ii) the abs plastic plumbing joints

It is HIGHLY unlikely that you leak because of ii)

So check first.. put a little bit of water on the plastic lip, try not to let any of it fall into the black abs drain pipe. Just let the water sit on the edge.. if you still get the leak then you know it is here atitem number I) above.

So, what to do?

Well, you can probably get away with just cleaning up the silicon sealant, putting new stuff down and replace the grill. But you must be able to lift the plastic lip first... it is bolted down. You need access to the area UNDER the base. Usually this means you need to cut a square out from the ceiling in the room below shower.

When you can see the shower from the bottom, just reach up and unscrew the large plastic lock nut. You might need a huge wrench for this..

Once it is loose, go back upstairs, remove the grill & drain and clean the base area. Dry it. Apply silicon. Put back together and tighten the lock nut from below.

Hope I got it all.. was my first try at plumbinb help

Knucklez

[speedball1]

Hey Barry,

I can find no fault with Kuucks advice with the exception of, "put a little bit of water on the plastic lip, try not to let any of it fall into the black abs drain pipe. just let the water sit on the edge.. if you still get the leak then you know it is here atitem number i) above."

I seal off the drain with a wet rag jamed in the opening or blow up a balloon in the drain and fill the base with 1/2 inch of water. Then I watch for a leak.
Outside of that, for giving plumbing advice for the first time he was bang on.

This is a typical shower drain, (see image). Since you have a basement installation you'll need to pull the base to get at the nut.
That presents a problem so try this. Take silicon jell and force as much under the lip of the drain as you can. Wipe off the excess and allow it to set up. Now test for leaks. Good luck, Tom