I just brought home a sterling shower unit and I'm having some issues. Currently my shower drain pipe is 17 inches from the studs. This one is about 15.5 inches and as a result not matching to the current layout. My question is, how easy is it to move this drain pipe? What do I need to do?


Correction: it's 16.375" not 15.5"

Hi DMK:

First thing you could try is to purchase an OFFSET SHOWER STRAINER ASSEMBLY (see image below). These may be readily available at a local plumbing supply store or you may need to order it online, but it just might work for you... ;)

Another option might be to build the wall out the 7/8" you need... maybe?

Otherwise, to move the shower drain to the correct position, you'll need to open up the floor and see if the trap riser is long enough to cut and install a couple 45 degree fittings to offset the drain pipe into alignment. Worst case, the trap riser isn't long enough to install the offset fittings and you will need to cut out the old trap and install a completely new trap and riser.

Those are some options... let us know if you'd like to discuss this more... OK?

Mark

Thanks!

I think it will work. 2nd problem now :)

The original drain pipe looks to be too high. Do I just saw off what I don't need?

If you are planning on using the offset shower strainer then you will simply cut the pipe down to the height needed to install the strainer assembly correctly.

DRY FIT, i.e. don't cement, the shower strainer in place until you set the shower pan in place and screw the strainer into the assembly. If all works well, prime and cement the shower strainer into place and then use SILICONE under the lip of the strainer on TOP and screw into the strainer assembly. Let the silicone dry as recommended on the tube... ;)

Are you bedding the shower pan in a bedding substrate? Read the instructions provided with the pan and see what the manufacturer recommends. The best shower pan installations usually include bedding the pan in mortar or structolite perlited gypsum.

Back to you...

Mark

Mark, thanks for the advice. It does fit! 2 things.

1) I dry fit the strainer on the pan and put it onto the pipe but it does not completely sit on the floor. It wobbles a bit. I definitely cut down the pipe and my floor is pretty level (not exact) but I wouldn't expect the wobble. What would you recommend in this situation. The Home depot guy gave me some insulating foam sealant which may solve the problem or would I just screw to the studs the way it is?

2) During the actual install you say to cement strainer into place (Pipe?) and then use silicone under lip... wouldn't I have to screw in the strainer into the pan and silicone and THEN cement the assembly to the pipe?


Mark,

I figured out the wobbled, since the drain is offset the hole in the subfloor was obstructing it! Hence wobble, wobble. Now it's fairly steady, with some shims it should be OK!

Now...
3) :)... installed the drain per your instructions to the pan. I can only hand tighten it and since it's so large it's really hard to get grip, the top part spins when I try to tighten more... how tight does this thing have to be? Do I need a special tool? I'm not going to cement until you give me some guidance!

Tom, Mark - help!

Hi DMK...

If you are sure your drain pipe is cut to the correct length (height) then you can install the strainer to the shower and then drop the pan with the strainer onto the primed/cemented pipe... that will work fine.

You could also prime/cement the strainer to the drain pipe and then lower the pan onto the strainer and then silicone the lip of the strainer and then screw the top half of the strainer into place... this would work, too.

All depends on just how accurate you are on pipe height/alignment, etc...

Once the strainer is in, it should be plenty tight. If you install the strainer to the pan first, you will need a friend to hold the top side of the strainer while you tighten from the bottom. If you install the strainer after you set the pan then the cemented pipe will hold against you enough to tighten the strainer properly... ;)

Back to you...

Mark (PS... I'll check back later tonight... long day planned here!)

Ok so for # 3... I installed the strainer already to the pan and I plan on dropping it onto the pipe. My main concern is that I put the strainer on the pan and only hand tightened it... does it have to be really tight?

If you used silicone and tightened it really hand tight so it didn't "wobble", then you may be all right here.

Be clear, however, that the shower floor will see considerable flex and rebound over the years so if you question the tightness I'd recommend that you remove the strainer assembly and repeat installation with a friend's help... DON"T OVERTIGHTEN... just want to get that rubber seal on the bottom to seat nicely.

Makes me wonder, by the way, if you checked on bedding the shower pan as I suggested earlier? If recommended then I would strongly advise you to consider this option at this time.

Another, hopefully helpful recommendation that may be of benefit, will be to apply some pipe dope to the threads on the strainer just before installation. It is, after all, a THREADED fitting... ;) Although not usually recommended by the manufacturer I have been doing this for a long time and never had a leak in a shower strainer to this day!

Back to you...

Mark

PS... I am reposting the picture of the offset drain as it has disappeared off the page for some reason.

So I put it in since the drain would not move after the slilicone was on for 24 hours so I figured all was good. Primed and cemented the pipes put it in... 2 hours later put some water down the pan and it's leaking... arhhhhhh :(

The leak is coming from where it was cemented which leaves me scratching my head. I'm going to give it overnight and see what happens and do another test. Wish me luck Mark!

This sucks... it leaks at the joint where the pipe meets the drain (cemented area). Would a better option be to cut the pipe and try to take it out of the drain or try to remove the pan?

YUP! That does suck! UGH!

If the pipe is accessible then I would cut the pipe and try to remove the pipe from the strainer... good chance it never got seated into the drain assembly. If the pipe did seat all the way into the drain assembly then you'll need to cut out the pipe and remove the strainer and start all over again. You are, by far, not the first or the last that this will happen, too... I promise!

You keep forgetting to tell me if the manufacturer recommended placing the shower pan in a bedding substrate like mortar or structolite. If recommended then this would be a good time to bed the pan and fix that drain all together... LET ME KNOW... OK?

Mark

Mark - to answer your question, no the mfg does not recommend this. It went over plywood with some foam sealant under it.

And now... I tried something just to see if it works. I applied some cement around where the leak is, primed it really well and put the cement on a few times. A few hours later, several water tests and no leak! Yaaaaaay!

Thanks for all your help Mark. Hopefully this will be the last time I need to post about this subject.

A lesson learned... If I were to do this again, I would cement the strainer into the pipe, check for leaks, then seat the pan on top of it and screw in the top piece following that. It would have saved me some heartache.