I'm buying a home and inspection showed that the upstairs shower drain wasn't caulked and there was water in the pan. We requested that the owners dry the pan and fix the drain. They said the man who owns the house does construction and did the work himself. I would like to know if there is a way for me to tell if they actually did dry the pan and do the work properly or if they just quickly caulked it to appease us.
Thanks
-chillywilly

Hi Chilly...

If you look under the shower strainer... does the lead look shiny silver and new? We are talking LEAD here, right? If the lead looks new then you are probably all set.

However, if you are still in doubt as to whether the shower pan is water tight then you can test the pan/drain connection for water tightness by plugging off the shower strainer drain (some homeowners use a baggie stuffed with rags, professionals use a test ball) and filling the shower pan up to the level of the threshold. Hold that water test for 12-24 hours and if no leaks appear then you should be fine from here... ;)

Questions? Let me know, OK?

Mark

PS: If you use baggies with rags be sure to tie the baggie to a tool that spans the drain with string so the baggie doesn't fall down the drain.