Do they make a right angle adjustable shower drain (for use with a bed liner)? I'm replacing my tub with a custom shower on a concrete floor. The original builder installed the trap so that it is just below grade even with the floor surface. By the time I put a 90 elbow to install a standard drain made for custom showers, the shower liner base would be 6" above the floor level. By the time I install the liner, tile base and tile, I would be looking at a shower floor level that is almost 8" above the floor level making for an extremely high curb. A 1 1/2 or 2" drain that allowed a side insertion would solve the problem but I can't find one. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Sounds like you are trying to avoid breaking up the concrete and moving the drain. Recommend you look into the type of shower base shown below.

What does this mean, " By the time I put a 90 elbow to install a standard drain made for custom showers"?

You don't install a 90 at the inlet of the trap... you install the shower strainer?

Back to you...

Mark

Sorry I wasn't clear. I'm trying to limit my remodeling to the bathtub area without doing major remodeling of the main bathroom which would involve busting out walls, a tile floor, concrete and trying to move a vanity with a granite top.

The top of the current trap for the bathtub is underneath a wall at floor level. They used a standard tub drain/overflow assembly with right angle connections to the tub. This would be an extremely difficult area to try and move since the pipe on the sewer end of the trap goes directly into the 6" concrete floor. I suspect it tees into the commode drain 3' away.

Since I now want to install a custom tiled shower, a 3 piece drain assembly is required to accomodate the PVC pan liner. This assembly is over 3 1/2" high at minimum and is made to connect directly to a trap or an elbo with extension to get to the trap. Since my application needs to be the latter, the total height required is over 7" (with elbow) none of which can be below grade because of the location of the existing trap at ground level under the wall. My problem would be solved If they made this same assembly with a side connection that would allow the top of the drain to be at a manageble height. Otherwise, like many suggested, I have a major remodel to do at significant expense. In other words, a couple thousand dollar shower would turn into a several thousand dollar project.

I am actually testing an assembly I modified by cutting and pasting an adapter into the side of the drain assembly and plugging the lower outlet. I know it holds water without leaking now but I'm not sure I want to trust it long term. I guess I have to ask myself if it's worth the $10,000 alternative. I guess I was hoping to find a drain assembly with a side output. I know they have them for standatd floor drain applications but I haven't seen the 3 piece adjustable type required for any shower requiring a PVC pan liner.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Continued from previous post. I forgot to mention one more thing, Mark. Obviously the best solution would be to add a trap directly under the drain. This would be an easy solution if I could get to any piece of the pipe at the sewer end of the trap. Unfortunately, I can't get to it without taking down a wall and some floor tile on the other side. I was even thinking about adding a double trap but again, there is nowhere I can cut a pipe to add an adapter. They used a 2" to 1 1/2" adapter at the trap and if I cut it off I would have no way to add an adapter. I know they make inside pipe repair couplings. Would this be feasible to use in this application since I'm already reduced to 1 1/2"? The distance to the drain from this point is approximately 1' away.

Thanks

They sell shower pans that fit exactly onto tub's plumbing. The pan drain lines up with existing tub drain hole so there is no need to modify drain plumbing whatsoever... Milo

See it here: Kohler Tub Shower K 9053 Salient Receptor W LH Drn 60'X30' Basalt (http://www.google.com/products/catalog?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&q=cast+iron+shower+pan+kohler&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=8909450750264892130&sa=X&ei=ieUiTtXfFI3QsAP_-7U6&ved=0CEkQ8gIwAg)

YUP! I agree with Milo and Harold... save the trouble and install a retrofit shower pan. Milo showed you one from Kohler. You can click on this link to see what swanstone has to offer, too:

www.swanstone.com

Good luck!

Mark

Thanks Mark. My one brain cell is on vacation and I couldn't recall the name Swanstone.

Thanks guys, I'll look into it. My wife was hoping for that true custom look with a tiled floor but this looks like a viable alternative.

Just one last question. Is it an OK plumbing practice to use a double trap? I could solve my problem that way but the drain outlet would convert from 2" to a 1 1/2" trap and then back to the original 2" trap. I only have a 1 1/2 line to connect to.

Thanks again for all your help.

No on the double trap. Look at the Silestone bases, quite nice. Your wife will like.