I have been reading the forums regarding leaky shower drain in a fiberglass enclosure and PVC drain pipe with much interest.

My problem is that after a lengthy shower the stucco on the outside wall below my second floor shower gets damp and moisture appears to run out of an outside light fixture. There is no sign of moisture inside the house. Not on the ceiling below the trap and not on the interior drywall. How is the moisture getting to the outside wall?

I had a plumber come out to check the riser – no pressure drop. We removed the fixture cover – dry as a bone. While he was there I ran water from a hose down the shower train for 20 minutes and we ran the shower for another 10 minutes but the leak did not reveal itself at all. I'm assuming someone needs to be standing in the shower for the leak to materialize. The plumber couldn't figure it out but did determine that my water pressure was 120 psi so I had him replace the regulator. It's now at 65 psi but the shower still leaks to the outside.

The pan is only slightly soft in one place and if you look hard enough there are about half a dozen small spider cracks. I pushed some plumbers putty around the drain flange/pan intersection – it seems to work at first but after a couple of days the wet stucco came back.

I have purchased the Wingtight replacement drain and hope it will solve my problem before going into the big $$ fixes.

Any suggestions?

"The pan is only slightly soft in one place and if you look hard enough there are about half a dozen small spider cracks."

You have correctly analyzed your problem. Your shower base was not bedded down properly at installation. If a shower floor gives or is soft when you step on it that will put a strain on the drain and one of two things will eventually happen. The drain seal will rupture or your weight will cause the base to flex causing the lip of the drain to separate from the putty seal while you're standing on it and leak. I think this last is what's happening to you. Replacing the drain will put you in the same position that you're in now. You'll have a drain on a ridged raiser installed on a shower floor that still flexes. To solve your problem you must first bed and shore up the shower floor. Then you may install a new drain and be certain that the seal will remain intact. Good luck, Tom PS. I'm surprised your plumber didn't tell you all of this.

HI

The water maynot show with no weight in tub .take avery long shower then check or out a rain coat on and stand in the shower for as long as you did before.lt should show leaks again means the spider cracks leak under pressure or drain not sealing under pressure

Speedball1,

How would you recommend rebedding and shoring up the pan? The enclosure is one-piece. How about resealing the spider cracks with an epoxy coating?

Thanks,