Hello Speedball,

I registered with Ask Me, just to ask you. My shower drain has been leaking
Down into my crawlspace below my house, possibly for years. I crawled in the
Mud down there to see if the nut needed tightening (nope), and it seems that the
Water comes out of one side only of the p-trap pipe; the side which has a little
Gap with it's mating into the drain assembly. The opposite side looks like
Tight contact. But if the drain and pipe ARE misaligned, it's only on the order
Of about 1/16th of an inch. Very frustrating! Can I caulk from below?

Thanks for your any advice you can give!

Hi Steve,
I copied your question from my E-Mail and placed it where it belonged on the plumbing page..
Before I can answer I need more information. What material is the trap made of. Plastic, cast iron, or chrome? This would be the compression nut on the up side of the trap that's leaking, right? Have you taken the trap apart and replaced the washer inside the compression nut? Why isn't the trap able to move the 1/16th" over to line up with the drains tailpiece or is it cocked so moving it won't help? Answer me and I'll respond ASAP. Cheers, Tom

Hi Speedball,

I went back to the store where I bought the drain and pan (everything's plastic) about two years ago, and got a copy of the installation note. Looks like I'm missing a nut that comes down on top of a Rubber Caulking Gasket, a tall rubber ring that goes around the pipe sticking up into the drain. So there's nothing compressing the gasket. That gasket needs to be compressed, right?

Steve

Hi Steve,

"I'm missing a nut that comes down on top of a Rubber Caulking Gasket, a tall rubber ring that goes around the pipe sticking up into the drain. So there's nothing compressing the gasket. That gasket needs to be compressed, right?"

Right! A compressuon fitting needs a compression nut and gasket to secure the joint. I'm putting up a image of a "P" trap so you can see how it goes. Although this shows a sink the hookup's the same. Regards, Tom