Shower drains apparently currently require 2" pipe. The current drain pipe is 1 1/2 ". Home Depot gave me a reducer so I have the drain hooked up to the old drain pipe but the only way I could get it to fit was to install a second trap. I read on this site this is "bad plumbing" and a "code violation." The thing doesn't drain well anyway. I have a plumber scheduled to come out Monday (the soonest they could come out given the holiday - not an emergency). I am worried about the potential cost of tearing out two stories of 1 1/2" plumbing etc. etc. Thoughts?

Home Depot also sells 1 1/2" shower drain heads. They come in 1 1/2" female thread. If you have existing 1 1/2" drain - use 1 1/2" shower drain. Do not convert to 2".

Thanks for the feedback. I'm guessing I wasn't clear about the problem. The 2" shower drain is fine. It's the second trap that is the problem. I just went once again to Home Depot and came back with two 45 degree elbows which I will try to use to replace the second trap.

That's great. Let us know if you need any help - and of course, how you did ! Good luck...

The original problem was that the 1 1/2 inch pipe from the drain and the 1 1/2 inch pipe from the trap did not line up for a regular 90 degree elbow. The only way to get them to come together was to install a second trap. I poured a bucket of water down the drain and it went too slowly for my comfort. So I found this site which said two traps is "bad plumbing." I was looking for some kind of flexible 90 degree elbow but Home Depot said no such animal existed so I just got two 45 degree elbows. I have limited space so I'm not sure it's going to work. The Home Depot guy also suggested taking out the second trap but it is up against an outside brick wall and I'm not sure how to get to it.

Just for your info: HD does sell flexible 90's. They are located in the same aisle as ABS/PVC fittings, but always to the side. They are on the same shelve as No-Hub and Flex-Seal couplings and Jim-Caps.

This is interesting info but a bit Greek. The difference between ABS and PVC is? No-Hub is? Flex-seal is? Jim-Caps are? You seem to have a bit of time on your hands so perhaps you wouldn't mind educating me a bit. The guy at Home Depot said something about "gray connections" but said they wouldn't pass code and if you ever had to put a snake in the line it would tear out the connection. I'm not sure snaking a PVC line is such a good idea anyway.

PVC and ABS are two different types of plastic used for drains. PVC is white and solid core pipe. ABS is black and it is foam core pipe.

No-Hub, or Fern, couplings are couplings used to connect No-Hub Cast Iron pipe. They have rubber insert on the inside and wide s.s. band on top. They have 2 screws to secure them to the pipe.

Flex Seal coupling are All Rubber couplings with 2 s.s. bands. They are used in drain remodeling and tight places. We call them "Life Savers". They are HomeOwner friendly type of merchandise.

Jim Cap is rubber cap with one s.s. band to attach them to pipe.

"Gray Connection" is, I assume, that you have your shower waste water directed to your garden rather than to your septic tank or city sewer. This is a common way of installing drains in rural areas. It keeps septic from being overloaded with water w/o solids and keeps garden green in the process. Yes, Gray Connections are not favored with Building Departments since standing water is a health hazard and since we have still not been able to figure out how to store used water for longer periods.

Enclosed are photos of: 1. No Hub coupling 2. Flex Seal coupling 3. Jim Cap

Okay. Thanks for the education. I live in the city of St. Louis and am connected to the City sewer. I am remodeling a bath and took out a tub with a 1 1/2 drain that somehow was hooked up to 1 1/2 inch pipe like a sink drain. This is how far I have come. I took in the screw top from the sink drain and asked the Home Depot person why 1 1/2 pipe didn't work. She said, "Oh my God, the tub was hooked up like a sink. Use a solid trap." Well, she and I both thought it was hooked up to a trap, but lo and behold it was just an elbow with a sink drain setup glued to it. So out it came and replace it I did with a solid trap but now I have two of them. The "flex seal coupling" sounds like the flexible 90 I was looking for since I couldn't get the 90 degree solid elbow to line up. Unfortunately, it isn't flexible enough. Too bad you are in California or I'd have you come over and look at it.

Yes, indeed, it looks like they used wrong trap. We use solid trap ( ABS or PVC ) where all joints are glued. We attach the trap to the tub drain with Flex Seal coupling. This way, it is very easy to make final connection and misalignment of tub drain and trap is not that critical.

Today, Tubs have 1 1/2" drain (tubular overflow assembly) that can be brass, PVC or ABS. We always work with PVC or ABS since all joint are glued minimizing possibility of leak. The flex seal connection bet. Tub and traps have another advantage here in California: it absorbs shakes generated by frequent earthquakes.

You have been very helpful and I appreciate it very much. Had I been aware of this site before I put the shower base in I could have saved myself many headaches. The flex seal seems to be the item that makes everything work. Is this what you meant by the "flexible elbows"? Or is that something else?

The same company that makes Flex Seal couplings (Mission Rubber, Inc. ) also makes Flexible 90's and Sanitary T's. These fittings are not allowed by Code because they flex and will collapse under pressure. However, HomeOwners like to use them because of the ease of use. Here is what they look like:

Yes, this is very helpful. So a flex coupling is legal to "line things up," but a flexible 90 is not? Is that because there's too much pressure on a 90 and just a little on the coupling?