The carpenter rough-in is finished and I am getting ready to install a shower base that appears to be made of a very hard plastic material (this base has been in storage for many years). The base has an integral drain with a hard rubber gasket inserted from the top. There is no threaded top piece(only a screen). I've soaped a short piece of pvc drain pipe and inserted it into the gasket to test the seal. Unfortunately it leaks. I seem to recall reading that this type gasket is to be snugged up by using a wooden dowel rod (same dimension of the gasket wall) to drive it down and compress sufficiently to seal it. I'm concerned about damaging it and my question is... is this the correct procedure to properly create the seal between the gasket and the stand pipe? Should I use silicone rather than soap? Or as a second thought, would I be better off discarding the old design shower base and purchasing a more recent design? And what kind of plastic or fiberglas base is best? I am on a tight budget.

You are missing one more piece that came with that drain. There should be a large plastic ring. It is shaped like "V". You insert it over the pipe and into the drain well and wedge it in with hammer and large flat screwdriver.

Also, sometimes drain is threaded on the inside. In this case, you would need a dedicated brass nut that came with the drain. You screw it in, it pushes on the gasket and makes a seal...

In any case, these drain are inexpensive and Home Depot / Lowe's carries them. Maybe, you should get new one with fresh gasket and all other parts. That way you can be sure it is a complete drain.

Milo, thanks for your response. I didn't make myself clear. The drain is a molded integral part of the pan with the rubber gasket pressed into it. There are no threads visible on the inside of the integrated plastic drain. If there are, they are beneath the pressed in rubber gasket. Therefore, since the drain is part of the pan, it will not accommodate a replacement drain.

I gather, that inserting the riser pipe through the gasket and pressing the gasket further into the recess is not the answer.

Many thanks for you response.

Zeke

Zeke, can you post a photo of the pan and the drain ? It will make it easier to ID the type of drain...

Thanks for staying with me on this... hope my upload of pics works. Appreciate your patience with a newbie...

Zeke

Zeke, thanks for the visual...

The seal should make positive seal. Anyway, there are two things that come to my mind:

1. the rubber donut may be too old. It shrunk a bit or is not as flexible as it used to be making negative seal in process
2. the donut is for different pipe, like Cast Iron, or ABS, or Galvanized. In this case, you would have to get donut of the correct size of change pipe that penetrates drain opening.

But you could try this: Put 2" PVC coupling on end of the pipe and slide it into the rubber donut. It will increase the pipe diameter and make it tight. Test. See if you still have leak...

Perhaps, other Plumbing Experts here will take a look at the photos and submit their suggestions...

Milo, I attempted to "Rate this Answer" on your last answer, but got the following message "You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Milo Dolezal again." I don't know what this means..?

Anyway, many thanks for your very helpful response... it was very useful. I will try the 2" coupling you suggested. The pipe in the attached pictures is a 1-1/2" sch 40 DWV. A little mineral oil should soften up the donut some and permit insertion of a 2" pipe.

BTW, the pan is an Owns Corning Fiberglas Model S-48 (ANSI Z 124.2). Again, many thanks.

Zeke

Zeke, sorry about not being able to rate my answer. It is the system that sometimes generates this message automatically...

I am almost sure the drain pipe should be 2". Try to insert piece of 2" pipe. It will be very snug, but it will do the trick...

You must use a 2" PVC pipe for this type of rubber collar. A shower in general requires a 2" drain so that is how the manufacturer built the integral drain. Grease both the inside and outside of the collar and slide it down into the sump over the pipe. Tamp with a dowel rod or screw driver handle.

Also, at this point it won't hurt to silicone the top side of drain. Make sure rubber and pvc and shower strainer are all clean and very dry before siliconing. Even when a shower strainer doesn't leak, it never hurts to silicone it just for backup. Let silicone set for 24 hours before running any water in shower. Let us know how things work out.

ballengerb1... thanks for your response. What do I use to grease the inside and outside of the rubber collar. Are you referring to soap & water or something like mineral oil?

Also, the 2" PVC you mentioned... is that the outside diameter of the pipe? I tested the drain with a 1-1/4" coupling (2" o.d.) and it seems fit and does not leak for now.

It may differ from one manufacturer to the next but the plumbing caulks I have used need 72 hours to cure. So far, all I have done with this type of collar was to use silicone gel inside and out before pushing home. The fit is so snug that your chances of a leak are nil. While I agree it never hurts to be doubly sure these collars work well when you use a 2" pipe.

Zeke, plumbers grease or silcone gel, both found in the plumbing department pf most home store.