My bathroom renovation has come to a screeching halt and this was suppose to be the easy part. I removed an old fiberglass shower unit and want to replace it with a tled shower. I will be using a mortar bed, liner, and Quick Slope and Quick Pitch system. My problem is I have a cast iron drain pipe that is level with the existing floor and I am trying to put in a PVC shower drain that has to be even with the floor. I can not get the PVC drain over the cast iron pipe. If I use a lubricant and force I might be able to. Would this make a proper connection? Also, I do not know if the pvc drain will go down far enough to make it level with the floor. If not do I need to cut the CA and if so how? Am I missing something?? Please see picture. Thanks for any help!

Hi there Hheellpp...

You have the wrong drain there. You need a cast iron membrane drain... sold at all plumbing supply stores or online.

Are you planning on PRESLOPING the membrane before installing the membrane? If not, you really need to look into it as this is a critical step to creating a shower floor that will not break down/cause odors, etc. over time, OK?

Questions? Let us know...

Mark

Mark,
Thank-you for your help. This is exactly what I need, but, the only ones I can find online or $200+. Does this sound right?

I will be slopping the shower after I get this drain thing figured out.

For this application you will find a great variety of pricing. In your case, I would NOT recommend purchasing online... quite sure you will be getting the wrong one.

I would recommend that you go over to a local plumbing suply store and spend a few minutes with the guys at the counter.

Be sure to tell them that you have 2" cast iron in the floor, that you need a chrome finished strainer (or whatever finish you will have), that you will be using a vinyl membrane and that you want to use oakum and soil seal (lead substitute) to waterproof the connection.

Most likely they will sell you a FLOOR DRAIN with a chrome strainer. The floor drain may have a 1/2" tapping for a trap primer, but you will only need to plug that with a 1/2" black plug.

So order:

1 - 2" cast iron floor drain (or shower drain) DO NOT order a NO-HUB cast iron drain here, a regular cast iron is what you want.

1- 1/2" IPS black plug (if needed)

1- package of OAKUM (if not available in a bag, go to home depot for this)

1- small can of SOIL SEAL (lead substitute)

When you get home you set the drain in place over the pipe, hard pack some oakum material into the annular space between the pipe and the floor drain to within 1.5" of the top of the pipe and then push soil seal tightly into the remaining space flush to the top of the pipe. Let all dry and you should be all set here.

Otherwise, if you want to use the PVC drain you have you would need to chip out about a 1 foot hole around the drain pipe and cut the pipe lower using an angle grinder with a metal cutting wheel. Then you can simply purchase a SHIELDED clamp to connect the cast iron drain pipe to the PVC shower strainer... ;)

Now, sloping the floor is not the same as PRE PITCHING the membrane by installing cement UNDER THE MEMBRANE. Here, you need to install 1" of cement at the walls to 0" at the drain and let that dry. Then, you install TAR PAPER over the cement (prevents abrasions to the vinyl membrane), and then you install the vinyl membrane. You'll also want to put gravel all around the drain WEEP HOLES so water that gets through the pan can drain into the drain by gravity.

For the best job, you will also want to tar paper the walls so that the tar paper hangs into the pan and then any water that gets behind the wall will fall down into the drain pan.

DO not install any screws/staples/nails, etc. below the threashold level. The threshold level supposed to be the lowest "weak point" in a shower pan. If you use screws/staples/nails below the threshold the weak point in the pan will be those screws/staples/nails, OK?

Good luck with this...

Mark

Mark,

THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU!! I ended up having to order the drain online because the few people I talked to looked at me like I was crazy and said the only way to fix the drain was to rip up the floor and install PVC. So, my drain and oakum arrived and I installed it yesterday. It seems to be working like a charm! Thank-you for doing what you do!!

Hey hey! Thank you for popping back to post an update. I appreciate that!