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snowshine · Sep 23, 2007, 05:18 AM

Hi,I have a shower cubicle upstairs. Lately I noticed a bubble to appear in the celing of my downstairs directl under the shower cubicle drain upstairs.
What should I do?
Can I undo the "silver" drian [the circular thing]on the floor of the shower cubicle? Is it screwed to the floor?
Would it be possible to develop a leak between the floor of the shower cubicle & the circular drain attached to the floor[is there a seal of some sort there?]

Or do I have to take the cubicle apart to reach the drain connection?
Can anybody help me please.
Thanking you

Snow

speedball1 · Sep 23, 2007, 05:34 AM

You first must pin-point the leak. Tonight remove the strainer from the drain and stop off the drain by jamming wet rags down it or blowing up a balloon in the drain and tieing it off. Now fill the shower floor with a inch or so of water and go to bed. Next morning check the ceiling for moisture. If it's damp then the drain seal's ruptured and can be replaced without opening up the ceiling. If it's dry then letb the water out and check for moisture again. If the ceiling's wet then the leak's under the floor and the ceiling must be opened and the leak located. But hey! Suppose everything came up dry? Then I would check the enclosure where the stream hits for a leak in a seam, or if a tile shower I would check the tile grout for shrinkage.
Let me know what you find and we'll go to step#2. Good luck, tom

snowshine · Sep 23, 2007, 05:48 AM

Hi Tom thanking you for that prompt reply.
Now I am novice with plumbing.
I tried to attach a photo but did not know how to do it.
Now, What is a strainer? Is it that silver circular thing I find on the floor of the shower cubicle through which the water goes out to reach the drain?

snowshine · Sep 23, 2007, 06:03 AM

Hi Tom
The strainer[I hope this circular silver thing attached to the floor of the cubicle] is very tight to unscrew.
What can I use to unscrew[I presume I have to turn anti-clockwise to remove] this ?
The shower is over 10 years old and this has never been removed.
Snow

snowshine · Sep 23, 2007, 07:00 AM

After taking the strainer the central part drop down and I could see a black circular rubber[I think the seal ]freely mobile.
I think to re-screw the strainer Somehow I have have to lift this central tube upwards again!

snowshine · Sep 23, 2007, 07:43 AM

This is how it looks after I have removed the strainer:
Can I buy a rubber seal like one shown on the photo or will I have to do some improvisation.
If so what should I do?
Thanking you.

http://convert.neevia.com/prods/cb25...R~1%5B1%5D.jpg

snowshine · Sep 24, 2007, 12:17 AM

Hi Tom,
I could not do as you've suggested. As soon as I removed the strainer the part of the drain attached to it drop down. I could see a [I think] a "shallow trap" in that droped part of the "chamber". I could see a black 1/4in rubber ring between the droped chamber & the strainer underneath the body of the shower tray.
So I could not fill the shower tray with water all will just run through the huge space betweet the shawertray opening and the droped down cchamber.
I managed to put a photo on my previous posting but it has disappeared after available for 1/2 an hour.
Thanking you for any advice.
Snow