Ask Experts Questions for FREE Help !
Ask
    Golf Guy's Avatar
    Golf Guy Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #1

    Feb 2, 2005, 01:34 PM
    40 year old leaky shower drain
    Hello, I've looked at all the other leaky shower drain posts which all seem to be pvc piping. What a great service this is! This is a second story shower with hard wood underneath so I can't see the pipes. A local plumber showed me this after he cut a hole in my ceiling and charged me $50 and told me he couldn't do anything further. This doesn't seem right. What do you think? Do I have any recourse?

    I'm guessing the Plumbrite drain is not a good solution for me since I have a metal throat and pipe. The surrounding basin is fiberglass with tiled walls. I have inspected all the grout and caulking which look great. When looking at the drainpipe there is always water sitting right up to the top of the drainpipe. Is this normal? I used a plunger on it and all this black gunk spewed out. Thank you! Here is a picture:

    http://www.craigslist.org/eby/hsh/58137140.html
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
     
    #2

    Feb 2, 2005, 04:53 PM
    40 year old leaky shower drain
    Quote Originally Posted by Golf Guy
    Hello, I've looked at all the other leaky shower drain posts which all seem to be pvc piping. What a great service this is! This is a second story shower with hard wood underneath so I can't see the pipes. A local plumber showed me this after he cut a hole in my ceiling and charged me $50 and told me he couldn't do anything further. This doesn't seem right. What do you think? Do I have any recourse?

    I'm guessing the Plumbrite drain is not a good solution for me since I have a metal throat and pipe. The surrounding basin is fiberglass with tiled walls. I have inspected all the grout and caulking which look great. When looking at the drainpipe there is always water sitting right up to the top of the drainpipe. Is this normal? I used a plunger on it and all this black gunk spewed out. Thank you! Here is a picture:

    http://www.craigslist.org/eby/hsh/58137140.html

    The first thing you have to do is to clear out the standing water in your shower drain line. The plumber ripped you. The very least he could have done is snake out the hair and grease the has clogged your line. I would call his company and complain about a sending me a plumber that was so incompetent that even after tearing up my ceiling he still couldn't locate a simple leak. To compound his incompetence he left you with a blocked drain even though he could see that the water was backed up to the top of the drain. And for all this plus tearing up your ceiling you got socked fifty dollars and the last out rage is when he told you he could go no further. That, in itself, is admitting he didn't have enough plumbing experience to be sent out on a call without a experienced plumber. Stories like these make me see red. I can walk you through locating the leak if the ceiling is still open , but first I want to hear what the company that hired this incompetent has to say. Regards and we all aren't like that! Tom
    Golf Guy's Avatar
    Golf Guy Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #3

    Feb 3, 2005, 09:43 AM
    Thanks for confirming what I figured was true. I should not have let this guy in when I first noticed his attire. Since when do plumbers show up to the job wearing full length black leather coats and diamond stud earrings anyway? My wife and I bought this house five months ago and it is still under home warranty. The home warranty company acts like a dispatch for a pool of contractors and charges $50 to open every work order. We've been complaining to the company since December 30th when the work took place. We have been unsuccessful in getting a manager to return our calls. As far as the pipes, I can't see them because while the drywall ceiling has been cut open, all I can see now is water stained wood subflooring and joists. From what I can tell, some other related work was done already because a section of the wood was cut out where the leak is, was replaced, and then reinforced with two short pieces of 2x4. It's a pity the job wasn't done right the first time. After I snake out the drain like you said, what's next? Thank you Tom! -- Guy B.
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
     
    #4

    Feb 3, 2005, 11:16 AM
    40 year old leaky shower drain
    "After I snake out the drain like you said, what's next?"
    Are you planing on doing the job yourself? If so the next move would be to bare the pipes, dry them off, run the shower and pin-point the source of the leak. Tell you a little secret. Since most shower leaks are caused by the grout shrinking where the stream hits the tile, and the water running down outside the shower pan, I'm not even convinced you'll locate the leak in the pipes. The one thing I am convinced of is that if you went to a lawyer, and told him what you told me, he would tell you that you had a case against the man they sent out or the company that sent him.
    A full length black leather coat and diamond stud earrings? Now you know where he got the money to pay for those classy togs. From victims like you, that's who. Hang in there and keep me in the loop. Tom

Not your question? Ask your question View similar questions

 

Question Tools Search this Question
Search this Question:

Advanced Search

Add your answer here.


Check out some similar questions!

Leaky kitchen drain pipe [ 2 Answers ]

Hello, My kitchen sink drain pipe leaks where the black U-shaped (p-trap?) screws onto the straight pipe from the sink. I've read that there is supposed to be a plastic ring or fitting that goes between the two pipes inside, and then plumbers tape on the threads where it screws together. Is...

Leaky shower drain [ 1 Answers ]

Hello, what do I use to seal the drain in a stand up shower? Caulk? Silicone? Will I be able to use the shower the next day? Thank you

Leaky drain pipe from shower and sink [ 1 Answers ]

The drain pipe from bathroom sink and shower is leaking through the ceiling into the kitchen below. Can this pipe be replaced without breaking through bathroom floor?

Leaky Shower [ 2 Answers ]

I have a single handle shower. The brand is Kohler devonshire. It drips constantly. I have no idea how to fix it. Any help would be appreciated Rich

Another leaky shower drain [ 4 Answers ]

Hi! A few weeks after moving into our (12 year old) house, we noticed moisture coming through the ceiling. The upstairs shower is right above the wet spot. We called our warranty company, and they sent out a technician who said that it was the shower drain, which has a crack in it (but of...


View more questions Search