The shower pan consists of a waterproof membrane that seals the shower floor. Then, connect the body of the new drain to the new shower base, and set the shower base in place according to the manufacturer’s specifications. “Always check with local codes,” O’Brian suggests. Learn how to install a shower drain with these easy steps. “As the age of the shower increases, so does the likelihood of problems during installation,” says Daniel O’Brian, the technical expert for leading online plumbing retailer SupplyHouse.com. Most experts, when talking about a shower drain, are referring to the shower drain cover while others talk about the plumbing directly below the drain. Although linear shower drains are popular and unique, they require a little more time and expertise. You probably don’t think about your shower drain very much unless it gets clogged with hair or has a piece that breaks off. Whether you have excess soap scum, long hair, or something else (like mold) clogging your pipes, this is a problem that doesn’t go away on its own and must be handled immediately. The plumbing code calls for the transition to be made with a reducer directly below the shower, nowhere else. Be warned: Balancing the shower base while you align the drain body over the pipe will almost certainly require the help of an additional person. The majority of shower drainpipes are two inches in diameter, but if you have two-inch drains and you run into a three-inch drainpipe, you’ll be making another trip to the plumbing supply store. Beneath the removable strainer cover in the shower floor, the drain leads to an under-floor trap that connects to a drain line and the waste/vent stack. Shipping Luckily, most shower drain odor and clog issues are easy to handle. The only time you won’t need to cut through the ceiling below the shower is when you’re replacing both the drain and the shower base. No matter what challenges you face, the following tips will help the project go a little more easily. It's often white and it rests between the strainer and the drain pipe. Find PVC shower drains at Lowe's today. by The Plumbing Info Team | Installation, Resources | 0 comments. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Once you have the primer on the pipes, you will line up the drain base with the pipe; keep in mind that this is easiest to do with a compression drain rather than a glue-in drain (but both can be done with relative ease). While glue-on drains are relatively easy to install, it’s important to make sure that you have the right size pieces (and double check the fit) before you glue the drain down. Over time, older metal drains can corrode, making them very difficult to remove, and you can even run into problems with installations in newer showers if access to the drain is restricted. That debris then adds to the clog and makes it worse. Shop Menards for a great selection of shower and floor drains that are available in a variety of styles and sizes to meet your needs. Contact your local plumber. A 2-inch pipe is the recommended size because showers have a low threshold for flooding, and a 2-inch pipe helps the water drain faster than does a 1 1/2-inch pipe. These applications require a drain that has weep holes, such as the Oatey 2-Inch or 3-Inch PVC Shower Drain (available at SupplyHouse). A serious drain blockage may even result in bathroom flooding, or leaks developing as standing water may seep through shower joints. Trying to extend the pipe while you’re working overhead in a tight space is both time-consuming and physically challenging, so it’s often quicker (and simpler) just to cut out the entire drain trap and replace it. Shop shower drains and a variety of plumbing products online at Lowes.com. Oatey design line Decorative Shower Drains Oatey design line Decorative Shower Drains are made of a 304° grade stainless steel construction. Shop for Shower Drains at Ferguson. After the shower base is set, lubricate the gasket with plumber’s soap and slide it into place between the drain body and the pipe. If you need to make repairs or modifications to your bathtub, which also has a shower, it may be best to consult a plumbing professional. Install the Sanitary Tee. Need someone to read instructions? Many plumbing projects are often best left to the professionals, but installing a shower drain is a relatively easy task and can be done by anyone who has the time and patience. An unpleasant odor emanating from your drain is a further sign of a blocked drain, and may be caused by the debris which is clogging the inner walls of the pipes. If there are cracks or it looks like it might need replacing sooner than later, you may want to consider a complete shower floor remodel. It’s also important to note that we will only be discussing how to install a shower drain in a stand-alone shower, not a bath/shower combo (as the plumbing setup is different). You will apply the primer to the PVC and allow it to dry for at least 30 seconds. If you’ve never replaced your shower drain, had any work done on your shower, or live in an older home, you might have older copper piping. Cheaper isn’t always your best option, especially if you’re replacing a drain in a shower that’s used on a daily basis. Shop shower drains and a variety of plumbing products online at Lowes.com. Sku # 6896111. Before you purchase a new shower drain, it’s best to inspect the pipes to make sure there are no cracks or seals that are broken or missing. Copyright © 2021 Acton Media Inc. All rights reserved. While you could spend money to have a plumber install a new shower drain, it’s easy enough to do on your own. PVC is white; ABS is black. Most compression drains are available in PVC, ABS, or brass. The drain should come up to ¾ to 1 inch below the lip of the shower drain. Tiled showers offer another complication: Because grout can crack, it’s important to have a backup plan to catch any water that might leak through. 89 Creating room for the drain slope, as well as for a P-trap installed in the drain line beneath the shower, necessitates using an elevated shower base. To make it a little easier, and give you as much information as possible, we will discuss shower drains (regarding drain covers) and some of the plumbing that’s attached to the drain. If you’ve already shopped around for tips on shower drain installation or just a shower drain, you might be a little confused. - Drains 1 1/2 in, Shape - Drains Square, Drain Material Brass, Grid Material Brass, Color - Drains Chrome, Connection - Drains Screw, Length - Drains 6 1/2 in, For Use With Showers, Standards ASME A112.18.2, CSA B125.2 A shower drain is a plumbing fixture positioned between a shower enclosure and a drainage pipe that captures water and funnels it into the sewage waste water system. Don’t know the difference between PVC and ABS? Most shower drains are designed to receive 2-in. Depending on the type of shower pan you have and the shower floor you want, you may able to replace both the pan and drain on your own. A slope of less than 1/4-inch per foot will cause constant drain clogs and a slope of more than three inches will allow the water to drain without the solids. While price is often a determining factor when it comes to home improvements, try to find a shower drain that looks like it’s well-made. You can use a plunger drain pump to push all the water away. To ensure that water will be able to flow through the weep holes, place several handfuls of pea gravel around the base of the exposed drain to protect it from the next layer of mortar. PVC stands for Poly Vinyl Chloride, and ABS stands for Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene. The snake will collect hair and gunk clogging the drain, and then pull it back out of the pipes. (It’s usually much easier to get a screwdriver in a tight spot where bulky water pump pliers won’t fit.) Being able to remove the gasket before you set the shower base gives you a little more room to maneuver—remember, you’re balancing the shower base while you’re trying to fit the connected drain body over the pipe in the floor. The compression and glue-on drains are easy to install, and you don’t need to be a plumbing expert.Compression Shower Drains. The types of home drain pipes that are most typically seen today are either made of copper or the plastics polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Best Bio Bidet for You: Finding the Perfect Machine to Get You Clean. Compare Click to add item "Sioux Chief 2" PVC Inside Pipe Drain" to the compare list. Tub and shower combinations will require at least a 1 1/2-inch-diameter drain pipe and P-trap. Most drains are made to fit a two-inch drain pipe, which is standard for most stand-alone showers. To install, attach the base of the three-part drain to the drainpipe before the first mortar bed is smoothed into place. While it should take just a couple of hours to replace a drain in a preformed shower base, you’ll want to allow yourself additional time and a flexible toolbox. To install another weld-type drain, such as this 2-Inch Sioux Chief PVC Drain (available at SupplyHouse), you’ll want to assemble and dry fit all the connections before you glue them together. Snaking is the process of using a plumber’s snake to clean out all of the old hair and soap residue that collects in a drain. Each linear drain length and width is engineered to achieve the best fit, form, and function in a tile shower. Accurately calculating the slope of your drain pipe is essential to the proper function of your plumbing fixtures. If you take these precautions, once the shower floor has been tiled, any water that makes its way to the membrane will exit through the weep holes and down the drain rather than leak out elsewhere. The shower drain body is the removable fixture that sits underneath the strainer. Uni-Green 4-1/4" Square Shower Drain for Low Profile Shower Pan Drain, Chrome Plated and Adjustable Height, PVC Material for 2" Solvent Welded Pipe 4.6 out of 5 stars 8 $28.89 $ 28 . This usually creates a way for the stagnant water to drain … Without the correct drain pipe connections, wastewater can drain from the tub and accumulate underneath it until it finds its way to the floor drain and eventually to the drainage system, which can create a health hazard. Bolt Down Shower Drain with Stainless Steel Strainer - flange with weep holes bolts on body over the shower pan liner - 2" x 3" ABS body (view dimensions by clicking here) - fits over 2" Sch.40 pipe and inside 3" Sch.40 pipe: $22.87 : ABR-407: Low-Profile Bolt Down Shower Drain with … PVC is supposedly more sound resistant. The best type of drain for this situation is often called a “compression,” or “friction,” drain, such as this Oatey 2-Inch PVC No-Calk Shower Drain (available at SupplyHouse), which features a rubber gasket inside the drain body. Assuming that you already have a shower pan (or floor) in place, we will only focus on the drain part. While there are many designs and colors to choose from, when choosing a new shower drain to install, there are two basic types: compression or glue-on. This weld-type drain fits either a two- or three-inch drainpipe. If you can’t find a way to remove the nut or reach the pipe to cut it below the drain, you may end up having to pull the shower base out so you can access the drain from the top. Like compression drains, glue-on drains are also available as ABS or PVC. Tiled showers rest on a mortar bed laid over a waterproof membrane (such as the Oatey 5’ x 6’ PVC Shower Pan Liner, available at SupplyHouse) that’s installed over yet another mortar bed. 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