I must have a bit of Home Inspector in me because I look around at everything when I enter a room, including the ceiling. This is why I noticed a water stain on the drywall ceiling of the game room in the finished basement. I asked the kids and wife who frequent the game room, “How long has that been there?!” They replied, “Oh, we never saw that!”. Sigh – they probably wouldn’t have noticed the water leak until the ceiling fell in.
Water Stain on Ceiling
Time to get the ladder and flashlight to find the source of the water leak.
Finding the Leak
Working on a ladder with a flashlight, I quickly traced water leak to the shower drain plumbing below the master bath. Water is dripping from the U-bend below the shower onto the basement ceiling. I placed an aluminum pan on the under the U bend to catch the drips. This is the view of the crawl space between the basement ceiling and main floor of the house. Note: You cannot walk on the suspended drywall ceiling! It won’t support you and you will fall through!
Water Leak from the Shower Drain Plumbing
Aside: Also see this related article for cutting an access panel in the drywall to diagnose and fix a leaking shower arm on the fresh water supply side.
I worked my way around the crawlspace to get a better view of the shower drain. Water stains are evident around the drain body, plywood subfloor and floor joist.
Shower Drain Plumbing
Here’s a closer look at the leak source around the shower drain body. The water leak is between the drain body and bottom of the shower pan.
Closeup of Shower Drain Body and Water Stains
A dusty-white evaporation trail from the shower leak is visible on the floor joist to the left.
Whitish Water Stains on the Floor Joist
Now that I’ve identified the source of the water leak, how do I fix it?!
Understanding a Shower Drain
Shower drains are made somewhat differently depending on the construction of the shower pan, either a preformed pan or a pan that is built on-site with a vinyl liner over a mortar bed. The Sioux Chief Mfg Co. has a nice range of screw on, snap-in, no-caulk, modular, etc shower drains. For an overview of a shower drain for a tiled shower pan with a vinyl liner, click here.
I have a preformed fiberglass shower stall in the master bath that has a modular screw-in solvent-weld shower drain like this model by Sioux Chief.
Here the drain strainer body is removed to better show how it fits into the drain body:
Solvent Weld Shower Drain
This next diagram shows how the shower drain is assembled and fits against the shower pan. My shower is leaking between the shower pan and rubber gasket. Click on the image for a larger view.
Shower Drain Installation Diagram
My drain is a “solvent weld” model, meaning the drain body is glued to the PVC pipe with PVC primer and glue.
Bottom of Shower Drain and 2-inch PVC Pipe
This repair is continued in Part 2.
Regards,
Bob Jackson
Copyright © 2012 HandymanHowTo.com Reproduction strictly prohibited.
Thanks for the information. Easy to fix if you know what to do. My drain leaked due to the plumbers putty drying out after being gone for two weeks. A nice way to come back from vacation.
Great website and photos. Really helpful. My shower developed a leak due to a cracked strainer body and NO gasket between the drain body and shower pan. I think I understand why the installer did this (although I don’t agree). On my shower, the pan is so thick that the strainer body threads barely engage the threads in the drain body. The strainer body threads should be at least 1/8 to 1/4″ longer, in my opinion. In my case, the installer evidently omitted the gasket to allow for slightly more thread engagement. Unfortunately (and not surprisingly) this resulted in a poor seal, especially if there is any type of blockage in the drain pipe which allows water to back up and stand in the drain body. If anyone knows of a solvent weld shower drain with a longer threaded portion on the strainer body, I’d love to hear about it so I could swap mine out. I installed the rubber gasket this time, of course its extra 1/16″ thickness reduced by that much the thread engagement. I did not install the friction gasket, and don’t think it serves any purpose for the type of repair illustrated here. It is needed for initial installation, if you are rotating the drain body against the rubber gasket. However, if you are re-assembling the joint by tightening the strainger body you should leave the friction gasket out, because the friction that develops between the drain body, rubber gasket, and shower pan actually helps carry the applied torque. If the friction gasket is installed, then nearly all of the installation torque must be carried by the PVC pipe and solvent weld to the drain body.
What if the leaky ceiling is the kitchen and the shower stall is on the second floor where you cannot get to the plumbing???
Look for a plumbing access panel in the room opposite the shower head. If you’re lucky you’ll find one. If there’s no access panel and you think the drain is leaking, do the inexpensive repair as I’ve shown in this project.
If the leak persists, you’ll have to cut an inspection panel in either the wall and/or kitchen ceiling to trace the source of the leak. This can be a significant and messy undertaking.
See these projects for repair ideas and working with drywall:
1. http://www.handymanhowto.com/2009/01/11/fixing-a-leaky-shower/
2. http://www.handymanhowto.com/2010/02/27/how-to-repair-drywall-ceiling-water-damage-part-1/
3. http://www.handymanhowto.com/2009/07/12/how-to-make-a-drywall-access-panel-part-1/
Post back with what you find.
Hello Bob,
I have tried to repair this three different times and it still leaks. I replaced the friction gasket with a plastic one. Once things were tightened I noticed that the rubber gasket was off set and this was leaking. The drain itself is not centered so I held it while someone else screwed the drain back in. That seemed to work at first, then it started leaking again. I have tried a lot of putty and a little putty. I noticed that either way with the putty it is pushing out between the gasket. I even tried some automotive gasket seal on the plastic friction gasket to keep it from moving. Any last words before I have to make the dreaded call to a plumber? I notice that you are in the Atlanta area. I live in Acworth, how much would you charge to come out and fix this since it is giving me such trouble? Thanks again, love the site…Jerry McMillan
Hi Jerry,
Plumber’s putty shouldn’t be squeezing out between the rubber gasket. It may be assembled incorrectly or the leak could be coming from somewhere else.
I’ll help you repair it for free this weekend in exchange for documenting the repair for publication on HandymanHowTo.com. I’ll e-mail you offline. Should be interesting!
Thanks,
Bob
Excellent repair post. I feel like you saved me big $$$$$. I too, had to go to 5 different plumbing supply stores to find the piece with the right thread size. But once I did, I had it repaired in no time. I just have to repaint the stain on the ceiling below this weekend and I’m done.
Thanks for your help!
Chuck N.
Boston, Ma
Wonderful! I appreciate the feedback.
(phone number removed for privacy) read your repair comments and have been doing that. still have leak. no freeplay to slide drain body, back and forth as you said. cleaned drain body and shower pan lip with pvc cleaner as best i could. bought new offset valve for the gaskets. paper gasket now replace with white looking plastic? gasket. put that gasket on bottom and rubber gasket on top. used some silicone sealer Menards was pushing. Will use plumbers putty tomorrow. This am wife took shower and i watched drain entire time no leaks. this pm i took shower and leaked badly. silicone was junk and waterproof caulk around drain plate was a waste. how to clean shower pan lip underside completely?
Did you find the cause of the original leak before the repair? Was the strainer body cracked like mine? I’m wondering if something else is cracked – maybe the shower pan such that it only leaks when your weight is on it. For example, the silicone seal held for the first shower, but your weight caused the shower pan to flex breaking the seal and it leaks during following showers.
Can you see the plumbing under the shower pan similar to this photo?
My recommendation is:
1) Take the drain apart and closely examine the drain hole in the shower pan for cracks with a bright light while pressing your weight on it. I think a crack here is unlikely.
2) Clean all surfaces thoroughly – especially the top of the drain body and bottom of shower pan where the black rubber gasket will lay. Any dirt or old gasket material here can cause a leak. This was the problem of the failed homeowner repair that I corrected in this follow-up project.
You said there is “no freeplay to slide drain body, back and forth” which will make it difficult to clean the top of the drain body and bottom of the shower pan – so I think this is more likely the cause of the new leak. If you can access the bottom of the shower pan from the basement or crawlspace, you might be able to carefully pull downward on the plumbing to allow 1/2″ of clearance to clean the surfaces. If the pipe won’t allow for wiggle room, you’ll need to saw the vertical PVC drain pipe in two, clean everything now that you have unobstructed access and glue in a PVC union.
Since you’re making an “old work” repair, you can omit the clear plastic PVC anti-friction gasket and only install the black rubber gasket for a better seal.
Let me know what you find.
Hello Bob,
I live in a loft with concrete floors and it has a small shower stall up on wood. My shower starting leaking about a week ago and at first I thought it was the caulk around the shower so I replaced it but it still leaked. So I took off the step in front of my shower to get underneath and ran water and found the leak coming from the drain body. So after finding this wonderful site, I tried to repair it but I am having trouble getting the strainer body to release. I’ve tried channel locks and a long screw driver but still no luck. I was wondering if you have any other tricks or tips.
Also mine does look slightly different from the one pictured, it has two square pegs cutout and those are what I’ve been trying to use for leverage.
Thanks,
T. Sparks
Do you have a fiberglass shower pan? It could be the strainer body was sealed with silicone caulk to the lip of the shower pan. Silicone caulk holds much stronger compared to Plumber’s Putty and it may be very difficult as you’ve found to unscrew the strainer body without breaking it.
Before undertaking destructive repairs, try to figure out your exact style of shower drain. Tile shower drains are made differently than those for a fiberglass shower pan. Take a look at the Sioux Chief Mfg Co. screw on, snap-in, no-caulk, modular, etc shower drains and the installation instructions for each. Look under the shower stall to help determine your drain style. For example, does your drain have a lock nut under the shower pan that should be loosened first? You can tell because there will be screw threads on the drain body below the nut as opposed to a solvent weld drain.
If you’d like to send photos of the drain from above & below the shower pan, I’d be happy to take a look.
Bob,
I believe I have a plastic shower pan but it does have some texture to it. And after taking the photos I believe you are correct with the locking nut. I will let you know but in the mean time I would like to send photos just not sure how to without your email address.
Thanks again,
T. Sparks
Hi Bob,
Thank you for the excellent article and photos. A very well put together howto.
I have a shower drain leak on a second floor fiberglass shower tray. I noticed it from a ceiling stain on the first floor. Before I open up the ceiling, I wanted to figure out what type of drain I have and perhaps fix it from above and avoid opening the ceiling from below.
From the Sioux Chief link you provided I believe I may have a push joint module like the 829-S2. My strainer certainly looks like the 829′s but I’m a novice and would appreciate your help in identifying the drain type. The drain doesn’t have any manufacturer stamps on it but the strainer has a stamped “JS” logo.
Below are links to photos of the drain with the strainer removed, the strainer and the manufacturers logo on the shower tray.
Shower Drain
Shower Drain Strainer
Jacuzzi Shower Pan Base
Thanks
Mike, Marietta GA
The shower drain photo really helps. The JS stamped on the strainer indicates the drain was made by Jones Stephens Corp. that is marketed under the PlumBest product line. Your drain appears to be similar to the PlumBest Drop-in Shower Stall Drains – 2″ Solvent outlet with SS strainer model D41007, but this is just a hunch.
What’s clear is the inner body unscrews by engaging a tool like the Pasco Quick Drain Wrench #7099 in the notches as shown in Figure 2C on Page 2 of the Jacuzzi Shower Base Installation Instructions.
Hope this helps!
Thanks for the info and links Bob. Much appreciated and yes the info did help.
Before I ordered up that Pesco tool, I thought I would try and unscrew or at least move the inner body of the drain by lightly tapping on it with a screwdriver and rubber mallet. It came off as small ring with a slow thread into the body of the drain :-
Shower Drain Sealing Nut / Caulking Nut
Now the drain looks like the image below and you can see the thread where the ring went in :-
No Caulk Shower Drain – Sealing Nut Removed
I am beginning to think I have a non-standard drain here.
thanks
I believe we can identify your shower drain. It’s probably an Oatey no-caulk shower drain or model that is very similar. For details, see page 3 of the Oatey catalog.
This Oatey product photo of a PVC drain is similar to yours, but the sealing nut (a.k.a. “caulking nut”) details are better seen in the brass model.
See these Oatey no-caulk installations instructions and these color photo instructions for how your shower drain is assembled.
What’s probably happened is the locking nut on the bottom of the shower pan has worked it way loose over time, relaxing the pressure on the ring rubber gasket against the bottom of the shower pan and the cylindrical rubber caulking gasket that fits over the 2″ PVC pipe. The caulking gasket is what you see around the PVC drain pipe in your pictures.
The challenge your going to have to replace the shower drain with a new no-caulk drain is getting access to the bottom of the shower pan to replace the old locking nut. You’ll have to cut an access panel in the 1st floor ceiling to get at the bottom of the shower pan and drain. Check the alignment of the shower pan with respect to the 1st floor ceiling because the leak stain on the ceiling could be a few feet away from the shower if the water traveled along the drain pipe or floor joist before dripping onto the ceiling.
Thank you so much for the help Bob.