Leaking Shower Drain *With Pictures*

[AEfor3]

Hello all,

I have a leaking shower drain that is dripping water into my garage (split-level home). The leak is not very bad YET - a fat drop every 5 seconds or so.

I cut back the drywall in my garage so I could get a look at where the water was coming from. The water is definitely coming from where the PVC meets the drain (or where the PVC meets some piece that screws into the drain?). There is clear silicone or glue surrounding the connection. The leak is coming from one side of the pipe - maybe the silicone has worn down there?

I thought I might be able to take the drain apart and figure this out by myself, but once I start taking it apart, I don't have a shower until it is done. So I decided it would be best to ask the experts first.

Here are a few pictures looking up at the drain from my garage, click to enlarge:
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/7455/bottommedviewoj9.th.jpg (http://img205.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bottommedviewoj9.jpg) http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/4859/bottompvcatbrassyq4.th.jpg (http://img205.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bottompvcatbrassyq4.jpg)

And a couple pictures from inside the shower with the strainer removed:
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/1158/toppvcatdrain2xw2.th.jpg (http://img205.imageshack.us/my.php?image=toppvcatdrain2xw2.jpg) http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/6541/topstraightdownlq2.th.jpg (http://img205.imageshack.us/my.php?image=topstraightdownlq2.jpg)

Can I just add more silicone? Do I first need to remove the old silicone? Is this not an effective long-term solution?

Any advice on how to fix this leak would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks,

Aaron

[rombo]

it appears that it is pvc that is just siliconed into brass which is a big no no. you need to remove the pvc and see it the drain is threaded. If it is you need a male adapter on the pvc before it connects to the drain

[rombo]

i just looked at the other pictures you have and saw that you have a fiberglass base. you may as well remove the drain and get one the you can directly glue to the pvc pipe

[jimbo]

If I am seeing the pictures correctly, the castellated nut on top tightens a rubber gasket which seals around the pipe. If the leak is coming from right around the pipe, rather than the flange, then this rubber is leaking. You can remove the nut by making a strap tool from a piece of flat steel. then pry out the rubber and replace.

Many times, people try to fiix this with goops of silicone caulk. That is a bandaid, with likley short term success AT BEST. Given that you have some access from below, you could even replace the whole drain, but you can replace the rubber from the top, and I would start with that. The large nut which retains the drain in the shower floor is partially obscured by the subfloor, so that would be a tedious job. Start from the top.