Old shower drain in concrete slab, bathroom remodel

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swill777

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Hi there, I am a new member that just signed up.

I just demo'd my old 50's style bathroom here in East Central FL. The shower was a floor to ceiling tile shower. The smal floor tiles butted right up to this drain, then there was a slotted cover that went over top.

I want to install a sterling acrylic shower pan instead of re-tiling this thing. What kind of drain is this and how the heck would I hook it up to a pre-fab shower pan... I looked at their instructions and it refers to a 2-piece clamp drain system.

I know my plumbing is super old, and this is some type of really old style drain... but is there a way I could correctly attach this so it won't leak? Check pic. Thanks!

drain1.jpg
 
When you have the pan out, you will be able to get to the pipe below.
The new pan, will have a new drain, and a way to connect.

jakhamer.gif
 
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So I have to break up all that concrete to get to the pipe below that flange piece thats set in the conrete?
 
It looks like there's a LOT of hair and other crud stuck on the walls of that drain pipe. Hopefully, it's not corrosion, but CI doesn't usually fail that way. I'd want to clean things up before I put in a new shower. The drain often comes with the receptor. The instructions often say how much room you need to install it. You'll probably need to break out at least some concrete to get that old one off and make room for the new one.
 
how is that existing drain/top flange piece attached to the pipe that is there now?? and when/if I do get it off, how will the new one attach?
the last shower I did was on a second floor, and the cast iron piping was replaced with pvc... so it was easy to glue to glue the new drain on.
this is the first house I have with in the slab plumbing like that.
 
shower pan removed

ok, used a power hammer and removed the old concrete shower pan.
the cast iron pipe is exposed now... there is about 1.5" sticking up above the terrazzo floor now. the old top flange drain piece came right off.
the cast iron pipe is 2 1/4" outside diameter.

so I am planning on using the Sterling receptor shower base with the wall system as well. do these things normally come with a drain?

what do I have to buy to connect to this cast iron pipe?
i looked in home depot today and they had a brass "no caulk" drain that was the same size as the top piece that came off of this one.

any suggestions/thoughts? thanks!

jakhamer.gif
 
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when you buy the new shower pan the paperwork should give you a spec telling you exactly where the drain needs to be, measured from the back and to one side. If the drain isn't where it needs to be you need to break the floor to relocate it. Even if it is presently located exactly where it needs to be you will have to break the floor in order to extend the lenth of the pipe as a fabricated shower pan sits on top of the floor. the coupling you use to extend the pipe needs to be completely below the floor.
 
The drain will fit perfectly where it is for a 42" L x 34" w shower pan. I don't understand why I would have to further extend the cast iron pipe. Right now it sticks out about 1.5" above the concrete floor. Am I missing something?
 
swill777 said:
The drain will fit perfectly where it is for a 42" L x 34" w shower pan. I don't understand why I would have to further extend the cast iron pipe. Right now it sticks out about 1.5" above the concrete floor. Am I missing something?
Click to expand...

What type of drain does the pan have? Is it built into the pan or do you need to install one. How you fasten the drain to the existing pipe is deturmined by the type of drain you have. Most come with a rubber gasket that slides over the drain pipe. If thats the case I'm not sure you will get a good seal using 50 year old pipe.
 
Is anyone else familiar with the Sterling receptor bases? Do they come with a drain assembly?? If not, what type do I need to get to attach to this pipe correctly.
 
actually, hypothetically... if I we're to build a shower pan... with liner and all... then what type of drain would I buy to connect to this cast iron pipe and how would I attach it?

in my old house I redid the plumbing all in PVC, then used one of those rubber boot collars to tie in the pvc to the cast and the last stack/cleanout. in this scenario it doesn't seem like that would be a good choice.

please advise! thanks.
 
diagram

Here is the spec diagram from Sterling.
It looks like there is just a cutout for the drain.
According to the installation instructions, the drain is not provided by them.

So what size/type drain do I have to get??

sterling.jpg
 
So I spoke with a local guy I know who was a plumber for years, now he works in IT/Telecom installation.
He actually did the leak oakum joints and everything.. he is in his 60's now.

He recommended going with the fernco couple and doing a leak test.
Since I have to break more concrete and go further down, I am thinking about cutting the drain before the trap, going to PVC, extending it horizontally to the right, this way I can fit a 48" shower pan on center, instead of the smaller 42".

Do you guys see anything wrong with doing it this way? The fernco site says these coupler/adapters can be buried in concrete.

Any comments/suggestions? Thanks!

sc-proflex-main.jpg
 
great info

Hi, im new and from central eastern FL too. I found this info very helpful to me even though i am trying to attach Kerdi membrane to this vintage style drain. although i am hoping to not chisel any concrete. i would just like to attach something to the existing drain to raise it a little bit. any updates to all this would be appreciated.

jakhamer.gif
 
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I'll have to post some pics, but I ended up jackhammering the floor, cutting out the old cast iron trap, and using a rigid fernco coupler to attach the new pvc trap and drain. The floor is poured back now, and the new fiberglass shower pan is set.
 
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