Shower drain installed by chimps

[jgraywdc]

One of the many problems left to me by my incompetent disappearing contractor is a cretinously installed shower pan and drain in a 2nd floor bath. This is an old house, and everything this guy touched was done wrong--I've spent the last year fixing stuff myself, and wishing I'd had the time to do the work myself in the first place. As far as I can tell from above, he put the bottom part of a two piece drain in *above* the pan, threw away the top part, didn't intall a riser, and used a 1 1/2" p-trap, butted against the drain and sealed from above with a huge amount of plumber's putty. Surprisingly, this hasn't leaked for an entire year, until the putty started to fall away--there's now a tiny spot on the ceiling below. I jammed in some more putty as a stop-gap. I've seen the Wingtite drain, but don't think it'll work because of the lack of a proper 2" riser. We just bought the house and did much work, so money is tight, so for now I really want to avoid pulling the ceiling out and re-doing it all properly, especially because it's our only shower. Also, I know that as soon as we get in there, there are going to be more stupid problems--I suspect he also screwed up the concrete he used to level the floor. I realize it would only be another stopgap, but would it be a terrible idea to replace the putty with waterproof epoxy (like Harvey's) and hope that will tide me over for a while longer? I don't want to create bigger problems further down the line, but am between a rock and a hard place. Thanks.

[Verdeboy]

For a temporary stop-gap measure, G.E. makes a very good clear silicone that you can use to replace the plumber's putty with. You can apply it with a caulk gun. It will be easier to remove than the epoxy if and when you decide to fix things right.

[jgraywdc]

Thanks--silicone sounds like a good idea, but I wonder if it'll hold up here. I'd have to form a series of beads up to 1 inch wide X 1/4 inch thick, maybe 1.5 inches into the drain. Any experience laying it on that thick?

[Verdeboy]

I've used regular acrylic latex caulk that thick--usually with backer rod, but not silicone. I don't see why it wouldn't work, and it'll (probably) hold a hell of a lot better than the plumber's putty. If it doesn't, just scrape it out and try something else.:cool:

[hj]

From your description, I don't know how you would do any repairs to the drain without removing the entire shower.

[jgraywdc]

My real question is whether epoxy is going to make my life harder in the long run, if I'm ever in a position to do it right. For now, it's just not practical to remove the shower pan and start over--it's not even practical to tear out the ceiling and fix it from below. I'm looking for a make-do solution that won't bite me back later. But for the future--I'm not sure I understand--why couldn't I replace the drain from underneath? (Believe me, if I had a time machine, I'd go back and fire the idiot who did this...)

[jadnashua]

What size is the pipe coming off of the drain? 2"?

Is there any flex in the drain line? Can you take a picture an post it?

Could you get a fernco fitting over it? Not sure if they make reducers in those things, but they might.

Is the p-trap solvent welded in or does it use slip joint couplings?

[jgraywdc]

Thanks, Jim. Problem is, I can only see so much from above, and I'm trying to avoid tearing out the ceiling below. Looks like a 1.5 inch slip-joint p-trap, with no riser, just butted up against bottom of drain, then puttied to fill gap. (The chimp factor...) Since there used to be a bathtub in this location, and the house is almost 90 years old, I suspect it's 1.5 inch drain all the way. Fernco reducers are available (I used to work in a hardware store,) but I don't see putting one in from above. Because everything is so old, I'd be very hesistant to try working with any flex in the drain line. I'll try to get a picture up tomorrow, but not sure if I can get in tight enough to help. Thanks again to all.