Kohler Greek Tub - leaking cable drain (at cable)

[Lbjgh]

...First post...

Hey guys I'm in the middle of a ensuite renovation and found a leak in the cable drain at the elbow (ell) at the cable mechanism.

This only happened after I filled the tub and operated the cable drain with full head pressure.

I believe this is a faulty part as opposed to screwed up installation as the drain is dry and the water is coming out of the actual connection of the cable and plastic housing. WTF

Anyway below is a video clip of the leak... My brother in law suggested I dry the leak area with a hair dryer and apply GE 100% silicone around the leak area and see if that works. Don't know as this is brand new but it's going to be a pain to remove the drain and overflow pipe (but possible)

Thoughts?
tx LBJGH

 

[WorthFlorida]

I have never seen one of these but silicone from the outside will not work. To stop any leak you need to be behind the water. The parts diagram seems to show two screws on the side of the housing but no parts are listed. I think on the inside there is an o-ring and and a nut to tighten the connection.

https://www.us.kohler.com/us/clearf...24494.htm?skuId=391692&brandId=empty&fs=true&

https://www.us.kohler.com/us/clearf...xt=Installation Guide-,without,-Service Parts

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Lbjgh]

I have never seen one of these but silicone from the outside will not work. To stop any leak you need to be behind the water. The parts diagram seems to show two screws on the side of the housing but no parts are listed. I think on the inside there is an o-ring and and a nut to tighten the connection.

https://www.us.kohler.com/us/clearf...24494.htm?skuId=391692&brandId=empty&fs=true&

https://www.us.kohler.com/us/clearflo-cable-bath-drain-with-pvc-tubing/productDetail/drains/424494.htm?skuId=391692&brandId=empty&fs=true&#:~:text=Installation Guide-,without,-Service Parts

Thanks for the quick reply.

I figured there must be some sort of gasket because the stainless steel connection on the plastic doesn't have any visible gasket and there is no way that a pressed fitted connection could be water tight.

I'll try removing the cover today to see if there are any serviceable parts but it will be a PIA as I can't get my head in there to see what's going on... I guess I can stick my cell phone up there after the plate is removed and try to get a picture and go from there.

Thanks again...

Pressure is on as the Tile guy is suppose to start on Monday.

 

[Lbjgh]

This morning's update.

I removed the drain and overflow as one piece so I could access the small panel.

The mechanism is pretty simple with a cable driven cam that activates a brass finger which raises and lowers the drain.

It didn't look like the cam was centred in the plastic housing.

When I pulled the cable and cam out of the hosing, the cam rotated 180* from the tension of the cable. I removed the cam from the cable and flipped it 180* so there was no tension on the cable and reassembled everything. The cam looked like it was better centred in the opening letting the o-ring do its job.

I think the drain will work fine but my wife wants me to wait for the replacement part to come in.

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

Too bad they rely on one single o-ring. Just took another one apart in my shop and it has 2 ring seals.

 

[Lbjgh]

With the exception of a piece of glass between our curbless shower and our toilet our bathroom reno is complete (pic below). I expect the glass to be installed next week.

The huge problem is the bloody Kohler Clearflo cable bath drain that leaks at the valve.

As I posted above I thought I had the issue resolved. After completing the plumbing the drain worked fine for about a month... then it started leaking again. I can only assume it took that a few baths for the drain water to wash out the petroleum jelly from around the o-ring.

Kohler sent a replacement drain kit and this time I used the original as a template and was able to swap over the new drain quickly and easily. Fortunately I have access to the plumbing from my basement.

... but guess what? The new drain leaked at the same spot! To say I'm disappointment is an understatement!!! What a mickey mouse design! I felt like throwing the damn thing though Kohler's front window (well that's what I said to my wife ).

I really feel sorry for people that use this product where there is no access to the plumbing. You'll never see what's going until its too late resulting in mold and water damage.

So now I am looking for a new tub drain that will work with the Kohler greek tub in an oil rubbed bronze finish. Appreciate if you guys could make a recommendation of a good pvc or abs tub waste drain kit.

Thanks
LBJGH

 

[Breplum]

Geberit is the world standard in cable waste/overflow. Never had a lick of trouble with them.

 

[Lbjgh]

Thanks @breplum

That drain system looks very nice. I'll have to do some research.

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

I'm pretty certain that the assembly I took apart was a Geberit and it had 2 O-Ring seals

I wonder tho if before you rip out the new one.. maybe try installing a fatter O-Ring. Might just need a tad more Umph in the snug department.

 

[Lbjgh]

@

I'm pretty certain that the assembly I took apart was a Geberit and it had 2 O-Ring seals

I wonder tho if before you rip out the new one.. maybe try installing a fatter O-Ring. Might just need a tad more Umph in the snug department.

Thanks, that might be an option. I'm frustrated with the whole bloody thing. I might just fill the whole waste elbow mechanism with silicone and buy a $3.00 rubber plug and be done with the mechanical nonsense. Drives me bonkers after spending this much money on a bathroom reno and having to resort to a bandaid solution. I'll know once I talk to Kohler tomorrow.

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

I get it. I had a tile installer get grout in one of mine.. I tried cleaning it out but still couldn't get it to work.. and since I cleaned it out I couldn't convince the contractor that I should get compensated for my time to repair and repair the sheetrock and paint..

We've installed dozens of the Kohler Clearflo cable drains with no issue.. sucks you found 2 bad ones.

 

[Breplum]

What is the height of your overflow from the drain tee?
I am mostly-retired contractor and in purging shelf stock, just listed a Geberit 150.157 in Br. Nickel on EBAY. If you could use it, just pay for shipping and some nominal amount we can negotiate. It is for 23" to 27" tubs.

 

[Weekend Handyman]

With the exception of a piece of glass between our curbless shower and our toilet our bathroom reno is complete (pic below). I expect the glass to be installed next week.

The huge problem is the bloody Kohler Clearflo cable bath drain that leaks at the valve.

As I posted above I thought I had the issue resolved. After completing the plumbing the drain worked fine for about a month... then it started leaking again. I can only assume it took that a few baths for the drain water to wash out the petroleum jelly from around the o-ring.

Kohler sent a replacement drain kit and this time I used the original as a template and was able to swap over the new drain quickly and easily. Fortunately I have access to the plumbing from my basement.

... but guess what? The new drain leaked at the same spot! To say I'm disappointment is an understatement!!! What a mickey mouse design! I felt like throwing the damn thing though Kohler's front window (well that's what I said to my wife ).

I really feel sorry for people that use this product where there is no access to the plumbing. You'll never see what's going until its too late resulting in mold and water damage.

So now I am looking for a new tub drain that will work with the Kohler greek tub in an oil rubbed bronze finish. Appreciate if you guys could make a recommendation of a good pvc or abs tub waste drain kit.

Thanks
LBJGH

View attachment 81601

Nice job.

 

[Lbjgh]

What is the height of your overflow from the drain tee?
I am mostly-retired contractor and in purging shelf stock, just listed a Geberit 150.157 in Br. Nickel on EBAY. If you could use it, just pay for shipping and some nominal amount we can negotiate. It is for 23" to 27" tubs.

Thanks for the offer. I'll keep it in mind.

We used oil rubbed bronze fixtures.

 

[Lbjgh]

I get it. I had a tile installer get grout in one of mine.. I tried cleaning it out but still couldn't get it to work.. and since I cleaned it out I couldn't convince the contractor that I should get compensated for my time to repair and repair the sheetrock and paint..

We've installed dozens of the Kohler Clearflo cable drains with no issue.. sucks you found 2 bad ones.

Ya, weird. This greek tub is quite deep and I don't know if the head pressure on the o-ring causes the problem. I'm just glad this issue wasn't hidden on the second floor only to appear as other damage a couple of years out.

 

[Lbjgh]

Nice job.

Thanks. My son is just about to graduate as an Architect and we had him draw up my wife's ideas. I paid the boy a $1 so now he can include this little project in his portfolio (paid project).

I refer to the room as the "ice box" because of the colours my wife picked.

 

[Lbjgh]

OK, one last attempt at using this Kohler drain system.

I Couldn't find a thicker o-ring so I thought I'd try to fix the weak point for leaks i.e. the cable connection within the elbow valve. I used silicone on the mating surface and where the cable goes into the valve. I also sanded the inside surface of the plastic housing to give the silicone something to adhere to.

Wish me luck.

 

[Lbjgh]

Well I gave up on the cable drain as I didn't trust it even though it didn't leak with the silicone on the elbow.

Resorted to good old fashioned brass and pop up drain.