Replace old shower drain

[rl899]

I am remodeling my shower and have already removed the walls down to studs and also removed old shower pan. The old shower drain is just a simple shower floor drain glued down to the 2" PVC pipe stud and I will have to replace it with an adjustable shower drain for a new shower pan installation with liner.

But to cut it off will leave no drain pipe above the slab to connect to the new shower drain base. How do I go about solving this problem? Thanks.

 

[Jadnashua]

If there's a hub in there, you might be able to use something like a RamBit to bore out the pipe from the hub, then glue in a new riser for the new drain.

 

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[rl899]

If there's a hub in there, you might be able to use something like a RamBit to bore out the pipe from the hub, then glue in a new riser for the new drain.

No there is no hub inside. What I need is a 2" PVC coupler, with one male end to weld into the 2" drain pipe and the other side exactly 2" in diameter to connect to the new shower base, but I can't find it at home depot.

 

[Reach4]

What I need is a 2" PVC coupler, with one male end to weld into the 2" drain pipe

You want a male end to connect to a pipe? Usually a female end couples to a pipe.

When you say exactly 2 inches in diameter, do you mean ID or OD?

At first I thought you might be looking for something to connect a 2 inch pipe to a 2 inch OD tube, but re-reading, I don't know what you are looking for.

http://www.pvcfittingsonline.com/2-dwv-pvc-trap-adapter-female-h-x-sj-d116-020.html was a guess.

This looks similar, but is ABS: http://www.homedepot.com/p/NIBCO-2-in-ABS-DWV-Hub-x-SJ-Trap-Adapter-C58017HD2/100347429

 

[Jadnashua]

How far down is the trap? The RamBit will bore away the pipe down to the bottom of the hub that it fits into. It's easier if you cut it off with an inside pipe cutter, then just bore out what's left in the hub of the trap. Can you see the end of the pipe? It sits in a hub. Pipe fittings are designed to fit on the outside of the pipe, not the inside which would create a restriction. A few exceptions exist, but I don't think it applies here. The alternative is to crack some concrete to get to what you need.

 

[rl899]

Thank you guys! I read about using heat to unglue PVC pipes, and do think this may be the best way to do. I will cut the top portion of the old drain off and then use a heat gun to try to peel off the lower portion from the pipe. Wonder if this is how a plumber does it too? The alternative of cracking some concrete to expose more pipe seems like a good option also.

 

[Jadnashua]

If you get pvc hot enough to do that, you may end up distorting the part you want to keep. Essentially, the cement used to make the joint has a solvent and dissolved pvc in it...the solvent melts the outer surface of the pipe and the fitting, and when the solvent evaporates, they are 'welded' together. Trying to get them apart is not a sure thing, which is why they invented a tool like the RamBit, which is designed to ream out the fitting so a new pipe can be cleanly inserted into the hub.

 

[Jadnashua]

If you get pvc hot enough to do that, you may end up distorting the part you want to keep. Essentially, the cement used to make the joint has a solvent and dissolved pvc in it...the solvent melts the outer surface of the pipe and the fitting, and when the solvent evaporates, they are 'welded' together. Trying to get them apart is not a sure thing, which is why they invented a tool like the RamBit, which is designed to ream out the fitting so a new pipe can be cleanly inserted into the hub.

 

[Reach4]

I suggest you post a photo and a sketch of what you think is going on.

 

[rl899]

I suggest you post a photo and a sketch of what you think is going on.

This is the old shower drain I want to replace with an adjustable drain for a new shower pan installation. It is just an old simple floor drain glued down to the 2" PVC drain pipe.

 

[rl899]

I wonder how a plumber usually takes care of this kind of task?

 

[Reach4]

I suspect a plumber would look down the hole with a bright flashlight to see what is going on.

Your photo clarified things to an extent, but "just an old simple floor drain glued down to the 2" PVC drain pipe" does not paint a picture in my mind. Words like inside and outside might help. Jim thinks you have a fitting that is less than two inches ID glued some distance into a 2 inch ID pipe.
I am not a plumber.

 

[rl899]

I suspect a plumber would look down the hole with a bright flashlight to see what is going on.

Your photo clarified things to an extent, but "just an old simple floor drain glued down to the 2" PVC drain pipe" does not paint a picture in my mind. Words like inside and outside might help. Jim thinks you have a fitting that is less than two inches ID glued some distance into a 2 inch ID pipe.
I am not a plumber.

I did look down the hole. It is the inside of the drain pipe going down and turning sideway. The 2" drain pipe rises about 1.25" from the slab and the 27 years old shower drain was glued down to the outside of it, almost down to the floor level, as you can see from the photos.

 

[Jadnashua]

Can you see what looks like the end of the vertical riser before the pipe turns? If it's full of water, you may need to siphon some of it out first to see. If so, that end of the trap has a socket, and a RamBit is designed to ream it out so a new pipe can be inserted. You'd cut the pipe off above the hub or socket so there was something to later insert the new pipe into, then use the tool to cut/ream out the pipe that was glued into it. WIth the right tools, it all goes quite fast, leaving you ready to glue in a new riser and attach the new drain to it.

 

[Reach4]

See if

inspires you.

 

[rl899]

Normally how much drain pipe rise from the floor level is needed for new drain flange adapter to cement on to it? Is it about 1 inch?

 

[Jadnashua]

Ideally, when you insert a pipe into a hub, you bottom it out (note, this usually cannot be done while 'dry', it needs the cement to melt things first), and that varies based on the pipe diameter, but about an inch is right for 2" pipe. It's actually, usually a little less.

 

[rl899]

Ideally, when you insert a pipe into a hub, you bottom it out (note, this usually cannot be done while 'dry', it needs the cement to melt things first), and that varies based on the pipe diameter, but about an inch is right for 2" pipe. It's actually, usually a little less.

Thanks for the information.