SBG
New Member
I am currently remodeling a bathroom in my house and need some guidance on the shower drain. The house is located in Lake County, Illinois and was built in 1967. It is a “tri-level†and the shower is located on the lower level, on the concrete slab.
The original shower tray was cast concrete with some other patterned material cast over the top of that and a steel “borderâ€. While contemplating how to remove it, I forced a pry-bar under the tray and was able to lever the entire thing off the floor. An inspection of the underside showed a couple of cracks and the concrete slab underneath was saturated. This saturation also wicked into the footer of the wall framing, rotting it out together with the attached drywall turning to powder. It was a nice mess
The part that amazed me most was there being no proper coupling between the shower tray and the drain hole in the floor. The shower tray was simply laid over the top of the drain with apparently no means of sealing one to the other. Was this common practice in 1967?
The other thing which seems odd is that the drain is 4†CI pipe that is simply flush with the floor, with no flange – see photo below. I guess it will likely never get blocked, but the 4†drain is where my pain is.
I would like to use the Schluter shower tray system and they actually offer a Drain Adaptor kit that will bolt on top of a standard 2†shower flange…but, of course, I don’t have a flange and my pipe is 4†CI.
I came up with the idea of using a Closet (toilet) flange. Oatey offers a good selection of these things, many designed to be retrofitted into existing 4†CI pipe. These two, which fit on the inside of the pipe, have to deal with a very rough surface. Even if I can get the pipe clean enough, there will be extensive pitting and I wonder how well these will seal.
http://www.oatey.com/products/drains-and-closet-flanges/closet-flanges/replacement-closet-flange
http://www.oatey.com/products/drain...flanges/twist-n-set-replacement-closet-flange
This flange fits over the outside of the pipe, but requires hacking into the concrete. I’d imagine the outside of the pipe is far smoother than the inside,
http://www.oatey.com/products/drains-and-closet-flanges/closet-flanges/cast-iron-closet-flange
So, my main questions are:
• Is using a Closet Flange permissible for a shower application, or is there some other special fitting available which converts 4†CI? If so, then…
• With any of the Oatey flanges, I need to get the Schluter adaptor ring to fit to the top of the flange face. I’m sure I could use KerdiFix and some bolts to secure the adaptor to the flange, but is this a valid approach?
Thanks!
The original shower tray was cast concrete with some other patterned material cast over the top of that and a steel “borderâ€. While contemplating how to remove it, I forced a pry-bar under the tray and was able to lever the entire thing off the floor. An inspection of the underside showed a couple of cracks and the concrete slab underneath was saturated. This saturation also wicked into the footer of the wall framing, rotting it out together with the attached drywall turning to powder. It was a nice mess
The part that amazed me most was there being no proper coupling between the shower tray and the drain hole in the floor. The shower tray was simply laid over the top of the drain with apparently no means of sealing one to the other. Was this common practice in 1967?
The other thing which seems odd is that the drain is 4†CI pipe that is simply flush with the floor, with no flange – see photo below. I guess it will likely never get blocked, but the 4†drain is where my pain is.
I would like to use the Schluter shower tray system and they actually offer a Drain Adaptor kit that will bolt on top of a standard 2†shower flange…but, of course, I don’t have a flange and my pipe is 4†CI.
I came up with the idea of using a Closet (toilet) flange. Oatey offers a good selection of these things, many designed to be retrofitted into existing 4†CI pipe. These two, which fit on the inside of the pipe, have to deal with a very rough surface. Even if I can get the pipe clean enough, there will be extensive pitting and I wonder how well these will seal.
http://www.oatey.com/products/drains-and-closet-flanges/closet-flanges/replacement-closet-flange
http://www.oatey.com/products/drain...flanges/twist-n-set-replacement-closet-flange
This flange fits over the outside of the pipe, but requires hacking into the concrete. I’d imagine the outside of the pipe is far smoother than the inside,
http://www.oatey.com/products/drains-and-closet-flanges/closet-flanges/cast-iron-closet-flange
So, my main questions are:
• Is using a Closet Flange permissible for a shower application, or is there some other special fitting available which converts 4†CI? If so, then…
• With any of the Oatey flanges, I need to get the Schluter adaptor ring to fit to the top of the flange face. I’m sure I could use KerdiFix and some bolts to secure the adaptor to the flange, but is this a valid approach?
Thanks!