Leaking tub/shower

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novice11

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Hi everyone,

This is my first post, and I'm most definitely a novice when it comes to plumbing issues. Looking for some help on what to do with a leak, so apologies for the long post...

About two weeks ago, I replaced the drain in our shower upstairs. It's the type where you push down with your toe to plug and unplug the drain. The old one, which I assume was original with the house (built in 1992) was broken in the screw area where the top part would normally screw down into, so it wouldn't seal. I bought a new one but the old one was so stuck in there, so I bought a tool that you place into the drain, hammer down onto it (per the videos I saw) then it sort of "gripped" the teeth into the drain so I could use a wrench to remove it. As a note, I did have to hit down onto the tool pretty decently to get it in there, otherwise it just kept spinning...by no means was I whacking it too hard, but I guess hard enough. I noticed black crud dropping from the overflow device in the tub as I tapped down on the tool too.

I apparently used JB Weld epoxy instead of plumber's putty underneath the lip of the new drain since that was what I found in the garage (they look similar when the packaging isn't with it, stupid me). About a week later, I saw a discolored spot on the ceiling right below it downstairs. I have a moisture reader, and tested right in the center of the discoloration, and it measure d 2-3% moisture. Fast forward to two days ago, I removed the drain, cleaned everything up since fortunately the epoxy didn't set properly, used pipe putty under the lip of the drain, and pipe dope on the threads. I installed it, cleaned up the excess putty, waited 18 hours, and tested the tub by filling some water into it, plugging the drain, and measuring if the water level dropped after a couple hours. It didn't. I then measured the moisture again in the middle of the discolored spot on the ceiling below and it was a 0%. Figured all was good.

We took a total of three showers in that tub yesterday so I went back downstairs to check today. The discolored spot looked exactly the same - didn't appear to get worse and didn't feel wet. I used the moisture reader again in the middle and still at 0%. I then decided to just check all around in the area that was discolored, and found exactly one spot that reads at 6.5%. It's near the outside section of the discolored spot, which surprised me since I thought the middle would be where the leak was the worst, so I'd never checked that spot before. Now I'm not sure if that was always where the moisture originated, and just never checked it, or the leak is still there and maybe moved?

My concerns are that I somehow managed to botch the plumber's putty or pipe dope somehow (the rope of putty was about the width of a pencil as I read online) and the pipe dope was just brushed on, but not a lot, onto the threads of the new drain, not on the inside threads of the pipe inside the tub, so not sure if that is correct or not. Or that I knocked something loose with hammering onto the tool used to pull out the old drain. Maybe the leak was fixed, and that spot I'm measuring, I'd never checked before and is still drying. No clue but I'm paranoid and slightly freaked out since I hate leaks.

Any advice or help would be great. Sort of concerned since I'm a bit hesitant into calling someone into the house during the COVID stuff as we have people here that shouldn't be risked to exposure. Thanks!
 
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Terry

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My moisture meter hit's 100% when I'm checking. But there there are several settings I can put it on. If I place it on my hand I also get 100%

The seal takes place with the rubber washer between the tub and the drain shoe. I never put anything on the threads and the putty under the flange doesn't really do anything. I do put putty under the flange, we all do, it's just that it doesn't make the seal anyway.

So many video's are done by first time homeowners. They may or may not be useful in the real world. I see so many problems with them.
 
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novice11

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Thanks for the reply! I don't know the proper terminology, I'm sure, so bear with me... The putty I put around the lip of the new drain, and as I tightened it, it oozed out and I cut that part off and cleaned it up. The drain did not have a rubber gasket, so my understanding is that I needed to use the putty. There is a thin, round, black gasket situated between the tub and where the pipe starts if that makes sense? I checked it and it appeared to be good. The pipe dope was a recommendation from the Ace Hardware I ordered it from.

Is there any way to confirm I do not have a leak at this point, other than running the water and looking for the ceiling to get more stained? The moisture reader is only reading 6.5% in one location, and 0% everywhere else. It only has two settings; one for wood, and one for construction material, which says it includes plaster and drywall. Like literally just one spot right now measures anything. The stain did not increase overnight after using the shower so I'm sort of relying on that moisture reader to tell me if it's still leaking.
 

Jadnashua

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Fill the tub with water, mark the height, and leave it overnight. Check to see if the level drops (you MIGHT get a little drop via evaporation, but it won't be much, and you can verify that if you do the same thing with a pan outside - it it's evaporation, the levels should drop the same amount, if any). Having it sit that long, you would also check the ceiling below to see if there's any change.
 

novice11

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Great! Thank you. I did do that same process, but only for 2 hours. The water level did not drop whatsoever. Would that by itself determine if the drain is not leaking?
 
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