Installing a shower drain is not a super difficult task, so long as you do your research before you try to do the installation. Understanding what kind of shower pan and drain you have will help you determine which shower drain to purchase. Also, something to keep in mind while doing your research is that most shower drains are designed for a 2” drain pipe.
The purpose for the 2” drainpipe is to keep the shower from flooding, as they have a tendency to do. If you are going from a shower/tub combination to strictly a shower, you will probably need to change the drain pipe size from a 1 ½” pipe to a 2” pipe.
Now that you have all the information you need, you can decide which kind of shower drain you would like to install:
This type of drain comes in both PVC plastic and ABS. If the drain pipe you have is plastic be sure to use the same kind of plastic shower drain so they match. The glue on shower drain can be used with plastic shower bases, fiberglass and steel.
Be aware that when using a gluon fitting it can be more difficult to get the measurement of the pipe correct. So, be sure you measure very carefully and double check all the dry fit pieces before you begin gluing.
If the drain you are working with is a tile shower base, custom-made than the fittings would have been positioned early on in the construction for the ceramic tile pan. Tile shower drains have a built in flange. The flange will bolt the membrane liner, which is waterproof to the pan. The job of the liner is to make sure that anything that lips under the mortar still goes down the drain and does not leak through to the shower pan. These type of drains come in cast iron, ABS and PVC.
This type of drain is the easiest to install. A compression shower drain attaches to drainpipes with both compression washers and nuts. These shower drains come in brass pipe, PVC or ABS. Any of those three can be used with bases that are plastic, steel or fiberglass.
Once you’ve decided what type of shower drain plumbing project you’re going to go with you will want to get more information that can give you the step-by-step. Things to remember when beginning any type of project:
Depending on how “handy” you are this type of shower drain plumbing project can get a bit challenging, especially for the tile shower drain. Gogo Rooter is well known for their expertise and their ability to get the job right the first time. If you feel that this type of project is a little beyond your reach contact Gogo Rooter today.
