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I have a stand up shower with a drain in the middle of the floor the drain is leaking and I need to replace the top piece which is a pvc piece that has a lip on it over the drain pan and then it screws into the pipe below it.
What can I use to grip this top piece to turn it so I can replace it?
Plumbers have specialized tub-drain removers and pop-up plug wrenches for this purpose, but you can make your own drain remover with a pair of slip-joint pliers and a beefy screwdriver. Slide the pliers' handles down the drain, past the X-shaped metal arms or crosshairs inside, then put a screwdriver between the handles and use it like a lever to unscrew the drain.If the crosshairs are broken or missing, you'll need a tool called a drain key, which can be tightened against the inside of the drain. You should be able to find one through a plumbing supply house.
One thing is for certain, you're not after saving the drain cover to reuse later. I'd just knock out or cut/ snip out a few squares in the drain cover so I could get the handle end of a pair of Channellock into the holes and then turn the drain cover out. You might need a second pair of pliers to turn the first pair.
Ok the threaded part down in the floor had gaps in the threads in each side. so I took a hack saw blade and cut right there, flange cam right out great right?
Well I can't find one that will fit the damn hole, been to Lowes, Home Depot and 3 plumbing supply houses. It is a 2" flange but the threaded piece under it is slightly smaller then any flange I can find, this is a bath room on the second floor so no way to get under it with out cutting the ceiling, which is textured of course UGH!!!!!!
Any chance you can make up the difference with something like "JB Weld?" I have an obsolete pipe size on my laundry drain and that was the only way I could get a coupling on it.
Good luck!
__________________ I'm not a boat expert, I just read THT!
I had the same problem when I put in a second floor tub. Fortunately, the lower room was a half bath and I put in an OatelyPVC access panel. Lowes has them. Of coarse I didn't have a textured ceiling. Any chance of using one?
go to a supply house and tell the you need a replacement drain for a trap standard.they come in 2" and 3".the 2" should fit your drain.is it metal or plastic?
I found the right flange, but let me tell you, I wanted to throw every tool tonight. The receiveing end in the floor pushs away when I try and screw the flange to it.
Holy cow. I had to walk away for awhile. before i started smashing stuff.
if it moves up and down squirt some PB Blaster down the side it will help losen it up.Then hope whoever plumed the house has it strapped off good so it does not fall in the subfloor when you remove the drain
I found the right flange, but let me tell you, I wanted to throw every tool tonight. The receiveing end in the floor pushs away when I try and screw the flange to it.
Holy cow. I had to walk away for awhile. before i started smashing stuff.
......that's some funny shit there Dean.
No problememo, you have two options.
1) take a metal coat hanger, cut it and straighten it out, hot glue one end of it to the middle of the inside of the elbow. Slide your drain cover over the coat hanger, pull up on the coat hanger and screw your drain cover into place. Once the male/ female threads connect you can simply twist off the coat hanger from the spot of hot glue. The small dab of hot glue will never pose a problem because the only thing that will ever do down that drain is water and the occasional hair.
2) get out your tape measure, pad and paper. Measure/ map out the "exact" location of the drain elbow. Go down to the floor below and punch a small hole the size of a coat hanger, insert the coat hanger into the hole to hold up the elbow while someone up in the bathroom screws on the drain cover. To fix the small hole in the ceiling just take a dab of latex caulk to fill the hole.......on one will ever see the repair.
Are you sure the leak was from the flange? When the shower strainer is installed (new install) the strainer is installed first, then the pvc is glued into the strainer. There shouldn't be a difference in thread size if it's a 2" strainer. There's also another gasket on the base/basket of the strainer, you need to make sure that's still in place. It's unusual to have the strainer cause the leak, unless you noticed it was loose. If it was me (lic. master plumber) I'd cut a whole in the ceiling cut the pipe above the trap, install new strainer, replace small piece of 2" pvc into the trap using a 2" slip coupling. The ceiling fix will be easy, textured ceilings are much easy to match than smooth. Another common place to have a leak is the diverter on the shower valve, shower head arm, or grab bars in shower. Good luck
bellsisland - 1/8/2009 7:45 PM I found the right flange, but let me tell you, I wanted to throw every tool tonight. Holy cow. I had to walk away for awhile. before i started smashing stuff.
bellsisland - 1/8/2009 7:45 PM I found the right flange, but let me tell you, I wanted to throw every tool tonight. Holy cow. I had to walk away for awhile. before i started smashing stuff.
You mean I'm not the only guy that does that??
And here I thought I was going to die of Terminal Uniqueness.
Ok day and a half later and still no flange connected. You know I really don't mind working on stuff, but this one has my blood pressure up.
The piece in the floor appears to not be attached to anything other then the pipe down stream, so it moves. I have pulled it up enough to get the flange started, but it starts to cross thread so only goes on about 2 turns before it stops cold.
Garret I handn't thought of the coat hanger I will try that next.
I really hate to cut the ceiling from below, it is textured and there is no good way to make a patch, so I already told the wife if I cut it , then I am going to make all of the ceilings on the first floor smooth. But it is looking like this is my only option.
The reason I am replaceing the flange first is the metal strainer(not sure if that is what it is called) came off the other night, same night it leaked, and the screw holes on the pvc piece were broke, once I got the flange out I noticed that the plumbers putty was missing on one side. Not sure that this is even the problem, but was going to try anything before getting the sheet rock saw out. Damn I hate textured ceilings. If it was smooth I would have cut it, fixed the pipe, patched and would be paiting right now. Instead of highly pissed off drinking a beer and thinking about breaking something.
Have you ever tried to hold something up while trying to screw something else to it all the while it not wanting to go in. Makes you say bad words, can't wait until my 4 year old pops one of them on the teacher. That should get me a good talking to
Tomorrow is D day if I don't get it on then I am going to start cutting. What do you think about brass drains vs pvc, my only thought is they look nicer, and hey while I am replacing everthing I might as well go with the best looking?
someone mentioned re-doing a section of textured ceiling is easy? You mean re-spraying it? Does that get on everything, I could frame up with 1x2 a 4 sided wall up to the ceiling, and cover with plastic, then I guess you can rent those sprayers that put that stuff up?
I have never done it or seen done, is this the best way?
I would think cutting into a textured ceiling would be less an issue than a smooth one. Wouldn't the 'texture' make the cuts less noticeable?
FYI - Be careful opening up the ceiling. It's unlikely anyone would run a wire under a shower but I know an idiot who shoved a drywall saw into a ceiling and began cutting energetically. He hit a wire that sparked and ignited lint that leaked from a plugged laundry vent. It took about $20k to fix the damage.
__________________ I'm not a boat expert, I just read THT!
someone mentioned re-doing a section of textured ceiling is easy? You mean re-spraying it? Does that get on everything, I could frame up with 1x2 a 4 sided wall up to the ceiling, and cover with plastic, then I guess you can rent those sprayers that put that stuff up?
I have never done it or seen done, is this the best way?
I used to do drywall repairs for a living, believe me if you will, there is Nothing easy about patching a textured ceiling! Wait a minute, I need to correct what I just finished saying. It is easy to repair a textured ceiling, BUT the repair will look like sh!t! You Will notice it from across the room.
A sprayed ceiling let's just say has 10 to 15 lumpy things per sq. in. on average over the entire ceiling. It takes an VERY experience person to see the texture on the ceiling and then to know what's the exact setting to set the sprayer to to get the exact same amount of textured material out and onto the ceiling. And then that person would have to know what distance the sprayer was away from the ceiling when it was sprayed the first time.
Either way when you do a repair spray what ends up happening is you basically double the amount of lumpy things per sq. in on the perimeter of the hole you cut......and that's the part that looks like crap/ a patch/ a sore thumb!
Help Plumbing Question 
Wait a minute, I need to correct what I just finished saying. It is easy to repair a textured ceiling, BUT the repair will look like sh!t! You Will notice it from across the room.
