Each linear drain length and width is engineered to achieve the best fit, form, and function in a tile shower. The types of home drain pipes that are most typically seen today are either made of copper or the plastics polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). If you’ve already shopped around for tips on shower drain installation or just a shower drain, you might be a little confused. These types of drains are best suited for plastic, steel, or fiberglass shower pans. It's often white and it rests between the strainer and the drain pipe. Don’t feel comfortable with this step? Disclosure: BobVila.com participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for publishers to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Then, just like that, what should have been a simple drain replacement turns into a major project. It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally when you cut through the ceiling below the shower you find wiring or pipes that prevent you from getting your water pump pliers firmly on the nut that connects the drain to the pipe. Best Budget: Liquid-Plumr Pro-Strength Clog Remover Hair Clog Eliminator. piping, while most existing tub drains are 1-1/2 in. “As the age of the shower increases, so does the likelihood of problems during installation,” says Daniel O’Brian, the technical expert for leading online plumbing retailer SupplyHouse.com. The shower drain body is the removable fixture that sits underneath the strainer. Sku # 6896111. Shower Drain. No matter what challenges you face, the following tips will help the project go a little more easily. With a two-inch drainpipe, the body of the drain fits over the pipe; with a three-inch pipe, it fits inside. Whether you have excess soap scum, long hair, or something else (like mold) clogging your pipes, this is a problem that doesn’t go away on its own and must be handled immediately. A clogged shower drain is a nuisance, especially if it happens frequently. A serious drain blockage may even result in bathroom flooding, or leaks developing as standing water may seep through shower joints. Kohler Elliston Toilet Review: Is This the Best Throne for You? Unclog a Shower Drain with Boiling Water This trick is perhaps the easiest one in the book: Fill your teakettle (or a large saucepan) with water, and bring it to a boil. If that doesn’t work, stick a brush with a long handle into the drain and try to scrub. Whenever you’re installing a shower drain with welded connections, you have to cut the drainpipe to remove the old drain. You can use a plunger drain pump to push all the water away. If you’ve ever looked at a PVC pipe and noticed something that resembles purple dried glue, that’s PVC primer, and you use some before you finish the installation. Uni-Green 4-1/4" Square Shower Drain for Low Profile Shower Pan Drain, Chrome Plated and Adjustable Height, PVC Material for 2" Solvent Welded Pipe 4.6 out of 5 stars 8 $28.89 $ 28 . We will give you all the information you need for a shower drain installation, so you can decide if you want to replace it yourself or call a pro. If you take these precautions, once the shower floor has been tiled, any water that makes its way to the membrane will exit through the weep holes and down the drain rather than leak out elsewhere. Find shower drains at Lowe's today. Even though it’s a pretty straightforward installation, you never know if you’ll encounter issues and if you have to rush through it, you are likely to miss an important step or have your shower out of order. If you’re planning on replacing any of the piping below the drain, make sure to choose a piece of PVC pipe that fits. If you’ve never replaced your shower drain, had any work done on your shower, or live in an older home, you might have older copper piping. Install the Sanitary Tee. A 2-inch drain pipe is better. The first step is to remove the old drain. PVC stands for Poly Vinyl Chloride, and ABS stands for Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene. Be sure the angle of fall on the horizontal drain pipe remains the standard ¼ inch per linear foot. Drain all the excess water from the clogged up pipes. Shop shower drains and a variety of plumbing products online at Lowes.com. Glenda Taylor, Bob Vila, Sioux Chief 2-Inch JackRabbit Shower Drain, The Best Winter Camping Destinations in America, All You Need to Know About Walk-in Showers, Video: 3 Fixes for a Clogged Shower Drain, Waterproof Gadgets to Revolutionize Your Shower Experience, 10 Stunning Showers to Give You Bathroom Envy, A Tub with a View: 10 Bathtubs on the Edge of Heaven. An unpleasant odor emanating from your drain is a further sign of a blocked drain, and may be caused by the debris which is clogging the inner walls of the pipes. Compare Click to add item "Sioux Chief 2" PVC Inside Pipe Drain" to the compare list. Calculating the slope of you… Continue this motion until the shower drain body is loose enough for you to unscrew with your fingers. A shower drain is a plumbing fixture positioned between a shower enclosure and a drainage pipe that captures water and funnels it into the sewage waste water system. 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