Shower Stll Drain Leak

[rdgallo]

I have a shower stall in my basement that was mounted on a built up platform and then pvc'd to the floor drain ( I know this is probably not to code). Recently after showering, I would notice a good amount of water coming out from under the built up platform. I believe it is coming from the drain because the shower drain flange was not properly sealed to the bottom of the shower stall base (the plumbers putty was pretty old). I unscrewed the flange and cleaned everything up. I noticed after I unscrewed the flange (which had O.D threads that screw into the drain to make the flange tight with the top of the base) that there was a black rubber gasket under the shower base that was not sealed against the bottom of the base. I didn't see any way of tightening anything to bring this rubber gasket up tight with the base. So I cleaned everything up and used silicone sealant on the bottom of the flange and on the top of the base where the shower flange tightens and reinstalled the flange. I am now wonderiing if there was some way to tighten something to get the rubber gasket tight against the base. I notice that when looking down the drain, there is a piece that has 4 "tits" sticking up and am now wondering if this is something in the design to allow one to tighten something up to pull the rubber gasket tight (maybe an internal threaded ring?) I tried to turn it when I had it apart, but it did not want to turn. I think if the silicone sealant seals on the bottom of the flange, I will not have any more problems but am now wondering if I shouldn't have done something differently ( I worry a lot). The shower is installed such that I can't get to the bottom of the base without tearing the entire shower out. Any comments or advice for me?

Thanks!

[HayZee518]

that's a tough one. i had a shower stall that I removed. the drain strainer installed in the shower drain with plumber's putty under the flange's lip, the rubber gasket, and a plastic nut. the whole basket screwed into a 2" pvc adapter which was glued into a 2 inch drain line. try something. remove the guts again. clean it up as best you can then let it dry thoroughly. squirt some silicone between the floor and the rubber gasket and put the basket back together again. screw it down as tight as you can and wait 36 hrs for the silicone to cure. then try it. If lazypup was around I'm sure he'd have a fix for it.

[rdgallo]

Thanks for the info. I did put some silicone sealant between the rubber gasket and the base when I reassembled it. I let the shower sit for about 32 hours and then used it. It appears to have sealed it up. When I screwed the flange into the internal threads, I got it as tight as i could and it really is seated nicely in the basin. Better than it was since day 1. I just wonder if screwing the flange into the internal threads would then pull everything including the rubber gasket up tight to the shower basin? I don't know much about how this was put in as I was not able to witness the installation several years ago. I really appreciate you help though. Take care.

[HayZee518]

I'm glad the silicone sealer worked. Have fun!

[rdgallo]

Thanks, Hayzee. I hope it holds up. I didn't know what kind of sealant to use, so used GE Silicone II bath and kitchen. Sounded like it would be ok to use.

Thanks

[HayZee518]

yeah it should be ok. my thinking is that the floor moves ever so slightly and with the silicone bonded to the bottom and your glued joints, the whole system flexes up and down. on a bathtub drain, the brass or plastic strainer basket screws into a flanged elbow with a rubber gasket underneath. the flange is about three inches across to give the rubber gasket something to sit on. a kitchen sink strainer fits into a 4 inch hole and uses plumbers putty under the strainer lip, a rubber gasket followed by a four inch locknut. the waste tailpiece uses a slip joint nut and washer/gasket which is 1 1/2 inch OD, plastic or metal. bathroom sinks are different. the strainer installs much the same way with putty, a strainer basket and gasket and follower nut, but the tailpiece screws "into" the strainer assembly. the rest is the same as a kitchen sink drain.

[rdgallo]

Thanks again for the info.