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Cracked shower drain (lemmy.ca)

submitted 22 hours ago by Francois@lemmy.ca to c/homeimprovement@lemmy.world

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Hello home improvement folks!

I hope it's ok to ask for help about my condo since it's not a house. It's my first property so I'm learning a lot.

This weekend I opened the showe drain to remove the accumulated after the shower became slow to drain. While cleaning the drain I noticed it was cracked. I thinking about putting some jb weld, flex seal or caulking as a temporary fix to stop the leak. I'm worried about leaking into my downstairs neighbors. I would like to replace this part of the drain, however I'm having a hard time finding information on the different types of shower drains. It seems like most drains are screwed-in, but the green stuff is making be think that mine might be glued. If anyone has some advice or resources I could look at I would be super grateful.

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[–] owenfromcanada@lemmy.ca 2 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

It looks like the drain piece is an ABS piece that is glued directly to the drain pipe. Unfortunately, if you don't have access under the tub, it'll probably be difficult to replace. You'll probably need to call a plumber and coordinate with your downstairs neighbors to get that fixed.

In the mean time, yeah throw some caulk or something on the crack to keep water from seeping down. I don't recommend JB Weld, as it will probably be more difficult to remove when you want to fix it properly.

[–] owenfromcanada@lemmy.ca 2 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (1 children)

Also worth noting, not all caulk is created equal. Get some that is specifically for shower/tub use.

I just did a bathroom reno, and yeah, the drains are often screwed on. But to change it, you'd need access under the tub, which means either going through the wall behind the tub drain, or going up from underneath (depends on the type of tub). If you happen to have a closet or something on the other side of the wall, you can see if there's already an access panel you can open to get a better idea of how hard it'll be to fix.

[–] yaroto98@lemmy.world 1 points 11 hours ago

100% silicone. Some drains are installed with just silicone caulk keeping them sealed.

[–] Bell@lemmy.world 2 points 22 hours ago

Yeah that should be metal or at least thick PVC. I think I'd mix up some epoxy and paint it liberally on the broken parts with a Popsicle stick. And I'd epoxy over the green area and make that slope into the pipe. There's no pressure here so you're just trying to prevent leaks and direct gravity.

[–] HeyJoe@lemmy.world 1 points 22 hours ago

I am really bad at this stuff as well and have limited experience, but i did replace a sink drain once, and underneath, you put plumbers putty to seal it and keep any water out. Maybe that's what you're seeing here?

[–] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 1 points 22 hours ago

I'm no plumber, but that doesn't look like it should be glued, and why isn't it metal?