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help - my shower has a drain below the tile and a drain above it

Jason Schlachter

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

help! my home builder installed a shower drain under our tiled shower floor...then there is a layer of tile, which is cut away above that drain, and then there is another drain above the tile. We didn't notice it during the first year but eventually the tile onto which the second drain was mounted (screwed) crumbled and the screws broke and the drain came free. Now we have about 1/2 inch of exposed tile around the drain and a very uneven floor. Seems totally wrong.

Is water going to get under our tiles from this setup? Should I try to fix this by putting silicone around the sides of the exposed tile? What about a long term solution? Can I hold my builder accountable even though the home warranty period has passed (1 yr)?

I'm trying to understand why the build would do this...and who would have been responsible...the plumber? bathroom builder?

See photos attached. Thanks!!!!

Featured Answer

MongoCT

8 years ago

If this is new construction, which because of your "home builder" comment, I'm guessing it is...then I doubt if it's a tile-over.

Clamping drains are a threaded design, so the body can be raised or lowered as needed to get the correct elevation. Either someone didn't know what they were doing, or someone didn't know what they were doing. But they certainly knew how to fake it.

You can certainly try to pull an explanation out of your builder. In general, the plumber is in charge of installing the drain and the shower pan membrane. The tiler is in charge of setting the drain height and building up the pan and tiling the pan. Sometimes continents collide and job paths get cross-contaminated. But in the end, your home builder is responsible for the action of his subs, however convoluted those cations may be.

You can pursue this however you choose. I'm not normally one to recommend patch repairs. However, if you've had no negative issues with the floor; how it drains, how it dries? It might be best to leave things be. I say that with the exception of having to provide some form of proper support for the top drain grate. It might be best to remove the screws that hold the bottom grate, get longer screws, and install the top grate with the longer screws into the screw holes of the bottom grate. That'll secure the top grate to the drain body below. You can sleeve the screws between the two grates to provide support for the top grate with a 1/4" sleeve to fill the gap between the two grates. Perimeter support for the top grate can be added as needed.

Comments (7)

PRO
Cabot & Rowe
8 years ago
They make round, white plastic rings to raise the drain grate.
Jason Schlachter thanked Cabot & Rowe
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Cat_ky, I will probably do that eventually. I don't know how they'll look into this other than cutting into the ceiling below--unless they can see what they need to see by removing that gasket. I just did some measuring, and it actually looks like my shower straddles my laundry room and garage. The drain is probably right above a wall. I might try asking my neighbors via Nextdoor if their drains appear the same. The part that really concerns me is the top of the pipe and how it's raised above the gasket and the edges are rough--doesn't look like the water will all drain out properly and will instead sit on top of the o'ring.
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MongoCT
8 years ago
The link C&R provided will serve as perfect support for the upper grate. Didn't know they made something like that. Which I guess for me is a good thing. lol
PRO
Cabot & Rowe
8 years ago
I'm happy to share the wealth that has been passed on to me
MongoCT
8 years ago
Cabot, didn't mean to offend. I reread my post and see that it could be construed as such. No offense intended. Trust me, I try to stay clean on these forums.
PRO
Cabot & Rowe
8 years ago
None taken at all.
Jason Schlachter
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
This feedback was great. we contacted our home builder at the start of the year and they had someone trim the tile around the drain and raise up bottom drain to be flush with the shower floor. Hopefully that doesn't lead to any problems in the future...but at the moment it seems good.

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