Replacing Shower Pan / Drain

Hello all!

New here and wish I would have known about this forum back when I started some of my home repairs!! I will preface this by saying I am probably somewhere between a beginner and intermediate handyman and most things I have done thus far I have used YouTube to figure out how.

I am currently working on my master bath where I took the shower pan out and took walls down to studs, took toilet out, tile floor, etc.

1 year later it's about the same stage so I am now on a mission to finish this thing! I just want to put back the same thing I had (shower pan, green board, tile, etc).

I already have the shower pan the same size as my last one (32" x 60" and its this specific one: https://www.homedepot.com/p/DreamLi...ld-Shower-Base-in-White-DLT-1132600/204047365

When dry fitting the pan, I noticed that the hole for the drain is in the middle lengthwise but side to side is at 15" instead of 16" where my drain pipe comes up.

This is an upstairs bathroom and I have no access to under it unless I cut a hole in my dining room ceiling which is the last thing I want to do!

Questions:

1) Is is better to either buy an offset drain like this one:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Oatey-O...ERCH=REC-_-rv_nav_plp_rr-_-NA-_-303864623-_-N

OR

Screw some wood onto the back studs to push the base out 1/2" - 3/4" from the wall so that the pan hole now lines up perfectly over the drain pipe ?

If the answer is the offset drain, can you even install it from the top only? The only thing I can see on this topic is a couple of drains (Wing-tite and Bruco) that allows you to install from the top only by yourself. Neither seem to have an "offset" option.


2) When you are installing a drain from the top only, how in the world do you know if it leaks? Other than it leaking through the dining room ceiling I guess you just have to hope it was successfully?

3) This base has you put mortar under it to help make it solid and keep it from moving. I have seen some people online mention using this and some don't. Wouldn't I want to have some sort of tar paper or something on top of the wood sub floor so that moisture from the mortar doesn't seep down into the wood? If so, what material is ideal to use?

I guess that's it for now but I am sure there will be more as I get deeper into it.

Thanks in advance for any advice on any of the above!

Here are some pics that may help:

Not an expert, but I believe the best solution would be to remove the subfloor and adjust the drain configuration so that it comes up where you need it to. It appears to be pvc, so it shouldn't be that difficult.

Otherwise, cut a large enough hole in the subfloor to allow you to reconfigure the drain line, and then install another full size piece of plywood over the existing subfloor. That will cover the large hole, but will also raise your shower pan by 3/4".

Thanks for the reply Jeff!

I hope one of the other ways I mentioned is a viable solution, I was hoping not to cut and replace sub floor!

remove the shower basin from the hole.
drag it into another room and place in on the floor , in a corner of the room
use your pencil, draw a circle on the floor through the center hole.
move the unit out of the way and measure the center of hole from the wall to center of the circle you drew
go back into your bathroom and offset the drain using the dimensions you just acquired.
leave the last joint in your offset not glued, [see fancy drawing]
line the floor with roofing tar paper,
install a no caulk shower drain on the shower pan, [do not forget the plumbers puddy]
[see ho depot image below]

mix up 2 --5 gallon buckets of concrete a little soupy, not stiff
pour on the floor, and spread out by hand. use a little insulation to make a dam around the hole in the floor..
install the shower pan over the concrete, press down to seat, push against studs
level he pan both ways. screw the pan to the studs

look in your hole, the pipe should be centered, if not, pull the pan back out and do it again
measure from the offset fitting to the top of the no caulk shower drain. cut and install this pipe
[glue it into the fitting]
insert the rubber gasket,and the compression ring, screw the ring till tight
now.......install a test plug. [see image]
fill the shower pan with water, let it sit,after you are convinced it is not leaking, pull the plug

Chrisfromky said:

Hello all!



3) This base has you put mortar under it to help make it solid and keep it from moving. I have seen some people online mention using this and some don't. Wouldn't I want to have some sort of tar paper or something on top of the wood sub floor so that moisture from the mortar doesn't seep down into the wood? If so, what material is ideal to use?

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply Frodo!

Oh cool, so I CAN install a drain from the top like that...but in your drawing the pipe is much lower than mine. My height of the drain pipe is already good i just need it over less than 3/4" which is why i thought adding some to the back studs would be easiest but maybe not.

As far as the mortar, i should have clarified and asked that question better. I am 100% using mortar but what some people fail to mention is putting down roofing tar paper like in your suggestion. Some just put the mortar right on the sub floor which seems odd to me!

Thanks for recommending the paper!

Thanks a lot for that Frodo.

Let me ask you, if it is 15"+ (which im not sure yet I will measure tonight when i get home from work), then wouldn't that be the easiest / best method since I don't have to cut out anything anywhere?

I am sure I am missing something that makes it not the first choice but as a semi-newbie, I don't know what it is.

furring the wall would be the easiest fix. and best fix, anytime you can avoid an offset in a stand pipe the better off you aare

it all hinges on where the toilet as. in your picture, it looks like you have plenty of wiggle room
but, i am looking at a 2 dimensional picture, which is very deceiving

That's the answer I was looking for, thanks so much Frodo, I will check it out tonight!

22", so even if I move it in in an inch I still have plenty to play with!

One follow up question. When I move the pan towards me to line up the drain pipe with the hole, ow the lip closest to the toilet sits up about maybe 1/4". The sub floor where the toilet is, is about 1/4" higher than the sub floor where the pan is sitting.

Is it still ok to move the pan out like this? Would I just put some sort of shims under the bottom back towards the studs to level it out?

the mortar bed will level out the pan,,

if you do not install a mortar bed under that unit it will start leaking around the drain in less than 2 months

Oh yea, for sure using mortar, just didnt know if I needed wood shims under the base to help level it..

I appreciate all the help frodo, I am going to attempt getting the pan in with mortar base all secured with drain this weekend (gulp)!

Thanks for the drawing!

With the drain pipe being right in the center of my pan hole, i was thinking about using the Wing-Tite drain where you can install it from top only and guarantees to not leak!

It's here:
https://www.wingtite.com/

Here sio the video:


Is it for real? A hoax? Any experience with these?

Thanks again!

Stay with the one Frodo suggested...tried and true. Doesn't take much to flip your base over and install it.

Ok sawguy, thank you, I probably will then!

Will the drain instructions tell me how high the drain pipe should come up through the subfloor?

before you attach the drain to the floor
hold it in your hand, spin the brass nut down onto the rubber

then, install the drain, set the shower base in the mud.
measure from the inside of the coupling under the floor to the top of the rubber gasket in the drain
that is the pipe length, remove the brass nut and rubber
glue the pipe into the coupling
slip the rubber down the pipe, with beveled edge down
screw the brass nut down onto the rubber
tighten

Got some items today but probably wont get as much done as I wanted. I have to back track a bit. If I am using 3/4" strips to build up the studs in the back, I have to run them from floor all the way to the ceiling right? Otherwise if I don't go all the way up to the ceiling, the bottom part of the wall will be out further than the top part and that wont work. I am assuming that's green board drywall at the top of the walls too, or should be, correct? When I take the existing down to build out the studs, it doesn't affect the ceiling at all does it? Ive never done it but it seems like it may be hard to match it up to the corner where it meets the ceiling.

I was speaking to a guy at HD who is the main "plumbing guy" and he advised me not to use mortar but to use some sort of spray foam stuff instead but I told him I was sticking with mortar because the manufacturer recommended using it. The way he described it seems pretty intimidating but we will see!

Also turns out my drain pipe in the shower is only 1 1/2 instead of 2" so I have the little bell converter for that now.

Nothing's ever easy is it?

homedepot guy is an idiot
spray foam breaks down over time