I've removed the old shower (fiberglass molded unit from the 70's). There was sand under the pan (I guess for stability) and the cutout in the concrete floor (as in the pic below). As I began digging out the sand, found roots packed in the dirt. The dirt in the hole is bone dry, but the shower had not been used at least for a few months. I don't know if the drain is slow or not since I recently purchased the home.
I will be installing new shower and plan on first pouring a concrete bed that slopes to the drain, then a pan liner, a mortar bed for pan with finished slope, and eventually tile floor, etc.
My question is should I continue digging to get to the p-trap and dig out the roots and maybe even tear out more concrete and replace the p-trap or just fill it in with gravel and pour concrete over it. Not knowing the condition of the drain and with roots present, I can only assume there is a leak somewhere down there. I don't mind the extra work if it will save problems down the road. Or, are there always roots and you'll never get rid of them anyway, so why bother?
I'm looking for some sound advice at this point. If the direction is to clean out the roots and maybe even redo the p-trap, how far down the line do I go? And is there a reasonable way of killing the roots and discouraging future growth? Thanks in advance for your help.
I will be installing new shower and plan on first pouring a concrete bed that slopes to the drain, then a pan liner, a mortar bed for pan with finished slope, and eventually tile floor, etc.
My question is should I continue digging to get to the p-trap and dig out the roots and maybe even tear out more concrete and replace the p-trap or just fill it in with gravel and pour concrete over it. Not knowing the condition of the drain and with roots present, I can only assume there is a leak somewhere down there. I don't mind the extra work if it will save problems down the road. Or, are there always roots and you'll never get rid of them anyway, so why bother?
I'm looking for some sound advice at this point. If the direction is to clean out the roots and maybe even redo the p-trap, how far down the line do I go? And is there a reasonable way of killing the roots and discouraging future growth? Thanks in advance for your help.
