It was like the movie, Psycho, I was standing in the shower, and something was not right. Instead of pulling back the shower curtain, I looked down at my feet. There was not blood circling the drain, but water backing up, covering my feet. The water started filling the shower floor. I started to panic. I quickly finished my shower and literally hopped out of the shower. Yuck!
I went downstairs in my underwear and towel to grab the plunger that resides on the top step of the basement stairs. (As you can tell, the plunger is a handy tool we need to keep close.) I returned to the master bathroom prepared to plunge away. I wanted to be as quiet as I could and not disturb Efiwym, my wife. However, the sound of the sucking noise of the plunger made it difficult.
I pulled away the top metal cover of the drain and indescribable stuff came up through the drain. I was standing in sewer waste, and I was feeling that stuff touching my feet. I started plunging away. I could not get a good seal on the shower drain because the drain was inset into the shower base. The plunger was not large enough to completely cover that area. So, doing my best, I tried to release the clog. As I was ready to step out and get the snake from the basement, I heard a gurgling sound as the water disappeared from the shower base. I turned on the shower to make sure the clog was cleared. As I got dressed, I let the shower run. After ten minutes, I went downstairs ready to finally start my day.
As I approached the kitchen, I noticed a puddle of brownish water on top of the countertop. The water had spilled off the counter and on to the floor. I quickly got some rags and started wiping up the water. I opened the cabinet door and there was filthy water sitting on the bottom shelf of the cabinet. There was water running alongside the cabinet and on the backsplash.
I pulled out all the cups and glasses to clean up the area. The cups and glasses went into the sink to be washed, and I laid paper towels on the shelf to dry it off.
Obviously, the water was located under the shower drain. There did not appear to be any water beyond the point. The ceiling looked dry with no staining. Something happened to the shower drain to cause this massive leak. Hopefully I did not break a pipe in the process of clearing the clog.
I have not been a stranger to this cabinet. I spent too many times fixing a leaky shower drain. The drywall on the top of the cabinet was removed and replaced with plywood. The plywood was painted white and screwed to the soffit for easy access. That access was needed to fix a leak three times and recently to run wires for the lights over the countertop.
I did not want to go into the cabinet to fix another leak. I told myself I would not plant my butt on the new quartz countertops. My hope was something I could fix from the shower. I let Efiwym, my wife, take her shower to see if it still leaked.
After I returned home from my Grandpa-Uber duties, Efiwym was cleaning the kitchen, as she does every Thursday. I told her about my morning adventure, and she replied that she noticed water on the countertop. Yikes! It was still leaking. I pondered a solution. Maybe the gasket loosened as I plunged the drain. With the force of a plunger, just maybe, it was strong enough to dislodge the drain gasket.
When I renovated the shower several years ago, I went with the Oatey® No-Caulk Drain. I liked this drain because it could easily be replaced. There would be no need to glue the drain to the waste pipe. I upgraded to the brass one, because the plastic one seemed flimsy. However, that decision appeared to come back to bite me in the rear end.
I thought maybe I needed to tighten the ring that held the gasket securely between the waste pipe and drain. I think I saved the “tool” to screw down the ring, but I did not have the time to look for it. I remembered watching a YouTube® video that showed how to tighten the ring with a pliers. So, I got my pliers and Channellock to tighten the ring. The pliers did not work because it had rubber on the handles. The Channellock did not, so, using the end of the handle to hook on to the cut-outs in the ring I was able to turn the ring at least one full turn. I thought I had fixed the problem.
The next morning after my shower, I came downstairs to check for leaks. With my fingers crossed and a little hope, I was planning on seeing a dry countertop. Nope! I was crushed. While the puddle of water was much smaller, the drain still leaked. I concluded it must be the gasket. It needed to be replaced.
I asked Efiwym, my wife, to take her shower in the other bathroom, as I explored the leaky drain problem. Again, with my Channellock I removed the ring from inside the drain. With a spring hook, I pulled the rubber gasket out. It did not look bad. However, it looked like the waste pipe slipped and it was lower than the top of the gasket.
I went online to shop for the gasket. I could not find a store locally that just had the gasket. I needed to buy the complete drain unit just to get a new gasket. I decided to head to the store with the friendly hardware folks. I found a rubber gasket, but it was slightly wider and longer than the one I had. I did not want to chance it so I needed to go to the store where doers get things done.
I searched the store’s directory and found the location of the Oatey® drain. Hoping to find just the gasket, I was not lucky. One of the store’s associates was nice enough to ask me if I needed any help. As a just-okay DIYer, I am too proud to ask for help. My motto is: “I will find it myself.” Efiwym, my wife, hates that motto. Nonetheless, I was short on time and my pride needed to be restrained. I asked if the store just had the gasket for this drain. He gave me a puzzled look. So, I took out the old gasket I had in my pocket to show him. “No, we do not just carry the gasket,” he replied. I said, “That’s fine, for ten bucks, it was cheaper to buy the whole unit than buying the gasket on the internet.” He then went on, “You should just replace the whole unit while you have it apart.” That would defeat the purpose of just buying the gasket. That is what I get for asking for help, some unnecessary advice. (Sorry, my pride became unrestrained.)
I picked up some drain cleaner and went home to finish my project. When I got home, I disassembled the new unit and pulled out the gasket and…the tool needed to screw down the ring. I tried to pull up the pipe with a chisel as I inserted the gasket between the drain and pipe. With a screwdriver and moving the pipe from one side to another I was able to get the gasket below the top of the pipe. With the tool, I screwed down the ring. The tool is a thin flimsy piece of metal. It worked, but I bent it up a bit.
I started the shower and as it ran, I picked up my tools. I put the old gasket into the drain assembly and put stuff away. Tools in the toolbox. Drain assembly on the stairs to the basement. I opened the cabinet and checked for water. With a flashlight, I checked the top of the cabinet. I stood on a chair and examined the shelf for wetness. I felt around the top to make sure nothing was wet. I was satisfied.
I shut off the shower and poured the whole bottle of the drain cleaner into the drain. (I did not read the directions. I only needed half of the bottle.) I waited five minutes. That time, I read the directions. I again ran the water for a while and was happy the project was done and successful, (at least, for now).
Chalk this leaky shower drain project as number 4 and optimistically the last one. No time to enjoy that Zen moment, I had other things to do.
