Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - i can't get my shower drain level

hi

i am installing my own custom shower pan (i already posted a few times on this topic)

i was installing the new drain according to the oatley drawing that you guys sent me and i noticed that the drain is not sitting flush or level on the plywood base.

i think it has something to do with the way i cemented it in:

i tried to use the existing p-trap after i had cut out about 1/2 of the riser that connected to the old shower drain. i then cemented the new drain on from above the floor not below in the crawl space.

to do this, i had to hold the drain up for a minute while the glue dried and when i put it back down, it wasn't level.

i am pretty sure i need to get it level or else the top of the strainer will be out of level too.

do you think it has to do with the short riser?

if this isn't clear, sorry....i am getting a little punch drunk concerning this shower install.

On this leaning tower of Pisa riser you now have, would you improve it's plumbness by pushing down on it, or pulling up on it? Have you tried... a little?...without to much force? How much out of plumb IS this, anyway? And what does this do to the shower pan hole alignment if you push down or pull up on the riser pipe?...or doesn't that matter? PVC will give some, without snapping...especially if the next coupling into say a t-fitting downstream is a number of feet away so the pipe can go up or down at the "t", some. This is your only hope, Otherwise you will have to go underneath and cut into the horizontal run of PVC that is downstream of the trap and intentionally couple back on the PVC vcrooked so that it dries with the riser being straight up and down. Either that or section it out at the horiziontal below and rebuild with new horizontal plus trap plus riser.

i had a new idea last night....

the drain flange is about 1/2 a bubble out of plumb and i can't force it down. so, i was thinking what really matters is that the flange ring (the flange that actually holds the strainer is what really needs to be level. the drain itself doesn't matter as much as the flange ring so that the strainer is level to the tile floor.

so, i was thinking about putting some galvanized washers under the flange ring thus making it level.

what do you think?

I guess you would know best by whatever kind of method of shower drain assembly you are using. The kind I last used, many moons ago, was a type that...

...first you have to know the height of the finish top of the shower pan. Then you do the trap and riser like you did. Then you glue on the female part of a two-piece shower drain kit that has a flange around the underside, that is bigger than the hole going through the bottom of the shower pan. Then you set the shower pan over the drain. Then you slip through the hole, or had it on in advance, a gasket that sits on that female threaded rim flange that is under the shower pan. Then you slip in the male threaded part of the drain through the shower hole and tighten it so it draws the two halves together, tightening the gasket under the shower pan at the same time. Then last you set the chrome strainer on top and run in the 2 screws into the threaded ears of the top half of that shower drain you tightened down.

thanks for the info

your application is very different from mine but the info is still useful

thanks

Robert - you need to get the base level. Trying what you propose wont work. The clamping ring will hold the pan liner in place, and that must be a good seal so you cant use washers or anything else there. The drain barrel will screw into the clamping ring, so if the clamping ring is not level, the drain barrel wont be level either. Half a bubble is alot and it wont look good and will be a pia to tile around.

I guess you would know best by whatever kind of method of shower drain assembly you are using. The kind I last used, many moons ago, was a type that...

...first you have to know the height of the finish top of the shower pan. Then you do the trap and riser like you did. Then you glue on the female part of a two-piece shower drain kit that has a flange around the underside, that is bigger than the hole going through the bottom of the shower pan. Then you set the shower pan over the drain. Then you slip through the hole, or had it on in advance, a gasket that sits on that female threaded rim flange that is under the shower pan. Then you slip in the male threaded part of the drain through the shower hole and tighten it so it draws the two halves together, tightening the gasket under the shower pan at the same time. Then last you set the chrome strainer on top and run in the 2 screws into the threaded ears of the top half of that shower drain you tightened down.

Daveboy, thanks for this post. I just had a shower drain leaking and when I unscrewed the male top flange that holds the chrome stainer plate, I noticed a black rubber gasket under the shower base. I could move this rubber gasket around with my fingers and wondered what held it tight (no way to get under the base to tighten). I asked about this assembly on several other forums and no one could answer the question. I believe you just did. I put silicone sealant on the bottom of the flange (male pc) that screws into the female piece and screwed it into the female pc until it was nice and tight and flush with the top of the shower base.I just thought that would pull the bottom up tight compressing the rubber gasket, but didn't know for sure. I think you have answered my question. Many thanks to you. One less thing to worry about now. Thanks!!