cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/66779101

I’m trying to coordinate a repair from a far distance - overseas. I am told the shower drain leaks because the fiberglass showerpan flexes (it was likely not bedded properly, installed by amateur house flippers that did not know what they were doing). A plumber came and replaced the drain pipe for a rediculously high cost. Did not fix the problem. They abandoned me.

One option is to remodel.. tear out the showerpan and redo the subfloor which is likely rotton wood (guessing). But I really want to avoid crazy costs. It seems to me like there should be a way to do some perhaps unconventional plumbing. A crawl space is below the shower.

I hate accordian drain pipes. Probably no self-respecting pro plumber would install one. But in the case at hand, it seems like it would solve the moving drain pipe issue.

Another thought, and what I hope someone can advise on: What about a short rigid drain pipe that goes into a rubber gasket-like fitting (e.g. like that in the attached pic), which then goes into a bigger pipe? Wouldn't that tolerate a slight amount of vertical movement as the showerpan flexes? Note: the pic shows an accordian pipe going into the rubber fitting -- that is not what I mean. I consider the accordian pipe a competing option. I want to know if a rigid pipe can be inserted into a rubber gasket fitting.

Fiberglass is a bad choice, no?

If I do bite the bullet and install a new showerpan, fiberglass seems like a bad choice. Why is that still being used? In fact, I think enabled metal showerpans are an older technology, but they seem more robust. I have one in a bathroom which is bedded on air (i.e. just the perimeter of the showerpan is supported). But the thing seems bomb-proof. It will never flex.

Why is plastic and fiberglass used? They require proper bedding, and the bedding can always fail later on. I’ve seen videos were ppl have to later on drill holes in the shower pan to inject expansion foam to add support after support is mysteriously lost. Fuck that. Is it that plastic and fiberglass are not as cold feeling when you first step on them? I cannot think of any other advantage.

The outlet probably turns outward, so it's not just vertical movement. You definitely need something flexible.

Maybe there was some kind of metal support that got left out during installation?

Foam seems unreliable. But maybe it could be injected from the crawlspace, not damaging anything in the bathroom.

The fiberglass is lighter, warmer and can take a lot of beating. If the enamel on a metal one gets damaged, it will rust quickly. Even if it doesn't leak, it will need replacing because of aesthetics.

The outlet probably turns outward, so it’s not just vertical movement.

Ah, I did not think of that. So I need to scrap the idea of a rigid pipe going into a rubber bushing. I guess an accordian pipe would be the viable cheap hack, apart from some way to add support just around the drain.

Maybe there was some kind of metal support that got left out during installation?

The toilet fell through the floor at one point because (I’m told) the house flippers neglected to use backer board wherever they layed tiles (kitchen and bathroom).

If the whole thing flexes check the silicone, mine flexed due to rotten floor boards from a leaky drain (probably like that since we bought the house) and even after replacing the silicone it broke again rapidly due to his much it moved when used.

I had no idea those things in the picture existed.

We had a leak due to a gap between the shower pan and actual drain pipe so it would leak under the wall into the garage. I removed the drain cover and artfully packed the gap full with clear silicone caulk using a tongue depressor as a long thin spatula.

It held up for several years after that until we finally did a full remodel of that bathroom.