Shower Drain - Advice

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#284571 1-May-2021 10:59

Recently my shower drain started to smell. Upon closer inspection I found that the drain frame or housing seems to be being torn apart. I removed the vapour block? (D) from where it was sitting in A (with some difficulty). Now it won't fit back in.

Looking closer I saw cracking in the plastic. Looking even closer I saw that the plastic had been ripped apart. In the bottom photo there should not be a gap where C is. As far as I can tell B is another inlet to this drain, from the sink. There is also a draught coming up from the drain.

So what I'm wanting to know is, how big an issue is this? What's causing this? I'm guessing there should not be a flow of air coming up. Even with the vapour block held in place there is a draught. Where is the water getting into gap C goind to end up? Any other words of wisdom appreciated. For some background this shower was installed in around June 2017. It's located in Napier. We have had some pretty good earthquakes since it was installed.

Thanks in advance.

Bung

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#2700477 1-May-2021 13:52

With it apart there will be a draft from outlet B. The drain relies on part D being immersed in A to create water trap. I don't know if cracking can be sealed with it in place. Earthquake or not I'm surprised there was movement between parts of trap.

mattwnz

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#2700486 1-May-2021 14:31

Is this a new house? Are you the original owner? From the photos It appears the locking nut is missing which screws onto the thread and clamps the tray to the waste there should be a rubber gasket between the two which seals the two together as it clamps. The question is why it is missing. As it is a tiled shower it maybe done differently. I would get in contact with the shower manufacturer. Not easy to tell from the photo and may depend on the design of the waste, but I don't think you should be able to see the thread of the waste as I think that should be covered be the locking nuts sleeve. If water is leaking via any gaps then that could be a problem as to where that water has gone and what is causing the smell.

Bung

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#2700589 2-May-2021 07:34

It looks like it could be an Allproof Revolver waste. The part A cup should come out for a better view. https://www.plumbin.co.nz/site/plumb/files/Spec%20Sheet/Revolver-%20Waste.jpg

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#2700596 2-May-2021 08:04

mattwnz: Is this a new house? Are you the original owner? From the photos It appears the locking nut is missing which screws onto the thread and clamps the tray to the waste there should be a rubber gasket between the two which seals the two together as it clamps. The question is why it is missing. As it is a tiled shower it maybe done differently. I would get in contact with the shower manufacturer. Not easy to tell from the photo and may depend on the design of the waste, but I don't think you should be able to see the thread of the waste as I think that should be covered be the locking nuts sleeve. If water is leaking via any gaps then that could be a problem as to where that water has gone and what is causing the smell.

No, it's not a new house. The bathroom was renovated in 2017, including a new shower. There is no screw thread, it just looks like there is. There is however a rubber seal but because the plastic is being torn apart the circle is no longer round and it doesn't fit properly as you can see in the photo with the gap in the bottom left.

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#2700601 2-May-2021 08:14

Thanks Bung. I'll have a go at removing it.

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#2700661 2-May-2021 11:17

So I removed A and was able to get a better look. It seems that the bottom portion is twisting and has almost completely twisted off into two parts. Gap E is almost 360 degrees. The plastic is being fractured in muliple places. What would be causing this? Would it be down to an installation fault. The house and bathroom is on a concrete floor.

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Bung

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#2700772 2-May-2021 13:11

Maybe the quake shifted the slab with respect to the pipes under the slab. The cracking possibly could be sealed but the trick will be getting the o-ring to seal. This could grow into an insurance job. Might be time for a plumber to quote.

mattwnz

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#2700797 2-May-2021 15:03

That looks to be a bit of a weird design, and not as easy as a normal shower tray. I think you are best to talk to the waste manufacturer about it, which someone has posted above. As it is a tiled shower, I can't see this is going to be an easy solution. If it had happened with an acrylic tray, you could lift the tray and install a new waste, and it is reasonably straight forward, but still requires a lot of work in the bathroom. This one looks like it fits in from above the tray, but it look likes needs the tiles around it to be removed. But a plumber would have a better idea. I have been though replacing a waste on a shower before and it was a major job.

The problem with earthquake damage is you may not know for years what damage it causes. We had a sewage pipe that was crack in an earthquake, and it took years to discover this, which was then too late to claim.

Paul1977

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#2701110 3-May-2021 13:00

If it was earthquake related wouldn't you expect to see some cracking in the tiles and grout from movement as well?

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#2701496 4-May-2021 07:53

There is. As well as that the grate surround is just sitting in there and no longer fixed in place.