Shower Drain Installation

Even if the lights of your bathroom are changed, perhaps giving it a nice color can drastically brighten up the appearance of the bathroom. Imagine if you change something like the shower faucet in your bathroom what a dramatic make over will it be! Well, now, this is not to say that if you have no plans of changing your shower then do it! Speaking of showers, shower drain is something which might warrant a change if it has not been changed for quite sometime. As it may result in water clogging. Installing a shower drain is not too tough but it is not a cakewalk either. Here is more.

Instructions for Installing Shower Drains

To do the installation, here is what you will need -

• Shower drain
• PVC cement
• PVC cement prep
• Drill PVC saw

After gathering these things, let us take a look at what has to be done with these things.

Step #1
The preparation has to be done to install the shower drain. The preparation involves getting the sub floor ready for installation and removing the already existing old drain pipe. Shower pans have a drain hole, set on a sloped floor for directing water to the hole. The first thing to do is to place the shower pan in the roughed-in space. Then mark the position for the pan drain hole on the sub floor which is underneath.

Step #2
Using a jigsaw, cut a hole in the sub floor surrounding the mark. On the sub floor drill one or two large holes. Continuing with preparation of the sub floor, make sure that the holes are big enough to reach into using a PVC saw, for cutting the drain pipe.

Step #3
Now take a PVC saw for cutting the drain pipe which is already there. Please take proper precautions to avoid injury. Using requisite safety gear will prevent any potential injury. Now in case the sub floor is not at the same level as the rest of the bathroom floor, you may need a sheet of plywood to build up the sub floor and get it to the same level as the rest of the bathroom floor.

Step #4
For fixing that sheet of plywood, you will have to cut a sheet of plywood according to the required size to dry fit in the space. The plywood can be secured using construction adhesive, which has to be applied with the help of a caulking gun and screws. Once this is done, fix the new shower pan in place and mark the location of the new drain hole to be installed. A drill hole saw can be used to create a cut out for the new drain.

Step #5
We are almost coming to an end of the project. Here, what you have to do is you have to first cut the PVC pipe to go with the new drain according to the drain's length. Then with a file, smoothen or 'deburr' the end which you have cut. The next thing on the cards it to dry fit the PVC fittings. More than half your job is done once all the PVC parts are fitting properly.

Step #6
After ensuring that all the PVC parts are fitting properly, put PVC cleaner to the surfaces which are joint and connected. Apply PVC cement as well and then follow that up by slipping the PVC parts in place. For a few moments, hold the pieces in position. This is very important for making sure that PVC cleaner and cement mix well and keep the reaction from forcing the pieces to separate. Finally, the last thing - attaching the new drain cover!

After you are done with fixing the drain cover, see for the water tightness once the glue and caulk have dried. Avoid hurrying up things regarding drainage solutions, especially in case of the caulk and the PVC cement.

That's it! Now you know how to install a shower drain! You can always call a plumber and get the work done if it does not seem like your cup of tea! I sign off here! Hope this was useful!