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Plumbing help with copper pan drains (s. milne)

Brad White_9
Brad White_9 Member Posts: 2,440
but I have seen a handful (a few finger-fulls) of pea gravel placed between the mating surfaces as a spacer to allow drainage. I was told it was an old-timey kind of trick.

Comments

  • ScottMP
    ScottMP Member Posts: 5,884
    Sorry I know its not heating BUT

    I may have even asked this before but its come up again.

    We use Wolverine Brass shower pan drains, I have included a photo. In my opinion, these are the best shower drains on the market. All brass, solid. They clamp the copper pan between two flanges and then the drain can be lowered or raised for the tile floor hieght.

    There are weep holes around the base that allow for water that has seeped thru the tile floor to drain out. I have been told that all tile floors allow some water thru.

    We have had FAR TOO MANY problems with the weep hole being filled in by tile men and then the pan fills up and leaks. Some we have had to break up the tile and then the finger pointing begins.

    Anyone have any suggestions.

    Scott

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  • Constantin
    Constantin Member Posts: 3,796
    Hmmm...

    have you tried those brillo-like foams that they use in exterior brick walls to ensure that the dropping mud does not block the drip holes at the base of the wall?
  • JaredM
    JaredM Member Posts: 57
    Pea Gravel

    Brad's correct....there should be a small amount of pea gravel placed around the drain, above the weep holes, to allow for accumulated water to get to the drain. The pea gravel keeps the mud from blocking off the weep holes. In dealing with these situations I have found it best to do the pan AND the mud base to make sure it is done correctly. One must charge accordingly, of course.

    Jared
  • ScottMP
    ScottMP Member Posts: 5,884
    The other old time trick

    I heard was to put steel wool around the weep holes and as they rust away it leavesa nice gap around the holes.

    We have had this conversation with NUMEROUS tile men who all said OH YA I PUT SMALL BITS OF TILE/STONE around the drain. The last one put small peastone so small that it clogged the drains, but there was a lot of calcium that cemented them together.

    Scott

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  • gerry gill
    gerry gill Member Posts: 3,078
    i've used

    a handfull of tile spacers, mean greeny scrub pads, but you'll have to put them in yourself or the tile guys seem to ''forget to''.

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  • singh
    singh Member Posts: 866
    leave it

    Let the tile guy do the liner. Some of the better guys are now using kerdi type of liner, no mud job at all. I had one guy almost flip out on me a couple of years ago because I put a liner and two piece shower drain in. He only does kerdi. So now I wait and talk to homeowners,builder or tile guy to see who does what. If i end up doing a liner its an extra. But to tell you the truth I don't want to do them any more with all the angles, and seats like some showers are being built.

    You should ask this question at www.johnbridge.com good forum site.

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  • Matt J._2
    Matt J._2 Member Posts: 10
    PlumBest

    Scott we usually use the PlumBest brand of shower drain they come in C.I. or 2" F.I.P. thread. I guess I'm not sure about the wolverine style drain? PlumBest drain has a clamp down riing that has grooves cut in the bottom of the top ring, so when you have the pan down the top bolts to the bottom part of the drain. By the looks of the wolverine drain the water will have to actually get high enough to get over the top of the jam nut to get to the weeper drains. I would think that water would always be standinig in the pan? Maybe i'm not seeing everything in the picture. We use wolverine products but have never used this product. All of the tile people we work with seeem to like the drains we us because they say that the can clean out the grooves with wire if they plug up.

    Just a suggestion. Matt J. w/Biggerstaff's
  • bob young
    bob young Member Posts: 2,177
    weep holes to make you cry

    we have used jay r. smith drains for over 40 years without one problem. maybe wolverine design is not up to snuff. all the big guns in n.y.c. spec. out smith . the gravel sounds like a good method but we just never deemed it necessary.
  • ScottMP
    ScottMP Member Posts: 5,884
    Thanks Matt

    I'll take a look at the Smith product. I hate t stop using the WB drains, since they are ALL BRASS, solid units.

    I am just sick of all the problems. By the way we use copper pans on all our jobs.

    Scott

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This discussion has been closed.