How To Remove A Shower Drain? The Right Way: Check It Here

Do you have a shower drain that you’re desperate to remove? Are you trying to replace your shower drain but have no idea where to start? There are many reasons as to why you might want to change your shower drain.

More...

You might, for example, have a leaky shower drain, or it might even be a bit stained and rusted because, let’s face it, old shower drains are often ugly and unwanted. That being said, you’re in luck because here knows exactly how you can take our your shower train.

How to Install a Shower Drain

Install the Compression Shower Drain

How to Remove a Shower Drain

Contents

How to Install a Shower Drain

If you want to remove your shower drain, then you also need to know how it was installed in the first place. Of course, this depends completely on what your shower pan looks like, as well as the piping that you have in your home.

Install the Compression Shower Drain

Although there are different kinds of shower drains available to you, the compression shower drain is the most common one in households and it is most likely the one which you will have to deal with. That’s why we’re focusing on the compression shower drain today. It’s a very simple process to install it, and it’s equally as simple to remove it.

The thing you need to remember the most about this drain is that it is connected to your house’s piping system. If you want to install it successfully, then make sure you have nuts, washers, and rags at hand.

First, make sure that the drain pipe comes up to about an inch below the opening of your shower drain. After this, you can put plumber’s putter or silicone caulk in the drain to hold the tailpiece in place, which you should insert next. Under the shower base, you can insert a cardboard rig and a rubber washer.

Now that you have all of the pieces in place, you can tighten the drain. Excess putty or caulk will most likely be shoved around the sides, which you can now remove. Now, you’ll need to collect a rubber gasket because you’re going to put in the shower base into place and shove the rubber gasket in the drain pipe. If you find this especially difficult to do, you can try shoving it into place with a screwdriver.

If you bought a kit to install your shower drain, then there should be a tool that comes with it to tighten the nut inside the drain. You can let the water run now to test leaks; however, you should be aware that if you used silicone caulk, you’ll need to wait for it to dry before you run water.

Like we said previously, there are different kinds of shower drains. The Glue-On shower drain is a lot like the compression drain; though, it is glued on instead of having a compressor or a fitted drain.

There’s also the tile shower drain, which is normally used for a custom-made tile shower base. They have a built-in flange which makes it more difficult to remove; however, these are less common to use and you may want to get a professional to help you remove the tile drain.

How to Remove a Shower Drain

Now, you can learn exactly how to remove a shower drain. This focuses on removing it without having to remove the shower pan, because this can be more difficult and time consuming.

Fpr those of you who don’t know what a shower pan is, it is the base of your shower. The shower pan is the area that you stand on while you’re showering and as you can imagine, it’s a huge hassle to remove it.

Ultimately, it’s best for you to remove the shower drain without removing the shower pan.

Step One

Remove a Shower Drain Cover Many people are confused by the shower drain and by the shower drain’s cover. If you want to remove the drain, then make sure that you remove the drain cover.

In order to do this, you’ll first need to collect a Flathead screwdriver. Use this screwdriver to pop off the drain cover. Here, you may have to break through some glue if your shower drain is a Glue-On shower drain.

Step Two

Get the Duct Tape Duct tape is a necessary tool for anyone who partakes in DIY projects around their home. This remains true for those of you who want to remove your shower drains yourselves.

Here, most people either stuff or cover the hole of the drain so that any screws or pieces don’t fall through the pipes. Make sure, however, that you don’t cover the edges of the drain or the piping, because you’ll need to have access to it.

Step Three

Break the Seal Did you know that the main problem people face with drain leakages actually comes from the space between the drain and the pipe?

Most often, there is a rubber compression gasket which holds the system in place, but when this malfunctions, you’ll be faced with many problems. When you want to remove the compression plug, you have to grab a pair of pliers and twist until you’re able to pull out the compression nut which holds the gasket where it is. Now, you can put the compression nut and the gasket to the side.

Step Four

Remove Part of the Drain Now, you have to remove the narrow part of the drain, as well as the drain flange. If you don’t know what a drain flange looks like, it’s the part of your drainage system which fits into the drain and holds the drain both the pipe in place.

By removing this area, you can have more access because you need to compress the drain. Since you won’t be removing your shower pan, this will make it easier. You’ll want to take a hacksaw and cut vertically into the drain. Once you’ve done this, you need to cut further into the drain until you’re on the drain flange.

When you’ve reached the drain flange, you’ll have to use a Flathead screwdriver to lift the flange upward and remove it, as well as the glue or caulk that was originally used to seal the flange.

Step Five

Remove Your Drain If you’ve followed the above steps, then you should now have only a small piece of the drain left. You should take this remaining piece, squeeze it, and wiggle it. Whatever pieces of drain you have holding it together will be freed now. You can finally lift the drain and either throw it away or to the side.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to properly remove your shower drain, you can finally improve the quality of your bathroom. It can be an incredibly difficult process if you don’t have anyone to teach you what to do, which is why you should consider following the above steps. At here, we want you to remove your bathroom drain successfully and efficiently.