Shower drain removal 53 MY

[MikeP]

In my removing the white waste hose/installing PVC (completed) I discovered that the shower drain in the guest shower is leaking around the base so it needs to be removed/recaulked/reinstalled. I was able to get the drain pipe removed but I cannot loosen the large nut that holds the drain itself to the shower pan. It's strictly a "by feel" at a weird angle job but I can't get any sort of plumbing wrench to fit on the drain fitting due to the angle. A socket would work but I don't have anything that large. Anybody know what size that nut is or have some other method that will work?

 

[Angela]

Mike, I’ve done that job, too, and I do recall it being difficult in terms of access and inability to see what I was doing. I cannot remember what tool I used, but I do have a short-handled stuffing box wrench from a previous boat, and I may have used that. I may have used that, or perhaps just some large pliers. My response probably isn’t too helpful, but if it comes to me as to how I did it, I’ll let you know. If you want to see what you’re doing in there, use one of those mirrors that’s stuck to the end of a telescoping magnet and stick a flashlight in that hole. I do recall doing that with that drain so I could see what I had to work on.

 

[bobk]

Mike,

Probably too awkward, but have you considered a chain or strap wrench? There is also a special wrench for faucets up behind deep sinks. Perhaps one of those could be modified??

Good luck,

Bobk

 

[MikeP]

Thanks Ang/Bob. I took a several hour break but heading back to do battle again. I'll see if a mirror helps and try a small strap wrench.

 

[Angela]

The strap wrench sounds like a great idea. I like the little rubbery ones for this kind of stuff as opposed to the stiff metal strap wrenches you might use on a big filter. I recently found that the rubbery one was GREAT at getting the lid to the hard-to-reach canister that houses my little fuel pump on the genny’s engine. Wish I had discovered that 6 years ago. Virtually nothing fits in that tight spot - very poorly designed in that respect.

 

[Scottbee]

Just a thought....

You certainly don't want to damage the pan, but I've had situations where I couldn't get a good grip on the bottom nut... but was able to get the top drain to unscrew/twist (slightly). That small motion broke the nut loose making it much easier to unscrew the lower nut by hand without any tools.

This is even easier/better if you have two people... one below holding the nut while the other tries to unscrew the drain from above.

 

[Will]

A chain wrench might work too.
Will

 

[MikeP]

Thanks all!

I have tried: two different types of spud wrench, channel locks, pipe wrench, strap wrench, and a couple of other jury-rigged/modify-the-tool methods but so far no luck. Nothing can reach in and grab the nut due to the angle that any of the tools ends up with because of the tool handle hitting the framing around the drain.

I was trying to avoid buying a 2" socket but in the hours I spent earlier today and in the past 3 hours it would have been the smart thing to do and the nut would have been off in seconds. So, first thing tomorrow, I'll go get a 2" socket. This is, of course, the ONLY use I will probably ever have for it here! I have sockets of that size at home but since that's 2000 miles away, that's not much help!

 

[Angela]

Mike, you're at the point where I'd probably put a glob of 5200 on it to stop the leak and then put the hatch back down. LOL Total frustration!

So, you've got a drip into the bilge (where drips are best suited to go) when someone uses that shower. How often is your guest shower used? And just how many drips per year is it? Just sayin'.... LOL

And you set out to just be working on replacing the head hoses.....lookie where you ended up.

 

[bobk]

Ang, I agree with you if the shower pan does not have a core. If it does, caulking from below is a recipe for core rot.

Bobk

 

[MikeP]

Good points - yes, the leak dribbles into the bilge. And yes, the guest shower is not used much. But the drain and I have embarked on a death march...

Initially, I was simply going to remove/recaulk/reinstall the drain but now when I get it out I will cut it into multiple pieces and scatter them among three different dumpsters as an example to recalcitrant drains everywhere.

Of course, this means I have to replace the drains in the other two heads; I can't deal with the concept of having one new drain and two old ones...

 

[Angela]

Good points - yes, the leak dribbles into the bilge. And yes, the guest shower is not used much. But the drain and I have embarked on a death march...

Initially, I was simply going to remove/recaulk/reinstall the drain but now when I get it out I will cut it into multiple pieces and scatter them among three different dumpsters as an example to recalcitrant drains everywhere.

Of course, this means I have to replace the drains in the other two heads; I can't deal with the concept of having one new drain and two old ones...

Ha ha ha ha ha!!!! I understand...when I had one that was nasty, I ordered 4 from Sam's so I could do them all. One pretty new one just wasn't going to cut it.

 

[rsmith]

I dont know what it is with shower water but when the sump overflows or you have a leak in one of the drain hoses its one of the worst smells on the boat that I've seen.

 

[Pete]

Already suggested earlier by Scottbee, I did the same fitting on our 48 LRC by twisting the fitting from above. Our fitting had a perforated strainer that came our easily, and exposed several ways to grab the fitting and twist it counter clockwise. Was easy job from above, once I quit fighting it from below.

Pete

 

[SKYCHENEY]

I dont know what it is with shower water but when the sump overflows or you have a leak in one of the drain hoses its one of the worst smells on the boat that I've seen.

I agree. In fact, we put a cap full of bleach down the shower drain every time when we leave the boat for the week. If we forget, we open the boat to "that smell".

 

[TopHattandTails]

I fixed that issue last winter on the aft sump and the dinette sump. Took a nice pice of 3" gasket material. Traced lip stick around flange of sump and pressed a 1" thick, clear plexiglass panel (measuring about 2" overlap in each side of sump flange). Took the gasket and glued to the plexi where lipstick ring is. Take plexi with gasket affixed and screw down through edges of sump with wing nuts. Smell gone. However, I still flush a few onces of hydrogen peroxide every month down the drain. But the smells have been drastically better.

 

[jim rosenthal]

As noted, if you need a cheap 2" socket that you'll use once, go to Harbor Freight in Glen Burnie (next to Guitar Center, off 695) This is an area where respectable stores go to die, but HF will thrive. It will be cheap enough you can use it for a paperweight when you are done. Hell, you can probably get a whole set of big cheap sockets. All the paperweights you need.

 

[Bob Bradley]

At the risk of hijacking the thread, what was Hatt thinking when they put the drain in the forward corner of the shower stall on the 43C? On my recent offshore tuna trip, I took a quick shower while underway, only to realize that all the water gathers on the aft side of the shower stall. I had to use my foot to slosh it foward to the drain. Dumb design.

 

[rsmith]

a auto socket will probably not work because the ends are rounded and it will not get enough bite on the nut. You want a stamped metal plumbing socket that has contact points flush to the end
If your going to replace it anyhow just cut it from the top down in 2 pieces. You could use a sawzall or just a hacksaw blade by hand. Its brass so it should cut like butter.

 

[jim rosenthal]

Yes, I vividly recall having to do that in order to get the water tank level gauge out of my boat's tank- we couldn't get it to turn in the threaded fitting, and we ended up using a cutoff wheel to get it out. Miserable. Did I grease the new one putting it in? Oh, you bet I did.