- Initially, we believed the shower drain and pump worked fine. Maybe it did.
- I had a transom zinc installed.
- I grounded the transom zinc to a few places.
- Next time I tried the shower drain pump, it didn't work. Running slow, kept tripping the breaker.
- I noodled on it, and assumed (correctly) that one of my transom zinc groundings was to an inappropriate location, causing the pump issue. Relocating the ground wire solved the problem.
- However, in the course of this, I bumped the pump and broke off both of the 40-year-old brittle inlet fittings.
- So after a trip to the marine store for new fittings, I proceeded to install them. Success!
- Oh, but next time we used the shower, water was cascading out of the drain into the bilge. No!! Turns out in the process of replacing the pump fittings, I pulled too hard (not very hard at all) on the drain hose and it pulled loose the severely corroded and split shower drain hose collar.
- No problem, can just replace the drain. But no, there is absolutely positively no access to the underside of the drain pan to accomplish this seemingly straightforward task.
- Fast forward a year, while I procrastinated and noodled on the problem.
After much deliberation and research, I settled on the following:
- Purchased a Valterra drain elbow, used in RVs. This was necessary because there was only about 4" of clearance from the shower drain hole to the hull.
- Tore out the old drain, from the top. What a pain.
- Cleaned everything up.
- Ran a new hose from the pump to the pan.
- Installed the Valterra fitting on a standard flush mount sink drain.
- UV4000'd four teak backing blocks to the underside of the pan.
- Drilled some holes in the pan and the drain (remember, I have to install from the top).
- Connected the hose to the drain fitting.
- Glooped on UV4000 and screwed down moderately tight.
- Waited overnight, and screwed down tight (to the teak blocks remember).
- Leak test, and it worked!!
So, I now have a working shower again. Finally. :-)
Oh I am so glad to find this - have the exact same issue. My problem is I cannot get the drain out - it spins but cannot remove - is there a flange or something on the other side of the shower pan drain preventing it from releasing? Im past the point of frustration - cannot believe there is no access. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYes, there's a big lock nut on the bottom that sounds like it's loose but not off. That's what is preventing the removal from the top. Looks like the one here.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.handymanhowto.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/DSC05924.jpg
If you can't reach it, the only thing you can do is what I did - find a way to chew away the top flange so the drain falls into the hole, then you will be able to remove the nut and pull the drain out. But the nut won't fit through the hole of course, it will just stay there forever.