Remodeling bathrooms is one of the easiest ways to increase the value of your home while also establishing a refreshing perspective of one of the most used rooms in your house. Along with changing counter-tops and paint colors, many people move their shower and bath while remodeling. This means moving the shower drain, usually in a concrete floor and rerouting the pipes to a different spot, which can be a very dangerous task to accomplish on your own. There are dozens of ways that you can damage your drain system if done incorrectly. That’s why the most secure option is to leave this construction to a professional as to avoid harming your bathroom.
Shower Drain Removal Equipment
Aside from whether or not you have experience in shower plumbing or getting through concrete, there are plenty of difficult tools you need to know how to use to remove a shower drain. You’ll need a side grinder, chipping hammer, concrete cutting blade, and reciprocating saw. You’ll also need to know how to lay new concrete which is not something the average person knows how to do without some help.
Shower Drain Removal Process
Once you have the correct tools and safety precautions, you’ll have to cut into and chip away at the concrete slab from your old drain location to the new one. After digging a trench of equal depth to the new location, you have to cut the old drain’s horizontal pipe with a reciprocating saw at least 3 inches from the 90-degree fitting that turns the drain upwards. Move that piece to the new location and connect at 45 degrees to an extension pipe with couplings. The drain pipes must slope down or you will experience blockage or damage immediately.
Then, using the same dug-up dirt from the original location, cover the new drain pipe up and pack it tightly. Using a trowel, mix water and concrete together to fill the cut-out section of the flooring and smooth it over with the trowel. Once dried, you can resume reapplying new tile or whatever flooring you’ve chosen for your remodeled bathroom. This process is crucial to having your drain line working properly in the future and how smoothly you will be able to lay new tile over it.
Professional Shower Drain Removal
As mentioned in the beginning, moving a drain pipe is a taxing job to do unless you have experience in that area. Whether you are moving your drain to remodel, because of a damaged pipe, or a previously mis-installed pipe, having a professional plumber by your side makes a huge difference in the end result. Deer Valley Plumbing prides itself in assisting homeowners remodel their homes and getting the job done quickly and efficiently so that you can get your bathroom and shower back to working condition as fast as possible.