when I tighten down the drain into the shoe I get as tight as I can by hand (with leverage). I then tested the seal and it's leaking horribly. so I look underneath and half of the o-ring is getting pinched and compressed like it should while there's like a 1/4" gap on the other side of the o ring that is literally not touching and completely uncompressed. NO wonder it's leaking. anyway, I checked the level of the tub outlet and it's way out of whack. the real problem is that the drain seats itself from the top perfectly level due to the dish shape in the tub.
I'm attaching a drawing of the problem, what are my options here? either call the company and tell them that the tub is fricked up (already had like 3 other QC issues with it, so I'm already pissed at the quality of a $1200 fricking fiberglass tub). I went with the expensive one so I wouldn't have to deal with this shit. goddamnit so much work out the windows if I have to get a whole new tub.
other option is to sand the tub outlet flat, and I don't know how to do this by hand. I don't have enough space for large tools unless I remove the tub, which sucks but is preferable to a total replacement.
OOPS!
I filter all namegays
Sorry I just won't read your post is all
Ublock origin my filters section
PrepHole,PrepHole.org##.postContainer:if(.post:not(.inlined) > .postInfo > .nameBlock > .name:has-text(/^(?!Anonymous$)/))
PrepHole,PrepHole.org##.post.preview:if(.postInfo > .nameBlock > .name:has-text(barkun))
Have you used putty?
i used silicone as was recommended for acrylic/fiberglass tubs. but the overall watertight seal isn't supposed to be made from the drain flange to the tub, thats just to prevent your bath water from slowly draining while the stopper is in. it's supposed to come from the compression of the gasket between the tub outlet and the drain shoe.
Lol no. There are two spots where water can creep: the threaded connection (tape plus dope) and the flange at the top (putty or silicone, refer to flange and tub manufacturers for guidance). The rubber ring is to provide pressure and to pull the flange tighter. On a bathroom sink, the rubber ring is critical because the overflow bypasses the flange, but on a tub, the overflow is separate.
>half of the o-ring is getting pinched and compressed like it should while there's like a 1/4" gap
How the everloving frick could it be out of level by 1/4 inch across a few inches? Is one end of the tub a foot higher than the other?
Obviously not, dumbass. It's the pipe, which would be easily fixed if you had any brains.
internet anonymity was a mistake. why are you being so rude? if a stranger asked you for plumbing advice in person would you talk to them like this? maybe you would ask for clarification if it seemed confusing.
the tub is completely level, the waste outflow of the tub is not, EXACTLY like my pic related shows. and just like I said in my OP I would need to sand it down to be level but I don't know if that's possible in the space that I have.
my problem is that with the rubber gasket not making a seal, the silicone under the flange is the only thing preventing water from coming directly through the gap between the tub outflow and the shoe. that silicone under the flange is not supposed to be the only watertight barrier. the threaded connection means nothing if the water is coming out of the gap between the tub and the shoe.
You are not thinking straight. I've installed a couple of tubs and had no leaks. The flange is key. It needs seals in two spots: the threaded connection and the surface of the tub.
you're really gonna argue with Terry the plumbing wizard?
>do really dumb thing
>"see!?! that's not how you are supposed to do it"
Just enjoy your ever leaking tub, I'm out. Peace.
still waiting on someone who actually knows what they're doing to give some advice. why do people pretend they know what they're talking about when they don't? don't let the door hit you on the way out amigo
It's the putty that prevents water from leaking. It sounds like he's just saying there shouldn't be putty where the rubber washer is. It seems to me the only purpose of the washer is to create even pressure between the shoe and the tub'
It sounds like yours isn't providing the right amount of pressure on one side.
it can't, because the drain wants to come completely vertical from the top. basket comes straight down into shoe. as it's tightened, the basket brings the shoe straight up like it should. but the bottom of the tub isn't level so you get my pic related problem. I need to either get a replacement or rip the whole thing out and find some way to grind that bottom lip perfectly flat and smooth, which shouldn't be my fricking problem on a $1200 fiberglass tub. and I don't even know how I'd do that, what tools I'd need.
>be me
>install tubs (many)
>noleaks.webm
>be op
>install one (1) tub
>leaks
>also op: "I'm doing it the right way!!!"
stupid or don't understand the problem, which I've highlighted very well, so still stupid
thought about this, did a search online and couldn't find anything in the right size. this was the only option besides sanding the outlet or replacing the tub.
fixed it last night actually. I'm pretty proud of my solution. I shimmed and leveled a small 3/4" plywood sheet under the drain and temporarily screwed it into the floor. I then got another similar sized plywood sheet and stapled some sandpaper to it, then wedges this board between the level platform and the bottom of the tub sandpaper side up. I then used it to progressively sand the bottom of the tub drain flat. when I needed to increase my height to take off a bit more, I'd just put a thick piece of paper on top of the platform and work my way with more height and finer grit sandpaper. worked like a frickin charm.
and guess what? I put the drain in with zero silicone or putty and now that the rubber gasket is being compressed like it's supposed to, the bathtub held water all night with no leaks! sometimes I forget that having a bit of DIY experience and a bachelor's in mechanical engineering makes me better equipped than 95% of this board. no offense to the tradies that actually do know a lot more than me.
here it was before sanding level, bubble is way off to the far right
To be fair to the other anons you did kind of explain it like shit. That’s no reason for them to be so rude though.
So the tub was over sprayed in one spot at the factory causing an uneven surface for the gasket? Is that what happened?
the OOP pic is literally the exact problem though. Aquatic Bath grinded/sanded it "flat" (it wasn't even flat really) from the factory but didn't get it level, in fact it was at like 5 degrees while the basket still wanted to seat in the shoe completely vertical.
>I put the drain in with zero silicone or putty
I can't wait for the post a year from now crying about a leaky tub drain.
it was a test my DIY brother. once I proved that I was right to myself and the haters I took it out and siliconed it and put it back in where it currently lies.
like I said in my previous post, the silicone/plumbers putty is to keep the water IN the tub, not to prevent leaks. for my test the leaking from the bottom of the tub was the issue, not leaking into the waste pipe.
bump. I'm considering buying picrel on the way home and returning it if it doesn't work. I don't have much to lose from trying to level it by hand
Go for it! You'll be buying a new tub after you chew up this one.
Temporarily mount up the shoe, crosspipe and tee. Then figure out how to get the rest of it to fit.
Why don’t you level it with putty or a dab of epoxy? Idk, you’re being a little extreme.
I just replaced my shoe and overflow. Any reason you can't use a beveled gasket of the correct thickness at the shoe much like your picture shows at the overflow?
Can you post a picture?
and my sanding setup
Use plumbers putty under the lip of the basket and get a tub key wrench and actually crank it down tight
3m 5200 white
Apply both both sides of the gasket, wipe clean without solvent in the tub.
Shits approved for boat thru hulls, it will seal your tub.
Get it damp and it will dry faster, otherwise, it will take a week to dry.
THE POWER OF FLEX SEAL