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A collector or pan refers to the horizontal surface located
at the bottom of the shower.
The collector typically consists of a non-slip surface
slightly banked towards the center or wherever the drain is located. Combined
with three to four inch walls around the side, the goal of your shower drainage
plumbing is to get the water to flow to and down the drain.
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You can physically build a collector for your new shower, but you really need to
think about it. Do you really want to get into the complications of getting the
sloping correct, not to mention making sure every aspect of it is waterproof?
And I mean every aspect! It is much easier to simply buy a pre-cast collector
online or at your local Lowes, Home Depot or hardware store. Building one might sound like a great idea, but you will probably feel
differently after a couple of hours.
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Regardless of how you go about getting a pan, you should make every effort to
use one that has the drain located in the same spot as the original pan. Moving
the drain pipes can be a task, particularly if the builder used a unique framing
structure. If you are determined to move the drain, you are going to have to cut
back the pipe or lengthen it, which may mean ripping up large chunks of the
floor. Put another way, you are going to be looking at a multiple weekend
project.
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Assuming we have our drain lined up, the actual hook up is fairly simple. The
drainage pipe should be facing vertical up to the collector. It will often look
like a “U”, which means it acts as a cleanout to keep nasty smells from coming
back up from the drain. To connect the drain, you are going to create a water
tight connection between a drain cap on the top of the pan and the drainage
pipe. Systems vary, but you are typically going to do this by putting a coupling
piece on the top of the drainage pipe. This is then covered with gaskets and
literally screwed into the drain cap. The drain cap should act as a locknut, to
wit, it screws directly onto the coupling.
The tricky part of this process is getting your drain cap to fit into a
watertight position in the pan. This is accomplished by backing off the drain
cap once you are sure everything fits together. At that point, you put plumbers
putty around the underside of the cap and then screw it back on. The putty
should form a tight seal between the cap and the shower pan, which keeps water
from trickling under it and into the framing under the shower.
Obviously, bathroom showers come in a wide variety of styles these days. If you
purchase a collector, they almost always come with plumbing instructions or the
store can note anything unusual you should know. It sounds complex, but is
typically pretty straight forward.
Have fun!
About the Author: Rick Chapo is with
http://www.solarcompanies.com/ – a directory of
solar energy companies. Visit www.solarcompanies.com to read
more solar power articles.
Planning a custom ceramic tile shower and don't know where to begin? Not sure
how to install a Shower Pan Membrane Liner. See [Shower
Pan Membrane Liner Installation EBook]
Additional Home Plumbing Resources
Faucets, Shower Heads, Sinks and Bathroom Fans from Amazon.com
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