I tiled a shower pan and the drain assembly is slightly high of the tiles meaning water is left standing on the tile after a shower. I need to somehow get the threaded portion of of the drain about an eighth to a quarter inch lower so it is recessed to the tile rather than higher than them. I have it down to where a wrench can no longer work and see the only option as trying to fit some device down into the drain for it to catch enough on the sides to be able to turn it a little clockwise. The drain is 2 inches in diameter so the standard expanding plug device used for tub drains is not quite large enough to catch the sides. Anybody know of an existing device or a homemade one that might make this work?
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Take the strainer off the drain & look inside the pipe.
A lot of those drain tops have two "ears" protruding inwards.
If so they do make a tool that will fit that---- called a "tub" wrench, it has two diferent sizes on each end.
If ya can't get one of those a 1.5" peice of steel pipe with two notches cut in the end to match the lugs of the drain will work too.
Here's a last resort a full sized pipe reamer will bind on the inside & can be used to tighten the fitting down------ BUT if you use thid be carefull that reamer is trying to remove material.
"I'm here to chew bubble gum & kick azz, & I'm all out of bubble gum" Rowdy Roddy Piper
Good advice Bill, but even us novice plumbers have a device designed to expand inside a 2" pipe... a rubber test plug! Couldn't you insert that partway into the drain fitting, inflate it, then turn?
The problem I see is that the grille on the drain fitting is generally installed flush with the tile and then grouted in. How's it going to get any lower? At least some grout will have to be replaced.
Edited 9/13/2006 11:01 am by davidmeiland
Yeah that would make sense that the fitting would bottom out into the grout, but I thought he said he could still turn it, just couldn't get a wrench on it.
I don't think a blow up test plug has enough rigidness to it to be able to handle the torque required to turn a pipe or a nipple.
I just went & bought an "All Amereican ¯" test plug last week to try & use it as an easy out for a 1.5" copper trap arm, that the end is tore up------- it didn't work.
Now I have to take my rotozip with a cutoff wheel in it & cut the copper in behind the cabinet wall & sweat a coupling on it. I have to sweat the coupling on from the inside of the fitting, so I can only do 1/2 of it at a time."I'm here to chew bubble gum & kick azz, & I'm all out of bubble gum" Rowdy Roddy Piper