Floored by a plumber's comment about my shower pan

Guy installing my new shower drain said my pre-slope looked like a dried up mud puddle, not a real slope. He told me to rip it out and start over with a proper 1/4 inch per foot fall - has anyone else had to redo a pan based on a pro's random advice mid-job?

2 comments

2 Comments

drew_grant5214h ago

That plumber might have saved you a lot of trouble down the line, honestly. If the pre-slope doesn't have that 1/4 inch per foot fall, water just sits there and breeds mold and rot. I've seen pans fail in under a year when the slope is off, and then you're tearing out tile and everything. Better to fix it now with some deck mud and a level than to deal with a soggy mess later. Just pack it tight and check your fall with a straight edge before the liner goes in, you'll be glad you did.

hayden72011h ago

Hold up, wait. So you're telling me @drew_grant52 has actually seen pans fail in under a year? Man, that's wild. I mean, I knew bad slopes were bad news, but I figured you'd get at least a couple years out of it before anything really bad happened. That's scary how fast mold and rot can take over if the water doesn't drain right. I guess it makes sense though, water's gonna find its way to the low spots no matter what.