ShareThisBy ED DEL GRANDE
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Q: Dear Ed, I need a second opinion and I trust you. My tile shower base from the 1960s has started leaking into my basement. My plumber says that it is a lead or copper pan that has rotted out and it cannot be fixed! My only choice it seems is that the entire base has to be ripped out and a new pan and tile floor installed. I will never be able to match the tile on the walls so I'm looking at a complete shower remodel job. Very expensive! Help! Is this true and can anything be done to just seal the leak? _ Linda, Ohio
A: Linda, I appreciate your trust and I have a lot of bad news and a little good news for you. You probably want the bad news first, so have a seat and take a deep breath:
From what you tell me it seems that your plumber is correct and it is some bad news I've had to tell many of my own customers over the years. Tile showers use what's called a shower pan to contain the water in the shower. Floor tiles and grout do not hold back every drop of water and, without some type of shower pan, water will leak through the shower base. A shower pan is like a little swimming pool at the bottom of a tile shower; it holds and then diverts the excess water into the shower's drain so you have a dry area around the shower. Most shower pans nowadays are copper or rubber sheeting. Older shower pans can rot out and leak and I've even seen newer shower pans leak as well. The bottom line is that once the pan rots or ruptures I don't know of any other solution than to break out the old pan, install a new one and retile the shower to insure the problem is repaired properly. And you're right: This can be very costly!
That's the bad news. The good news is you mention that you have access under the shower in your basement. This is great because the ease of access will make the job a little easier and less costly. Many times it's a shower on the second floor that leaks. When that happens, not only does the bathroom get ripped up a bit but, in many cases, the ceiling under the shower will have to be opened to replace the drain and trap assembly and now two rooms are affected.
Another thing that may help you: Before you do any work, contact your insurance agent to view the problem so you do things by the book. This is one of those unexpected plumbing problems that can be very depressing. But just keep thinking about your beautiful new shower stall and, hopefully, that will eventually wash away your blues!
Q: Big Ed, I heard a weird grinding sound in my garbage disposer and when I stopped the motor to see what was going on I found a penny and removed it. Now when I turn it on it sounds very loud. I can feel that one of the blades is loose and the other is in a stationary position. Can I tighten down the loose blade to fix this? _ Dan, Chicago
A: Dan, first and most important, never reach into a disposer with your hand. Always use tongs or special grabbing tools. And make certain that the electrical switch is off and the power is shut off at the circuit breaker as well.
Now that we've covered the safety issues, let's move on to the disposer problem. A penny or any type of metal can damage a disposer so it's important that the metal is removed. It looks like you've done that and now it's still not working properly.
But I suspect your diagnosis may be off a little. The funny shaped metal parts you see and refer to as blades should actually be the "mashers." In most types of disposers they normally spin freely. Mashers throw the food into the grinders and if they don't spin the unit is not running properly. So, from what you tell me, the one spinning should be OK; it's the stuck one that may not be working properly. The masher could have been damaged or maybe another object is stuck under it, holding it in place. Are you missing any dimes?
All kidding aside, since you're just learning about disposers and I can't see your exact problem in person, I would recommend that you call a service technician to help you fix your disposer. The good news is that since everything else seems fine this should not be a major repair.
And, remember, they don't call it loose change for nothing. Like your Mom said, Always watch your pennies!
(Master Plumber Ed Del Grande hosts Ed The Plumber on DIY Network and Contractor stories on HGTVpro.com. Always follow local codes. Visit Ed at eddelgrande.com and send questions to: edtheplumber(at)diynetwork.com.)
