Stupid home inspector. And stupid home buyer for lack of due diligence.
I don’t think Charles Schulz every revealed “Pig-Pen’s” given name; henceforth, let’s assume it’s Megan.
Faced with a drain leak in my only working tub/shower, I called my plumber. I thought the junction from the P-bend-straight bit to the angled bit was the culprit. Nope, he said. The area around the tub drain is almost rusted through. “I can try to fix it, but that will probably break it completely.” Um, no. This bathroom is coming out when I redo the kitchen. It just has to last a little longer. Please.
So I’ll be a) Showering sparingly b) Speeding up the bath rehab from desultory to OH F*CK – HURRY!!! Which means I’ll be getting dirty, and staying that way longer than anyone would like. Apologies in advance to my co-workers.
But for now, I’ve fixed it.
It’s not actually that dire if water gets on the “bathroom” (aka Portal to Hell) floor below; from there, it goes into the floor drain outside the room’s entrance. That’s right – there is no proper shower drain in this “bathroom”… but if I don’t hurry with the second-floor work, I may be forced to shower here.
I’d rather stink.
Rude Mechanicals Press Blog 
You’re the best.
Don’t forget the other options: washing your hair at the kitchen sink (as I still do to this day) and “spot bathing” at the wall-hung basin (a skill I learned at boarding school, where there was no such thing as a shower, and baths were limited to two per week, the scalding tub of water shared with another student).
Hey, it’s Spring, a good rain and some soap and you’ll be all set. Don’t worry about the neighbors.
You should use that spray stuff, Flex Seal, from the late night infomercials. They put a screen door in the bottom of a boat, spray it with that stuff, and the boat is good as new.
Hey, it might buy you a dozen extra showers.
Really, I think she’ll be better off taking nrhiller’s suggestions than spraying herself with Flex Seal.
Huh. Never heard of it. Plumber said nothing would work…but maybe it can’t hurt (though reviews are mixed). But for $13, why not.
If I were your friend and lived nearby, I’d ask you when you’re planning to do that work so I could plan on dropping by an hour after completion with a case of beer. When you’re done with the manse itself, I’d bring a bottle of 18 year-old Highland Park. Might even leave it with you.
You mean you would wait an hour after completion to give her time for that long-overdue shower before you showed up?!
No rinse shampoo and body wash is your friend. Available at walgreens, hiking stores, etc.
If she waits long enough, she won’t have to buy any. Her coworkers will gift her with some.
I have 2 rusted sinks caked in silicone caulking from underneath. They’ve mostly held water for a year!!!! I don’t want to replace the sink unless I’m ripping out the 1983 era bathroom… hence, silicone.
Same here – I’m going to try to mostly fix it just long enough…it’s coming out when I redo the kitchen next year. Waiting for my FlexSeal to arrive…
Do it (state not mentioned for my own safety) flattened beer cans,roofing tar and trash bags.
Be safe what ever
p
There doesn’t appear to be a trap on that drain. Don’t you get sewer smell coming into that bathroom? Old houses can be full of surprises.
I see it now on the instagram version. I thought the drain was teed into the horizontal pipe.
It’s a complete clusterf in that room. When I redo the kitchen/bath/pantry above (next year), I’ll get that all cleaned up a bit (my plumber is pretty anal-retentive, as am I)
That looks alarmingly like its on the way to becoming like the lavatory from the cult film Trainspotting! For those who haven’t seen this film follow the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XrvpEIiC1w to at least see the toilet! WATCH THE MOVIE AS WELL!
Indeed!
I have an idea: lift the current bucket catch on top of the toilet and attach it to the wall. Drill a hole in the bottom. Connect a PVC pipe to the bottom of the bucket to the floor drain. Viola. Problem solved. The funny thing about this is you don’t know me well enough to know if I’m kidding or not! 😀
Or, ya know, just get my ass in gear and get one of the other bathrooms done.
If you’re up for a road trip we have an extra shower you can use, please call first so I can explain it to my wife.
you are worried about the plumbing?
how about there is nothing supporting the tub!!!!
eh – it’s sub par certainly, but it’s supported enough (there are struts that don’t show, and there’s a supporting piece of wood buried under that insulation) – assuming the bottom doesn’t rust out around the drain anyway and I fall through that hole…
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