Your Home Improvements

Robert,

My name is Steve R. and I live here in town.

Months ago you wrote about a shower/shower pan, though I’m not sure that you went into great detail.

We recently discovered a shower leak in an upstairs bathroom (of course, it had to be the upstairs) and it is leaking to the downstairs. We are told by the plumber that it is our shower pan.

Can you elaborate on the different types of install? You see the trucks with the roofing tar equipment that are used for the hot mop version, but I’d like some detail on what the other options are and which is best, and why.

Steve,

I’ve used a vinyl pan method for as long as I can remember, and I’ve never received a call back due to failure. I’ve used this in my own home during remodeling as well and years later all is well.

This is almost like rubber but it is vinyl. It is a system that is laid out and I’ve had nothing but success with it.

The hot mop system has been known to crack which can then lead to failure, or leaking. It is literally roofing tar that is used, and can be successfully, but, the failure is much more common with this method.

The vinyl is a very thick product, much like you’d see in an above-ground swimming pool, and is flexible. Once installed and water tested to ensure it is watertight, and the finish work (tile) is done, you have no issues of failure whatsoever.

Let me know if you’d appreciate a referral for someone who uses this product, and who is versatile with many different finishes such as tile, stone, etc. He’s local, very talented and dependable.

If you choose your own contractor be sure that they are licensed and insured, and that when they are installing this product they go at least 6-inches above the base of the pan. Also they can fully water test it prior to installing any stone/granite, or other. Good luck.

Robert,

I am a property manager who lives in Santa Clarita, but manage a six-story property on the west side.

Your column is very informative and I’d like to see if you can help me out of a situation.

This building is a mixeduse facility where the upper floors are all residential. For years we’ve had nothing but backups on the air conditioning lines (condensate lines). Our A/C technician has been quite successful, thus far, but the backups are getting worse and we are beginning to suffer flooding at times, with much damage to units.

We need to do something more but I am unsure as to what that is, and the A/C technician is out of ideas.

The lines are copper and go from the top, the sixth floor, all the way down to the ground floor into a floor type sink.

The water is not flowing all the way down. We’ve had a plumber out who has run a cable, but the cable hit an impasse and he didn’t have any ideas on how to fix this.

Do we have to put all new pipes? How would we prevent this from happening again? Have you experienced anything like this? What was the solution, in your experience?

Hi,

The problem is that for the condensate line it is copper. Typically on install they will run 90’s which are elbows, and this is why the cable isn’t making the turn. The cable is unable to make sharp turns, so as soon as the plumber or A/C technician gets the cable far enough to reach a 90, it gets stopped.

If you start cutting into drywall from the top floor down in order to change out lines, your building will look like Swiss cheese; this would be HUGE.

Have you tried to blow out the lines? My best recommendation based on the photos I’ve seen and the details you’re giving me, is for you to first try using pressure and have the lines blown out. This will often do the trick, but depending on the cause of the backup and what is actually stuck in those lines, it may or may not work.

If that doesn’t work then put in a small sump pump and container for the condensate line. Hook this up to the nearest lavatory for drainage, and it’ll solve the flooding problems. I’ve experienced this many times and these situations are a nightmare for HVAC contractors. Good luck to you.