The shower drain (and frantic finagling).

6/16/19

(Above: An image that Padre captured while I was bent over the shower drain applying some silicone gasket maker. Oil-painting filter applied.)

Building Summary: Today’s primary task was installing the shower drain. This consisted first of propping the stall at a slant so I could work underneath it and then gluing the drain fitting onto the 3 ³/₁₆” length of 2″ pipe Padre and I cut the other day. After that, I glued the fitting/pipe piece onto the actual sewer line (described further in commentary). Padre helped me with the next part. He positioned the rubber gasket on top of the drain fitting as I lined up the entire stall with the sewer inlet. The task was slightly difficult but it didn’t last long, and soon, I was applying some leftover BLUE RTV Silicone Sealant around the drain opening where the already-provided gasket met with the fiberglass shower base. The only task remaining after that was screwing in the drain and then giving it another tighten after the sealant had been allowed to set for half an hour*.

Commentary: There was a tense moment at Jacobhouse today, and it was in regard to the aforementioned pipe-gluing. Here’s how it went:

First, there was the tilted shower stall. I had slipped in some trim boards to prop it to one side and provide me with an extra 1 ½” of space. It was in that extra space that I was able to dry fit the glued pipe/drain piece. After I had, I lowered the shower back down to ensure that Padre’s and my measurements were accurate – that there would be enough room for the drain piece to fit. There was, so I lifted the shower back up onto its little blocks and made preparations to glue.

I fetched the solvent can, some paper towels, and the kneeling pad, and I pulled the dry-fitted drain piece from the sewer pipe and maneuvered it (quite easily) so it’s bottom was up and easily accessible. This was followed by my sanding and wiping the exposed pipe and then by the gluing. I had to reach through the shower drain hole to coat the sewer pipe’s inlet, and then I easily slathered solvent on the upright end of drain/pipe piece. It was the ensuing flip that turned out to be much more difficult than expected. For some reason, what came so easily before proved quite difficult in reverse**. I couldn’t turn the drain piece over, and thus, could not get the 2″ pipe piece to line up with the sewer line. Much frantic finagling ensued.

The flip probably only took a couple extra seconds, but it most definitely felt longer than that – an eternity as the overused simile goes. Either way, I was somehow able to complete the maneuver and press the drain into place, and now, as the building summary implied above, I can technically take a shower within Jacobhouse***.

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Final Note: Today we discovered that Alan had already left three lengths of heavy gauge cable in the farm’s garage. That means tomorrow morning I’ll be able to work on running the 2″ conduit from Jacobhouse to the meter box and feeding the cable through it.

*During that half-hour, I began to work on some ornamental trim for above the kitchen light where I can see the 2×8 blocking I utilized to hang the fixture. This trim consists of ‘shower-metal’ kept around from when we replaced a bathtub in oldhouse many years ago.

** Perhaps it was the amassing glue-fumes within the shower stall… or maybe it was simply the tight quarters in which I was working.

*** I want to say here that I very much appreciated your help today, Padre, just as I have appreciated all the aid you have provided. Here’s an interesting thought… last Father’s Day, we hadn’t even bought the container for Jacobhouse yet.