Good morning,

Long time listener,first time caller.

I installed a new bathtub in an upstairs bathroom. After the tub was in, and before the walls were tiled, we tested the drain assembly. Twice. Twice the tub was filled, over-filled to test the overflow, and drained. No leaks, no runs, no errors. My kids have taken about a dozen baths in there since the project has been done, with no problems. i just checked yesterday, and water was dripping off the p-trap. I isolated the problem to where the PVC assembly threads into the copper drain line. It's not a huge leak...about a drip every three seconds as the tub is draining. And the one good thing about this, is that it's dripping onto a concrete floor in the little closet where the furnace and water heater are.

I have very limited access to the whole shebang. The cold air intake for the furnace runs directly underneath the tub (thank you builders in 1963), and there is about a foot between the furnace ducting and the back side of the wall which is filled with water, drain and gas pipes. If I need more access, I have to either cut a whole in the shower liner and wall of the other bathroom upstairs or do something drastic with the furnace ducting. I tried reefing on the slip nut, loosening the nut and re-seating the washer, none of which have helped. I'm thinking that the whole assembly may be in a bind a little bit or the washer is defective. I was wanting to try loosening all the joints, tightening up the drain one first, and then the other two, but I'm worried that I could start a leak where the shoe meets the tee, and I'm even more limited on access to that. I was also thinking of backing the slip nut off, filling the bottom side of the slip nut with silicone, and tightening it down. The option of pulling the whole assembly off to do a new tapered washer isn't really an option as there isn't enough room to pull everything back and pull the assembly up. I think I'd have to unscrew the drain in the tub to get it all out, and I wouldn't be able to get a hand on the shoe to tighten it back down. Any recommendations?

You could try running the nut back and giving it 2 or 3 of wraps of teflon tape. If that doesn't work, how hard would it be to temporarily remove the cold air return?

I'll try the Teflon tape. I was also thinking of putting a bead of plumbers putty in the nut and let it squish out as I tighten it down. As far as the cold air return, it would be doable, but an f'in PITA. It's covered in what I think is asbestos tape, and while I personally don't subscribe to the hype of asbestos, my wife does. It's ran between the floor joists, and I'm not sure it could be removed. I think we'd have to cut it out and somehow figure out how to put it back together all sealed up.

Well, stuffing plumbers putty into the nut seems to have done the trick. I'll keep an eye on it for awhile. Will plumbers putty break down over time and allow the leak to start again?

Silicone caulk is your friend on this repair. Loosen the SJ nut and apply it to the threads and gasket and retighten. RBI.

Thank you for the response. If the leak shows up again, I will silicone it.



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