Hello everyone,

I'm having an awful time trying to figure out what kind of shower drain I have for a shower stall in my home. The pictures below show the strainer removed exposing the pipe and a large rubber gasket around it. I'm not sure what kind of pipe it is but I can tell you it's black and feels like plastic.

I've purchased a few different shower drains and none seem to fit. I recently purchased [www.amazon.com]

From what I read I thought it would be an rather easy fit but based on the photos I don't believe so.

Please take a look at the attached photos and let me know what I'm working with. Thanks.

[imgur.com]

It's an "integral" drain. It's molded into the pan. You just need to get a replacement no-calk gasket(black rubber donut) for an integral shower drain.

Oh that's interesting. Thanks for the info.

Obviously no-caulk gasket is self-explanatory but what's the deal with all the crud around the old gasket? Is that years of water build up or was their silicone/putty used? Should silicone be used on the replacement?

the wall of the existing drain looks too clean to have had anything applied to the old gasket.
the seal of the new gasket is designed to work by compressing the gasket tightly into place. if it fits really tightly and is hard to fit in, that is a good thing. a little lube of some kind will help you get it pushed/pounded into place.

You normally only use a little liquid soap to help drive the new gasket in. The outside of the pipe and inside of the well need to be cleaned before the new gasket is installed. Did you determine for sure that the leak was from the gasket?

My novice plumbing skills led me to believe it's the gasket. I ran the shower into a bucket to see if the supply was leaking and no leak was found. I then dumped the water down the drain, without letting it pool in the stall and didn't notice it that way either.

But for some background I was using the shower without issue for 2 weeks. I showered everyday and not a drop. My wife then showered once and it was like a pool that fell from the ceiling to the first floor. My impression is that the shower stall floor must have moved and then a gap formed around the old gasket letting water in between.

Update: I installed a new rubber gasket but have a few questions. Is the gap between the gasket and the floor normal? See photo below. Additional how would you recommend installing the strainer? The previous gasket had 4 pre-cut holes for the strainer to sit. Or do I need a new strainer to match the new gasket?

[imgur.com]

Thanks

How tall is that gasket? It looks like it should be driven down a lot farther. There's usually a recessed ring inside the well and the strainer legs grip that recess. Similar to this.

I took your advice and began hammering the gasket down. And I kept on hammering down. It sure did move a whole lot. You can see in the attached picture that there still a small gap between the gasket and the wall.

Should I be concerned with that gap?

[imgur.com]