There is a leak in the joint between the female copper fitting and the P-trap (shower drain).

The floor of the shower is tiled so I can't alter the connection from above. I was planning on cutting out the copper beyond the trap and replacing with PVC but it will be extremely tight to get a PVC trap in there.

Would it be possible to flux and re-solder the faulty joint so close to the male PVC fitting? I'm guessing that heating up that joint will soften/warp the PVC but not sure if this will necessarily cause a failure in the joint.

Looks like they used plenty of thread sealant.

Any suggestions welcomed - thanks.



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forget it,, it will never work..
best bet would be to cut below the female adapter, unscrew it from the pvc and get it all patched back up with a rubber fernco..
sliding the fernco over the cast brass trap inlet should work,,

In order to do what Packy suggests, after making the cut, you may have to remove the drain tailpiece that connects to the sink.

Thanks for the reality check - I figured that trying to re-solder that joint would be a crapshoot. I also thought about trying to use a fernco type coupling, but not sure if it would make a proper seal due the difference in O.D. of the brass trap and the PVC tailpiece I'd have to extend. Not to mention blobs of old solder...



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i think if you use the all rubber fernco you will be fine...
get the lower end over the cast brass inlet of the trap as it has a larger outside diameter.