Is cold air coming from shower drain in your house? This may happen if your bathroom or toilet drain system has clogging issues or a leaking tap. But this can also incur for many other reasons.
Regardless of the reason, quickly addressing the problem is necessary to avoid a hazardous situation in the future.
Here, we will help you learn the probable cause behind air leakage from your shower drain and how to fix it.
Why Air Coming Is From Shower Drain?
It is crucial to find out from where the air is coming them. Only then will it be effortless to overcome the unwanted problem. Take a lot at the common causes:
- Drain Pipe Leakage
Have you checked whether your drain pipe has any leakage issues? Sometimes, you may mistakenly think the air is approaching from the shower drain. Instead, it might be coming from the drainpipe.
You don’t have to experience a lot of hassle to figure out air leakage. Just check out the curvy P-trap pipe to see whether you feel any wind.
- Faulty Shower Drain Gasket
There are several rubber gaskets inside the shower drains. The primary job of these gaskets is to confirm a watertight seal between the drain and pan.
But if these rubber gaskets become faulty or damaged or dry out over time, it may lead to air leaking.
So, if you notice any air leakage between the shower pan and drain, you should inspect the gasket condition. You may need to replace them.
- Cracked Shower Pan
It is not a piece of cake to determine the primary reason behind cold air coming out of the drain. The mess is more when the shower pan is damaged.
After all, it is a little bit tricky to find out whether your shower pan is cracked or not.
The best approach is to fill the shower pan with a few inches of water and check the below area of the shower to see whether any water is leaking. It might be necessary to wait for more to figure out leaks in the shower pan.
- Drain Flange Leakage
There is a metal piece on the shower drain, which is known as a drain flange. In order to ensure a watertight seal, a soft putty coating is installed between the pan and the flange.
Its main job is to ensure no water or air leakage.
But when the drain flange has any leakage problem, you may notice cold air is coming from the shower drain. It may happen if your shower drain is slightly unscrewed or the putty seal was removed from its place.
- Shower Faucet Leakage
Not all the time, your shower drain has leakage issues. Sometimes, it could be on the shower faucet, which is causing air to come out through the shower drain.
There might be a poor connection between your water supply lines and the shower faucet if the shower faucet is leaked.
- Cracked Bathroom Tile
We make our bathroom tile air-proof and waterproof so that nothing goes inside it. But if your bathroom is cracked, air may get inside it, and some of them might be coming through the shower drain.
How To Fix Air Leakage from Shower Drain?
Wondering the ideal way of fixing the air leakage problem in your shower drain?
It is solely related to the kind of issues your bathroom shower is having.
Hence, you have to implement a particular solution according to it.
- Replace Shower Drain Gasket
When you don’t use the shower for a long time, the rubber gasket may dry and cause cracking issues. In this scenario, you have no option but to get an intact shower drain gasket.
Take the old gasket to buy the ideal size and model for it. Ensure to get rid of any dust and grease from the drain pipe.
- How to fix Damaged Shower Pan?
If your shower pan has minor cracks, you can fix them. But major damages require you to get a new one.
Get a new acrylic repair kit to solve the tiny crack. Make sure to clean the surrounding region properly with a home cleaner. Move out any dust or debris from the crack area.
Now, take a putty knife to apply the soft paste on the crack site. Finish the task by leveling the area smoothly. Let it dry and cure. Once it is fully cured, use fine-grit sandpaper for sanding it appropriately.
- How to Fix Leaking Shower Drain Pipe?
Sometimes, the curvy P-trap pipe of the drain might be the main culprit of the air leakage. Some cuffs are connected to the P-trap pipe.
They need to be installed appropriately. But these cuffs have some screws, which may become loose over time.
This could lead to leakage problems.
But luckily, you can fix the leakage of the P trap of your own.
Just get your plumber’s wrench, locate it to the locking rings, and give them a turn of 90° to tighten them properly.
This will secure the seal and prevent air leakage. However, if you may fail to tighten the rings, you have no option but to replace the whole P-trap.
To detach the P-trap, you have first to unscrew the locking rings. Water may quickly overflow after removing the P-trap.
That’s why it is essential to put a towel or cup to hold the water. When purchasing a new P-trap, take the old model with you to get the right size.
You need to put drainpipes from both sides of the new trap to install it. Plus, make sure you have tightened each compression correctly using your bare hands.
For perfect tightness, you can utilize your plumber’s wrench and give it a turn of 90°. Avoid over-tightening it because it can ruin the fittings.
- Repair Shower Drain
If your bathroom shower doesn’t have any above-listed problems, then you may have to repair the shower drain. Your shower drain might be having any leakage issues.
Fixing the air leakage problem in a shower drain is pretty simple. First, take off the strainer. Properly clean the outdated plumber tape.
Now, use a new plumber’s tape to cover the screw threads. Also, put something on the whole drain circumference to protect it.
Afterward, you need to put the screw back into the tub. Finally, it will create an airtight seal among several shower drain parts, ensuring no air leakage.
When to Call a Profession Plumber?
If you still fail to solve the problem of air leaking from your shower drain, you may need to take assistance from a professional. Sometimes, there might be some techniques issues, which an expert plumber can only understand.
You should not implement any wrong approach to fix this problem because it may lead to further issues. You may end up spending more money.
Conclusion
Are you still wondering why cold air coming from the shower drain? You should not! We have already outlined all the normal causes of this problem.
Also, we have shown how to overcome this problem through many handy solutions.
You just need to know the type of problem your shower drain has and use the right method to solve the problem.