I replaced an old metal pipe and p-trap with 2 inch PVC for a shower drain. I was only able to fit the new pvc p-trap if I made a loop-de-loop. Is this a good solution?
Best Answer
It looks like you have a double trap, unless I'm mistaken on how the water flows through this drain.
I've scribbled in where water will sit in the pipe, which clearly shows two traps.
The best option would be to go from the upper 90 of the P-trap, directly into the outlet pipe.
When you rebuild the trap, you should use a u-bend with a cleanout.
Don't bother trying remove the drain. Don't try to renew the putty, you'll just have the same problem again.
Remove all the old putty you can. Roughen the surfaces that contacted the putty with coarse sandpaper. Clean the shower base and drain surfaces where the putty was a well as you can. Fill the resulting gap with self-leveling polyurethane sealant. Do so in a way to not trap air and to fully fill the void. Once that stuff cures, it'll never leak again!
If you do have to remove the drain in the future, simply cut thru the sealant with a sharp knife.
If you use flexible hose, and take the sharkbite fitting off the drain, the flexible hose will/should clamp right onto the 1/2 inch copper pipe. Or, you (or a plumber if you don't solder as I might expect for sharkbites) can solder a brass/bronze barbed fitting there, or I suppose you can build some sharkbite contraption that ends in a barbed fitting.
Hint, use enough hose onto the pipe to allow placing TWO hose clamps on the pipe, and put the screw-clamp part on opposite sides.
Alternatively, you could investigate what sort of threads you get if you unscrew the plastic barbed fitting, and look for a PEX fitting that matches that thread.
Best Answer
It looks like you have a double trap, unless I'm mistaken on how the water flows through this drain.
I've scribbled in where water will sit in the pipe, which clearly shows two traps.
The best option would be to go from the upper 90 of the P-trap, directly into the outlet pipe.
When you rebuild the trap, you should use a u-bend with a cleanout.