Replies

1. 
   VaTom | Jun 14, 2005 07:19pm | #1

   Or have any ideas?

   Sing louder?  

   IIRC, UncleDunc has a shower head that "squeals like a pig" when it sees him.  Maybe you could talk him out of it.  It'd make you forget the drain.

   Are the acoustics good in there?  I remember a St. Louis dorm shower that sounded so great a serious flamenco student would hole up in there practicing.  Big beefy hands that would really make that guitar sing.  When he thumped it, I was always sure it was going to fly apart.  Just laughed when I asked him about that.

   PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!

2. 
   Shacko | Jun 15, 2005 12:15am | #2

   Did you have this problem with the old shower? If you did, the problem is in the piping; if you have PVC you have the worst  pipe for noise problems.  There is no practical fix that I know of. Luck.

1. 
   Flatfive | Jun 15, 2005 12:45am | #3

   This is a brand new shower and bathroom. The supply lines are no problem. The drain pipe in embedded in the slab. No problem there. Just the water falling down the drain and hitting the standing water in the trap. Echoing in the drain itself and then the shower too. It's nice and quiet with the screen (or whatever it's called) removed, but then there's a 3" hole in the floor.

1. 
   Shacko | Jun 15, 2005 11:50pm | #5

   Its hard to diagnose from long distance.  If taking the grid strainer stops the problem, you are probably on the right track.  Strainers come in many configurations, go to the plumbing supply house and see what thay have, get one that has a different grid design that will bolt-up to your drain.  Sorry I can't help more.  Luck.

2. 
   BillBrennen | Jun 16, 2005 10:34am | #6

   Like JTC1 said in post #5, it will be quiet if it runs down a surface like a rain chain. Directing the flow to the pipe walls is the most elegant way; avoids clogs of hair, etc.Synthetic string with a brass nut tied to the end will work, too. If the screen is thick plastic, it is easy to modify, and if flat metal it is easy to make a custom replacement. If doing the latter, I would shoot for the laminar flow you get with the screen removed. Good luck!Bill

3. 
   piko | Jun 16, 2005 04:36pm | #7

   I may be completely daft here, but what about putting a ping-pong ball or two into the trap? A 3" trap is big enough to float something 2" in dia and still leave enough clear for drainage.cheers

   ***I'm a contractor - but I'm trying to go straight!***

3. 
   JTC1 | Jun 15, 2005 01:03am | #4

   I think your idea of making a custom screen which move the "drop zone" toward the outer edges might work, although I am not sure you would achieve the laminar flow like you get with the screen removed.

   On Hilton Head Island (probably other places too), they put rain gutters on houses but NO downspouts.  Reason is the downspouts clog almost instantly from the long leaf pine needles which rain year round onto the roofs. 

   To divert the rain water away from the foundations, they "lead" it away from the foundation by suspending a chain which reaches the ground from a bar which crosses the outlet of the gutter.  In use the rain water clings to the bar and chain and flows down the chain to the ground -- the water can be "steered" several feet by this method.

   Maybe there is something you can use there to steer your water to the side of the drain pipe, or perhaps just straight down with laminar type flow going down the chain to the water level in the drain.  Brass or stainless - I'd shy away from steel.

   Good luck!

   Jim

   Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.

    

4. 
   antioch_sam | Feb 18, 2011 05:51pm | #8

   I had the same problem of the drain water dripping into the standing water in the p-trap.  I solved my problem by inserting a 1 1/2 inch pvc section into the drain pipe (bottom was notched to let water flow better).  The pvc extended from the bottom of the p-trap to near the drain screen, in my case about 14 inches. There was sufficient room for the water to flow between the pvc outer surface and the inter wall of the drain pipe, about 1/8 inch on all sides.  You may have to use a different diameter pvc depending upon your drain pipe diameter.  I found that capping the pvc on the top resulted in even less noise.The net result was the flow of water along the pipe surface without any dripping noise. 

5. 
   fingers | Feb 19, 2011 01:37pm | #9

   You could try getting a piece of the material that those gutter guards are made of.  It's kind of like a sponge except the air cells between the plastic material are much bigger and wide open.  Take out the drain screen and put a section of the material in.  You'll likely have to clean the material every once in awhile when hair and scum start to impede the drainability of the stuff, but it might work to quiet the noise.

6. 
   liquidroof | Feb 21, 2011 12:04am | #10

   I think its because of your piping system, its unable to support the flow properly, you need to change it.

1. 
   DanH | Feb 21, 2011 07:20am | #11

   I think it's because it's a 5-1/2 year old thread.

7. 
   littleann | Sep 02, 2014 03:48pm | #12

   did you ever find a solution?

   I have the same problem in my new shower, even though we specifically asked the contractor to avoid this problem that is also in my husband's shower.  Covering the drain with an OXO strainer (with much smaller holes) quiets it, but I hate having a loose screen in the shower (I keep stepping on it or kicking it).

   I know the problem can be solved by replacing the screen with one that directs the water to the sides, rather than letting it free fall down, but I don't see a screen that does that (at least for the 3" round drain screen that they gave me).

   Any solutions?  It is a big deal to me, as it seemed to you (9 years ago).

1. 
   deadnuts | Sep 02, 2014 08:10pm | #13

   turn it up

   Turn the radio up louder.

2. 
   curioussapporic123 | Apr 16, 2023 06:52pm | #14

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJdgTi3ctgU

   Similar to the video above (I didn't need the pipe at the end of the chain), I tied a plastic chain from Lowes using a twist tie to my shower drain basket. Maybe it'll be a little different for you if its a screen rather than a basket but I hope this solves your problem!

8. 
   Zachary01 | May 09, 2023 02:01am | #15

   Consider using a conical diverter under the drain screen to guide the water toward the pipe walls. This should reduce the noise.