Shower pan drain assembly system

Abstract

An integrated shower base designed for improving the drainage of a tile shower is disclosed. The shower pan may be custom fabricated and molded with a depression surrounding a drainage opening for receiving a one piece floor drain. The pan and floor drain are welded together to prevent leaking. The floor drain contains weep holes so that water that seeps through the mortar on the shower floor and into the shower pan can drain properly without leaking. The floor drain also contains a reservoir for holding water that drains through the regular shower drain and also for water that seeps through the shower floor. A mortar guard is placed over the weep holes to prevent the holes from becoming clogged. A drainage mat is placed over the shower pan to help water seepage flow to the floor drain.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]This invention is related to improving shower bases and to a drainage system for use with the base of a shower. While the shower is in use, water seeps through the floor of the shower, is collected in the shower pan and then funneled to the drain for removal. A drainage mat placed on top of the pan liner separating the liner from the mortar used for the tile or stone floors allows water to freely run off the pan liner and into the weep holes of the shower drain. A mortar guard prevents mortar from clogging the weep holes during the installation of the tile or stone.[0003]2. Description of Related Art[0004]One of the focal points of the home is the bathroom. Many homeowners install tile or stone showers to increase the overall aesthetic beauty of their homes by accentuating the bathroom over other rooms in the house. Tile or stone showers are not pre-made like plastic showers. This means a tile or stone shower can provid...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012]It is another object of the present invention to prevent leaking between the shower pan and the drain.

[0014]It is another object of the invention to provide a stainless steel shower pan and a stainless steel drain that are joined together in a manner that prevents leaks (Tig / Mig Welded).

[0015]It is still another object of the invention to prevent clogging of the weep holes.

[0017]These and other objectives of the present invention are achieved by providing a shower drainage system that includes a stainless steel custom shower pan, integrated floor drain, shower drain, mortar guard, drainage mat and a drain grate. The shower pan and integrated floor drain provide multiple novel features over a conventional two piece lead shower pan and drain. The first novel feature is used out of stainless steel to create the shower pan instead of lead or chloraloy. The use of stainless steel for the shower pan provides many advantages over the conventional materials. Stainless steel is stronger, more durable, and less malleable than lead which leads to a longer lifespan for the shower pan yet it is still capable of being custom size. The second novel feature is the integration of the floor drain with the shower pan to create a water tight seal and prevent water from leaking. The shower pan in the present invention has an orifice for receiving a floor drain and also has a depression surrounding the orifice so that when the floor drain is placed in the orifice, the top surface of the floor drain sits planar to the top surface of the shower pan. The seam created by the two pieces is sealed by welding so that no leaking can occur. Conventional methods for creating water tight seals require compression fittings and caulking at the point of contact between the drain and the shower pan. As noted above, caulking degrades over time, causing leaks to form. Welding the drain and shower pan together provides a permanent superior seal than caulking and won't degrade over time. In the preferred embodiment, a Tig Welding is used to connect the two pieces and prevent leaking. Tig Welding produces high quality, clean welds and is ideal for making difficult welds (e.g. s-curves, or welds on round objects).

[0019]A mortar guard is placed over the weep holes and around the neck of the shower drain to prevent loose mortar during the initial tile or stone installation from clogging the holes. The mortar guard is generally shaped as a disk with an opening in the middle so that the mortar guard can fit around the threaded pipe of the shower drain. It will be made out of a suitable non porous material such as continuous filament nylon. The continuous filament nylon will be woven in a manner that allows the water to pass through the mortar guard without any restriction allowing any water that seeps through the mortar to pass through the mortar guard and into the weep holes. The mortar guard also provides ample support to place mortar and tile on top while still maintaining its shape and effectiveness.

Problems solved by technology

As noted above, caulking degrades over time, causing leaks to form.

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