# Efflorescence in shower drain



## rrk (Apr 22, 2012)

I have a shower that I did 7 years ago that appears to have some sort of white crystals in the drain near the weep holes. My plumber said it was efflorescence. I thought efflorescence was powdery, this is not. It looked to be like hard water scale but a lot of it.

It does not show on the tiles near the drain at all.
It takes 4 months for it to almost close the drain 50%
Shower has pre slope and PVC pan
Very hard water in the house

Any ideas on what it is and how to eliminate it before I take out the drain to check further?


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## GO Remodeling (Apr 5, 2005)

I've seen that too. I don't have any answers other than chip the crystals out.

Could it be the type of soap/shampoo that helps cause this?


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## rrk (Apr 22, 2012)

olzo55 said:


> I've seen that too. I don't have any answers other than chip the crystals out.
> 
> Could it be the type of soap/shampoo that helps cause this?


That's what I was thinking in addition to the hard water. I may see if I can get the crystals tested to see what the actually are.

Very weird because there is nothing else showing at the top of the drain.


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## GO Remodeling (Apr 5, 2005)

The time I saw it some of the weep holes were clogged. Maybe clogged weep holes make the water drain so slow that the minerals can form into crystals. 

Just a guess. What do you guess?


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## Tech Dawg (Dec 13, 2010)

olzo55 said:


> The time I saw it some of the weep holes were clogged. Maybe clogged weep holes make the water drain so slow that the minerals can form into crystals.
> 
> Just a guess. What do you guess?


Pretty much what I thought because that would crystalize the mud underneath if built traditionally..


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## rrk (Apr 22, 2012)

If the weep holes were clogged would the problem show up in the tile especially by the drain?


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## Ceramictec (Feb 14, 2008)

rrk said:


> If the weep holes were clogged would the problem show up in the tile especially by the drain?


the grout around the drain would stay wet.

you probably just have some minerals drying in the grout around the drain.
could be the water in that area.


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## TileWizard (Jan 14, 2011)

pretty sure its the well water. I've seen the same thing. we had to actually replace traps under two different showers of a house because they were so clogged.


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## rrk (Apr 22, 2012)

City water.
I think next week I will take the upper half of the drain out if I can locate the extra tiles


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## Tech Dawg (Dec 13, 2010)

Quite a few years back I did some work in a sorority house at West Chester U... it was the next worse thing to an episode of hoarders :laughing: and often wondered what would happen to the work after a few years...


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