1999 Contessa Shower Drain Removal

[Mike Gineris]

Hi....Sold our Home to move and build a new one.  We are gonna be living in our Beaver for at least a year while building a new home.  Replacing the entire headliner (water damage), some walls (water damage), New Vinyl Plank Floor to replace wood floor and carpet.  Pretty much gutted the thing.  Want to pull the shower away from the wall to enable floor and ceiling work but need to remove the drain to do so.  Is it accessible from underneath?

[Eric Maclean]

Mike
If your coach is like my 97 patriot yorktown there is a small batch door on the outside wall which gives you limited access under the shower unit to the drain area above the floor.
Eric

[Mike Gineris]

I did read that in other discussions but I have no side access door. 

[Eric Maclean]

Well that sucks
Maybe there's an access hatch inside an adjacent cabinet .
They must have plumbed it some how maybe from below perhaps through the tank bay.
Eric

[Mike Gineris]

I will find it and report back.  The shower is just behind the superslide so access could be on the wall common to the slide or from underneath.

[Carl Boger]

My coach is like Eric's where the access panel is on the wall behind the shower.  In my case it's in the bedroom, drivers side.  It is not obvious that it is a access panel as it blends in and is framed.  I also have a mirror on the same wall that gives access to the shower faucets.  Hopefully you will have something similar.

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Mike,
This seems weird. I checked the 98, 99,00 and 01 Contessa Naples and all have the plumbing access door. It's on the driver's side just behind the slide and just above the belt-line. It's about 4"x7" and has a locking handle. If your shower is not located on that wall (e.g the 38' San Marcos) the door is not there.
Steve

[Mike Gineris]

Wow.  I will take a look after work and that access door had better not be there!  If it is then I am apparently not too observant which would agree with what my wife has been saying all along.

[Fred Cook]

I had to replace a leaky P-trap under my shower a couple years ago. There is no access door to it but it butts up against the bedroom wall. So, I had to take the paneling off that wall in order to access underneath the shower. Before putting the panel back on I cut out an access door so I can reach it in the future if I need to without talking the wall off.

[Mike Gineris]

I've verified there is no access door.  Only outside door is for the sewer hose.  My shower is against the Kitchen wall and I believe I have access underneath alongside the water utility access panel.  I will know more this weekend.  Thanks for the help.

[Mike Gineris]

I created an opening 4x6 in the interior wall with the slide open...gave me just enough access to extend out a long pipe wrench to hold the ABS pipe while my wife rotated the drain fitting from the top.  It worked.  The shower stall is now pulled away and I can work the floor and ceiling.  Reassembly will be a challenge because the drain fitting has a jam nut and the ABS drain is supposed to thread onto it from below after the shower is back in place.  None of this is designed to be touched after the initial install.

[Mike Gineris]

Found what is used for RV's.  The ABS drain underneath needs to be replaced with a swivel fitting. Amazon links below. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ITPGUWU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002UC1ARI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1