Educating the Higher End Client of what to look for in High End Linear Drains

[JohnfrWhipple]

The linear drain market is exploding. Drains from all sorts of manufactures. Lets look at which drains work. Which drains rust. And Which drains collect the most hair.

ACO makes the best drain. This is why it s the only drain I choose to sell anymore.

Have a peak at a recent install....


ACO is the world leader in drainage products. Look at the stainless steel. Electropolished - not off gray in colour but closer in look to your plumbing fixtures. Look at the sides of the channel body. Sealed from the thin-set and mortar. The simple act of shower will not allow water to wick from the grate location back under the tile. That is something you can not say about many of the leading drains out there.

And these pictures don't even show the grill yet!

Now before you buy a shower drain ask someone to show you close up pictures where the drain meets the tile. From the side like this. You might see some nasty thin-set. You might see the waterproof material. There might be metal stand offs or hair catchers I call them. Look close.

It was not for two years before the other drains flaws became visible to me as an installer and salesman. In the end - how easy the drains are to clean - how much hair they collect inside the grate and channel body are the two biggest reasons to choose an ACO shower drain.

 

[JohnfrWhipple]

Some more pictures

See how I installed the drain so that the sides run under the wall and curb tile? This removes two sides from the drain and cleans up the look. I have not yet installed the silicone inside the channel to clean up the look....

This style of install is my own technique. Does not follow anyone's recommendations. Is so not allowed with the flanged version of the ACO drain but for me makes the job look so much better.

Notice as well how the lip of the channel is a hair below the height of the floor tile. This is key for a good install.....

 

[Sponsor]

 

[JohnfrWhipple]

Can you see the difference? I can

Great Drain poorly Installed. My favourite was the installer chose to use cardboard as a permeant spacer under the tile! WTF.... This is what happens when installers have no #$%^%^&ing clue what they are doing. Or when someone picked a 3/8" tile edging for a 3/8" tile.... dumb and dumber. Good news on the flip side the tile crew installed and grouted in two and half days!!! I'm joking of course.

 

[Eurob]

It's pretty easy to tell from my Avatar that I like and sell ACO linear shower drains.

I also like the ACO liner drain , but do not sell them . I install -- like that too -- them when required .

 

[Eurob]

This is a Profilitec linear drain I've installed . It is narrow and great looking . It includes some of these features ( solutions ) .

 

[DonL]

They just look so dam sexy!
Have a peak

Sexy ?


I did not see any Soap on a rope, or KY jelly dispensers.

You asked for it. lol.


Carry on.

 

[ShowerDude]

John,

That shower is looking sweet, very bold/basic/clean, your work too Roberto. If I had to advise any client in regards to a linear drain upgrade it would simply be this.

" IT can be an expensive upgrade but well worth it, it does offer a lot of neat design options..... IT Is is NOT however, easier and faster to install as almost all the linear drain marketing jargon claim. It does require a different approach, skillset and product knowledge not every tile guy has "

 

[JohnfrWhipple]

... IT Is is NOT however, easier and faster to install ....

So true. But they (linear drain makers) all say it so we must be wrong.

Helping a fellow down in Ohio with a custom steam shower build this week. He is going with the oil rubbed bronze drain from ACO. With matching oil rubbed bronze hair strainer and tile insert grill. Going to be a full NobleSeal TS vapour proofing system.


You can see the darker Oil Rubbed Bronze finish in this photo.

 

[Eurob]

This one is using a linear drain from Deco Drain . I like the concept and they do -- custom cut -- their grates after the tiles are installed .

 

[ShowerDude]

Nice clean work, balance border detail...

note to self: research deco drain and their inlet...

 

[ShowerDude]

John does Quick drain still qualify to you as Hi end drainage? Im loving the factory flashing even though they opted to replace TS with the thinner material.....It can be a straight fwd install "at times"...

Heres a 26th floor Condo Linear drain/pan install I did a few months back for a client contractor that had yet to utilize Linear drains on his projects...This is a custom order ( offset outlet ) this drain was around $800 and took 3 weeks to order, its connected with a mission band ( not a no hub mind you!! ) and it required our plumber to make that connection and the plumber to handle the fireblocking ( in this case wool) .....

Sometimes its a challenge with building inspectors who do not know about all the newest approved drains/systems. ( and how could they)

And in this case a suspended concrete substrate that we were not allowed to manipulate, this can slow down or HALT a project, and change the intended design outcome of the install costing the contractor money, and maybe resulting in an unhappy client wanting to go back to the drawing board..........


Homeowners:

Hire someone in your town with a solid understanding of these installs, and a history of navigating code approvals and passing inspections....In this case we were hired for our linear drain and shower pan experience by a General contractor who pulled permits submitted plans and had a master plumber approved to work in this particular hi rise.. A solid TEAM

And since we had already planned for all these hurdles, based on previous experience at other similar Hi rise projects on suspended concrete slabs with A solid understanding of local fire blocking code we were able to put the inspector at ease and gain his trust....or should I say our PLUMBER did!!!!

 

[JohnfrWhipple]

Roberto Watch the Bone Yard (link below) I'm unloading a few old ProLines very soon.

Proline was my goto drain for a couple years. What I don't like is the shear volume of support calls I got when I sold them. And the ###ed up tile installs so many setters did after I installed the drain perfectly.

Proline is ahead of the curve with their specifications. If you read their install specs they mention capillary action. Over the years I have disagreed with lots of what they said but with time they are coming around to my view points.

I would set their drain with 8+9. I would use a stainless steel tile edging (not sealed or set with 8+9).

You will need an inflatable test plug 2" (Not 1.5" - it will give you a false read).

I have hundreds of pictures of this drain being installed on my private photo albums.

If you get a chance to talk with Josef soon - tell him John says he better be practising pool. I spanked his ass so bad last summer when he was up in Vancouver. lol

 

[ShowerDude]

Saw this thing of beauty on a job site today!!!

My laptops busted. Im reduced to iphone posting for now!!( Can someone moderate my middle picture please).....besides i thought i'd give Jim and Dana a little space

 

[Eurob]

Here you go , CB.

Great looking linear drain grate .

 

[ShowerDude]

Now that was fast!! Thx! Well theres a 4K linear shower.....!!! Not a tile shower , a shower!!

 

[JohnfrWhipple]

The grate does not look that strong or that good.

$4,000 seems a lot for that - but if you want fast....

I think some effort would be needed to flash the face of that shower to make it safe.

 

[ShowerDude]

The grate does not look that strong or that good.

$4,000 seems a lot for that - but if you want fast....

I think some effort would be needed to flash the face of that shower to make it safe.

Flash yes! And some extra slight backpitch at entry, Its over gypcrete sealed per gypcretes specs...need to look into some specs first but upon closer look at grate, it is thicker gauge steel than most grates, and has full support via built in lip. I'm thinking the big red shoe could roll right in with the wife!

Any waterproofing setting ideas? Will most likely be large format porcelain, The gypcrete is over concrete columns. Just used to raise / level... Big jobsite with other tilers well see if I even do it...

 

[JohnfrWhipple]

Do you have better side profile view so I can see the elevation change between the sealed Gypcrete and the shower pan?

My gut thought might be to use a capillary break like a 1/2" aluminum angle iron sealed over NobleSeal TS.

Are you using a crack isolation outside this shower.

I might also raise the height of the tile floor outside by a 1/4". Then you will have a baby dam to stop a little pressure driven water. Kind of like how I do it on my barrier free jobs.

Aussey Style - like our friends Down under do.

Surely the instructions and manufactures printed instructions address all of these issues.... LOL The company by know surely out of business if the instructions where wrong..... LOL

You might defer to what ever Sally says. Sally knows best (Life Free or Die)

 

[ShowerDude]

Cant say if ill be doing this bathroom John...and i know the budget is tight so.... Well see..

Tec superflex has been the mortar on the jobsite, over gyp. ....

 

[ShowerDude]