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

[Eurob]

I don't know what happened to them , John .

Let me post them again .......

 

[Eurob]

John , did I show you how the glass insert should look once you use the right colored silicone ?

Have a look.....

 

[Sponsor]

 

[JohnfrWhipple]

Roberto you are a tile Ninja!

Awesome work amigo. Did you do the shower testing I asked you about? LOL

Next time you can do some custom LED lighting in those niches. I love the lights and that top niche just screams for some fun lighting.

I love the recess you created for the back rest. Really slick design.

 

[ShowerDude]

John, Roberto,

Can you tell me what brand linear drains youve installed that have had rust issues? I know the kerdi drain issues Roberto just had and that many budget chinese drains rust but how about an $800 304 stainless drain ??


All of the sudden the ABS or nylon drain body for the noble freestyle drain is making good sense.

Imagine a tear out of a brand new $800 304ss drain. Who eats the labor and material costs?

 

[JohnfrWhipple]

John, Roberto,

Can you tell me what brand linear drains youve installed that have had rust issues? I know the kerdi drain issues Roberto just had and that many budget chinese drains rust but how about an $800 304 stainless drain ??


All of the sudden the ABS or nylon drain body for the noble freestyle drain is making good sense.

Imagine a tear out of a brand new $800 304ss drain. Who eats the labor and material costs?

I have tested four Quick Drains. Not one rusted.

Two custom Luxe drains I tested - both had spot rusting on the custom welds. One is for sale if you want it! ha

The My Shower Grate Shop Tile insert has rust prone issues - learned this cleaning the shower drain for the client. Dropped their product like a hot potato yeas back after learning this.

One of the four NEO drains I tested spot rusted. Weld again.

I viewed a rusting Kerdi Line drain in West Van but cleaned it up. The Kerdi Line drain I scratched and tested did not rust but Roberto's did.

Never tested the Noble Linear Drain - love their products hate their liner drains! :O

Not one ACO drain has ever rusted. Have tested about eight outside and various off cuts for weeks on end.

In the end it's all about how the install looks after two years. ACO wins this game. That is why I stopped selling and using all the others. For me it's ACO all the way.

 

[Eurob]

I think the '' rusting '' issue lies on the thickness side -- cut side -- of the 304 . I didn't observe any on the plane side -- horizontal surface of the sheet -- , but I do not follow them .

I think the 316 is much better when left naked and when the 304 is used , a treatment like chrome or electro polish or etc. is a better venue .

 

[ShowerDude]

Thanks team!

Well i have news for you guys about an USA made 304 ss rusting after 40 hrs of flood test in the body on both ends at corner welds....

Before i send anyone "down the river". I will patiently await the MFG's callback monday......




UPDATE and Correction.

Bit of a panic on an important project the other day.!!.

You see, I talked this client into the proline 46" 316L ss. ( NOT 304 as I stated as some drains are......) Ive had good luck with these quickdrains on 4 installs now, this the first one that concerned me .

My client was considering a more budget drain. When the proline $$$ price tag came as a shock, I explained the rusting issues with some chinese budget drains and some higher end linear drains. ( plus the benefit of it working so well with the noble thinbed pans.

The issue here is with the contaminants left behind in the sand blasting phase and not from bad SS bead stock. The USA made quick drains are welded in a low argon controlled environment im told and the wire feed for beads are the same or better quality 316L as the drain body. Simply impossible it can rust. Even if i scrape it with a razor blade !

I was told to use CLR or an acidic base cleaner (NO SOLVENTS) and soft brass or nylon brush to clean.

Josef the head tech support from Quick Drain was very competent helpful and extensively knowledgeable about every aspect of the mfg process. I now have his direct line.


The linear drains I have installed?

Noble freestyle
Proline quick drain
Laticrete hydroban

Not a problem with any of them so far ( although i could complain about the install process and concerns of a couple!!!! happy clients ....

Next up ACO or more quick drain noble hybrids. Need some clients with a budget....

 

[JohnfrWhipple]

Naked 316L and 316 is not as shinny as my electropolished ACO beauties. Side by side with the kerdi Line drain and the Proline the ACO looks the nicest.....

 

[Eurob]

I agree with John about the ACO linea drains . Top of the line .


RSCB ,
The welding process -- SS used for welding -- may also contribute to the issue . Hard to control what contaminants are in a standard material vs. a premium one . If the approach -- SS in general is rustproof -- is used , you will probably have issues .

I will also patiently await for your update with the unfortunate issue .

 

[JohnfrWhipple]

Roberto I'm told it has a lot to do with what type of solder the companies use. And what they tool the drains with.

The ACO drains are now Electropolished in Califronia and as shinny as ever.

 

[ShowerDude]

Updated the OP and made a correction....thx for help.

 

[JohnfrWhipple]

Updated the OP and made a correction....thx for help.

Josef is a good guy. Not that good at pool... LOL but a good guy.

I toured the plant in Frisco a few years back when I went to visit him. Saw the entire process. Pretty cool how they cut the drains.

If you need a 36" Proline drain let me know. I have two here that I will be selling off cheap.

 

[Eurob]

I was doing some cleaning on the channel body of the Kerdi line drain and decided to go with a cleaner , polisher and protector , hoping to get a more prolonged protection . To my surprise the cleaner removed an aluminium like residue from the channel body . Here is how it looked after the forth pass

I decided to stop -- not to continue -- the cleaning process and leave it as is for now .

I would be extremely disappointed if the advertized SS channel body of the Keri line drain is in fact aluminized steel -- the reaction with the cleaner -- . I will look more into it when I have a chance .....until then , I hope it doesn't rust or react in strange ways . Clearly , the electro-polish choice is by far a better choice .

 

[JohnfrWhipple]

That's crazy Roberto.

Since I still owe you a drain Roberto. Do you want me to cut my Kerdi Line drain in half and send you part for more testing? I would love to butcher the Kerdi Line drain with my grinder! lol I promise to film the process and blog about the why we did it....

No way after seeing these pictures will I even sell it (My Smaple Kerdi Line Drain) off to anyone.

I sold the NEO DRAIN from my Shower Boneyard last week and went to pack it up (it was sitting on my fence in my rust testing section) and I noticed rusting on the holes drilled in the grate.

Last thing you want on a high end job is rust concerns on year 2 or 3.

Have you asked the men on John Bridge's forum about this rust problem? I see mostly ACO and Proline installs over there as well. But I think 2 people have installed a Kerdi Line drain. Why no email the Tile Elf Roger. He did one a couple years ago.

I'll email Hugo in Montreal and ask him about his Schluter Showcase shower for you....

 

[JohnfrWhipple]

Roberto I sent Hugo an email and cc'd you on it. This guy is Schluter's Golden Boy.

I have chatted with him for years and know him to be an independent tile contractor and a solid guy. He knows his Schluter products. I hope he answers the question honestly and I have no reason to believe he would not.

If he has had a issue which seems very likely now to me - he will know the answer. I bet if there was an issue on his job Dale Kempster himself would come for the fix.

Stick with the ACO drains going forward. Let me price the next one you need. I'll give you a friends and family rate for any and all drains you need....

You can see how many hair catchers this linear drain has below...

 

[JohnfrWhipple]

Rusting Low End Linear Drain:

I would place this linear drain pictured below in the "Low End" range. I like the rusting screw attachment locations.

The poster of this photo says this drain is only four or five months old.

D1 college girls swim team locker room shower drain​

 

[Eurob]

Roberto I sent Hugo an email and cc'd you on it. This guy is Schluter's Golden Boy.

I have chatted with him for years and know him to be an independent tile contractor and a solid guy. He knows his Schluter products. I hope he answers the question honestly and I have no reason to believe he would not.

If he has had a issue which seems very likely now to me - he will know the answer. I bet if there was an issue on his job Dale Kempster himself would come for the fix.

Stick with the ACO drains going forward. Let me price the next one you need. I'll give you a friends and family rate for any and all drains you need....

You can see how many hair catchers this linear drain has below...

Thanks John . When I get back -- in about a week -- I will inquire the "S" directly about the channel drain body .

Like I said , it will be extremely disappointing if the body is aluminium steel . However with the reaction I got , it is definitely not SS .

 

[Jadnashua]

Kerdi Line Drains are made of 316L SS along with their grates. They only polish the grates.

 

[JohnfrWhipple]

Where are you Roberto? Taking a break with the family I hope.

 

[Eurob]

Yeah John . It was great .

Been back few days ago , contact Schluter , emailed the pics and no answers for 4 days now . After '' That's a first '' answer to an apparent problem , complete silence ....... Not even a formal reply to my e-mails . .

I guess I will count the days and see how good of a customer service they do have . Or maybe the contractors are not falling into the customer service realm .

Since I still owe you a drain Roberto. Do you want me to cut my Kerdi Line drain in half and send you part for more testing? I would love to butcher the Kerdi Line drain with my grinder! lol I promise to film the process and blog about the why we did it....

It would be interesting to test the so called SS 316 grade .........did you do any cleaning on the channel body ?