Waterproofing Liners for an ACO Shower Drain

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JohnfrWhipple

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I got this email from a client (friend now) of mine out in London, Ontario. I'm going to call him Bob (not his real name). Bob and I have been chatting and designing his master bathroom for coming on two years I think. Bob works for the post office, is a dad and when he has time picks away at his new dream steam shower he is building.

I have spend hours talking with Bob. Ironing out details. Choosing the best steam shower vapour system (NobleSeal TS of course) and the finer elements.

Bob needed a drain - so of course I pushed the ACO one on him. Bob needed help building the steam shower and here is where things go South. Is there no skilled builders in London, Ontario? WTF - this guy is getting shafted. I might have to fly out and help him myself. And this is a serious consideration.

Bob has called many pros in. None want to flood test their work. ahhhh SCARY.

Bob has had to fix other "Pros" ####$% ups.

The last Pro plumber came in and told Bob this....

I'll quote the email.


I had a visit from a plumbing company here in London.

This is what the guy said about installing this drain.

“it’s easy, we can come install 2 liners in the shower” Then you mortar over top of the liner and set the drain in then”
He also said that cutting the ends of the trough is a no no cause water will fill up in it and go out the edges leaking into your ceiling.

I need to talk to you lol



So lets look at what was said.

"It's Easy" - I would agree with that if humping up 50 pound bags of mortar is easy. If in Easy making sure the pre-slope is perfect is also considered.

"We can Come and Install 2 liners in the shower" - Two - Not one. OMG who are these hacks. Who installed two liners in one shower with one drain?

"Then you mortar over top of the liner and set the drain in there" - OK, this they got right.

"Cutting the ends of the trough is a no-no cause water will fill up in it and go out the edges leaking your ceiling" - How the ##$# could that happen if you have two liners? How could it happen with one liner? Oh wait - maybe the liners are made from cotton or some kind of paper product.....

The trough drain I sold Bob is larger than the shower. We ordered larger so it could be cut and so that this process will help us with a custom offset. The trough drain is the plain edge design from ACO. It's NOT THE PRIMARY SHOWER DRAIN !!! I do this all the time. It's how I get so many of my installs so freaking perfect.

Does anyone (please refrain from commenting Jim - you are not now or ever have been a pro) know of a waterproofing company that requires 2 liners? Maybe I'm just bitching about nothing but I have never seen this.
 
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ShowerDude

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John I think this is a pitfall of what are are trying to achieve by helping folks remotely or via phone .

They are clearly getting bad advice from knuckleheads locally with a lesser skillset and its creating more time consumption/re-education from you to the client. Further more you are doing some "Cutting edge stuff" maybe even some "renegade" type work. This has to be done by someone to move the industry forward and you sir are the one!!!! so thanks for being a cowboy, albeit a loud vocal one!!

Can you bill this client for your hourly rate as you RE-Eductae this person of the mis-information they are using against your advice???!!!!

Similar things can happen when I build say A thinbed shower pan for say a general contractor ... Then they hire a cheaper less skilled tile guy from say craigslist, he or she comes in and has never seen a thinbed pan and doesnt know how to proceed accordingly.... I.E. "This is all wrong this isnt how its done"!!!!!!!(happens more than I would hope)


This can cause me a return trip to the jobsite $ to educate the cheaper tile guy, is this also happening to you with your prep builds???!!!


Im at the point where I wont build anyone a custom pan unless i know "Exactly who is following me and what there skillset is"????

Unskilled cheap tile hacks cost us all money in a myriad of ways.

this is why I started the "educating clients on tile shower pricing"


All you other guys reading and not participating could help us all make a liveable wage and help rub out the HACK.....

Maybe im nuts opening this topic, but then im not screwing people over and overcharging clients just because maybe i could get away with it, so I may be more open to the pricing discussion than most.


Good luck with Ontario.!
 

JohnfrWhipple

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The shower build is not cutting edge.

Simple build.

I suggested a NobleSeal TS shower system. Bonded membrane for the floor but with a mortar bed overtop. ACO shower drain. Laticrete setting materials.

Easy as pie.

"Bob" has had over a half dozen "Pro's" in to look. Not one will flood test their work. It's simply amazing that these Pros will not test their installations.

The "Cowboy" stuff is mostly my LED lighting work. Maybe the fact that I clipped the drain ends - but here again the drain is not the primary so it does not affect the shower's function.

Maybe we should just bang out rubber liners all day. A little Denshield and some Mastic. GTG
 

JohnfrWhipple

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Helping another fellow from Atlanta with his steam shower build as well this month. He is going to use a simple Oil Rubbed Bronze Shower Drain (Sioux Chief via Noble Company Online) and full NobleSeal TS install. I suggested he chat with the tech's there and today he actually got Nelson Winer on the line. Nelson was pleased with my recommendation for the NobleSeal TS and helped out my client a lot.

This fellow was blown away with the service.

The shower building is not the hard part. The hard part is all the ####ing Douche Bags out there promoting products they do not install. Use this - it's best. I like to build my showers with this (yet they do not build them)....

You get what you pay for. You need to do your homework.

This fellow above will have a full NobleSeal TS shower. Lowest perm rating out there. And he can use any thin-set he wants if he changes his tile choice.

I think consumers need to specify what they want. Specify the degree of craftsmanship in the work and then get a price.

If the client cares less - then the installer should outline what they plan to do.

These days any hack can walk into Home Depot - buy some foam, some drywall and some fabric and say he is a shower builder....
 
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