Sometimes the simplest solution can be the hardest sell, especially when that solution is a virtual unknown in the industry. For decades, shower drainage has been a bowl-shaped pan draining into a center drain. Quick Drain USA has come up with a better solution that not only does away with this antiquated system, but it installs in less time.
The ProLine Drain by Quick Drain USA replaces a traditional round center drain in new or existing showers, opening up new design possibilities with its sleek and subtle stainless steel channel drain that can be placed anywhere in the shower design. The ProLine Drain comes in 10 standard sizes with various metal cover plate designs or a tile-in option.
One of the biggest problems that designers and remodelers encounter is trying to fit a square peg through a round hole in the middle of the shower pan. With four square sides, they have to create a bowl-shaped object, the shower pan, and then tile it. This can be tremendously difficult, labor intensive and expensive and in the end people hate standing on the drain. The only solution to this is to slope one plane into one line.
“The company was started five years ago in order to bring this simple solution to the United States market,” says Josef Erlebach, vice president of Quick Drain USA. “These drains have been available in Europe for the last 15 years.
One of the biggest hurdles was to get U.S. plumbing codes to recognize this trench drain system. About two years ago we worked to write the codes to make it acceptable.”
Quick Drain originally looked at just bringing a modified European system to the market, but found that it was impossible because of the differences in construction from each market. So it designed its own system, and found it had created a better system. The ProLine Series has a sloped trough on the inside so there is no standing water. Other trench drain systems in the world have a flat trough so it doesn’t drain as well. ProLine also incorporates waterproofing to the drain body at the factory. But the most impressive part of the product is the ability to adjust the height of the drain cover from 3/16 in. to 3/4 in. to accommodate different flooring material thicknesses. None of these improvements would have been possible if the company hadn’t designed its own system.
“The beauty of the system, especially for remodeling, is that it works perfectly for the jobs that involve taking out a 5-ft. tub and replacing it with a shower,” adds Erlebach. “With our system they don’t have to move the waste plumbing from the wall to the center of the shower pan. It is also very easy to create wheelchair accessible showers with this system.”
Quick Drain USA is currently working on full adjustability on the strainer for height and width. That way even if it’s not installed perfectly the first time, a remodeler will be able to fine-tune it after the installation.
“Right now we are focused on getting awareness of the product out there, especially to plumbers who have this resistance to work with something new,” says Erlebach. “If it looks better, works better, installs faster, in the end it’s cheaper, and is wheelchair accessible, why not install it in your house?”
Want More Information?
For more information on the ProLine
Series from Quick Drain USA, visit
www.quickdrainusa.com or Type #47 in E-Inquiry Form.
Comparative Companies:
- The Groove shower receptor from Kohler is constructed of acrylic, backed with fiberglass for reinforcement and includes a three-sided integral flange. Type #48 in E-Inquiry Form.
- MTI Whirlpools offers the MTSB-SS6032HD, an end drain shower base with single, dual or triple threshold and features a removable drain cover for clean design. Type #49 in E-Inquiry Form.