Best price for channel/linear drain cover

[Tunni]

I'm looking for a shower drain - or just the drain cover (don't ask why) I did find a site that sold them for like 30 -40 quid (ish) but lost the web page. Looking for 800mm long or possibly 1.8m. anyone help?

[faithhealer]

Just to clarify Tunni, a gully type not the usual domestic small waste!

[cornish_crofter]

What do you need it for?

The first thing that comes to mind is linear driveway drainage, but if that's not what you're after....

[wetdec]

Email me your requirements and I will see what I can do for you. We do ACO and Purus linear channel drains and gulley for wet rooms and showers.

[simhopper]

your local PTS also stock the purus range

[Tunni]

It is for internal domestic shower use. I've made a bespoke GRP linear channel drain from a mould I knocked up (dead easy as I'm a carpenter with 30+ years experience and it's inexpensive)

Now I just need the stainless steel cover grating/grill and as previously mentioned did find a supplier online but lost the bloody website address!

So if anyone can supply just this it would be 'grate'!

Regards
Tunni

[wetdec]

As I said..............


..

[cornish_crofter]

Tunni

Get in contact with Wetdecs above. He is a site sponser and he also does a good range of wetroom formers and accessories.

There are many satisfied customers amongst us here, and I am one of them. He will see what he can do.

[Tunni]

I just sent wetdecks an email! thanks for the help so far everyone

[365drills]

I know what you need because we did it ourselves.

Home made shower floor / wet room with tiles instead of a white shower tray.



We did the same as you and machined a drop frame out of timber. And then tiled to centre.

[cornish_crofter]

Where did you get your drain cover from Richard, did wetdecs supply it?

[simhopper]

Where did you get your drain cover from Richard, did wetdecs supply it?

Purus catalogue

http://www.purusgroup.com/includes/P...20brochure.pdf

If you require a square drain cover then Mcalpine manufactor these, avaliable from PTS,plumb centre etc

[365drills]

yes mine was a PTS floor gully. minimax and outlet with extra low profile.

But Wetdecs might have a better one. Mine was 5 years ago

[martinwinlow]

Hi - I've been looking at channel drains for the 3 x 900mm wide showers I'm about to install in my selfbuild (www.winlow.co.uk if you ever get really bored) but am horrified at the loony prices that ACO and others are charging - over £250 each!! So I had a look on eBay and found these ... http://cgi.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370172773948&ssPageNam e=MERC_VIC_RSCC_Pr12_PcY_BID_Stores_IT&refitem=370 165608044&itemcount=12&refwidgetloc=closed_view_it em&usedrule1=StoreCatToStoreCat&refwidgettype=cros s_promot_widget&_trksid=p284.m183&_trkparms=algo%3 DDR%26its%3DS%252BI%252BSS%26itu%3DISS%252BUCI%252 BSI%26otn%3D12 ... and they do a range of sizes and asked for a quote for 3 inc vat & delivery which came at 600 euros. Not bad but it's still a lot. Now if I could make 'em myself...! I would have thought any stainless steel fabricator would be able to do a simple bit of flat stainless about 3 or 4 mm thick riddled with holes and polished up for £50 or so or you could drill them yourself and save some more.

On the subject of GRP, why isn't it used for lining shower floors? It's very easy to use, infinitely adaptable, sticks to most things very well, is very tough and would take tiles well, too. Ideal really.

Tunni - if you've got any pics of your diy effort I'd be interested to see them - maybe for a fee you'd do me mine?! MW

[Tunni]

Martin your thoughts echo my own exactly regarding the price of channel drains, fabricated SS for a drain cover and the use of GRP for tanking a wet room. Using GRP does raise a few questions that would need to be considered/answered (I feel a new thread coming on maybe?) But for starters...

1) Would GRP be compatible with under floor heating
2) Would GRP bond/be compatible with tiling adhesive
3) Does GRP expand and contract, if so by how much AND would it do so 'harmoniously' with the other materials/substrates utilised.
4) If used on properly constructed, glued and screwed/strengthened wooden floors would it offer any of the properties of ditra matting (or the like) in order to prevent cracks due to substrate (ie timber) flex/movement

Anyone know the answers?

Regarding my own channel, I made a 900mm GRP one which was absolutely perfect...but then had a slight change of plan and decided a better option would be to have the drain go the entire width of the wet room. So I'm about to construct another at 1.8m long. Unfortunately the first one ended up in the skip, so I dont have a pic. I could certainly make yours and am toying with the idea of actually manufacturing and supplying bespoke channel drains. The mould design is the most important thing and tailoring it to suit, but it ain't rocket science.

I still haven't got around to the SS drain cover, so if anyone can help or advize in that respect, please let me know. Your solution sounds like the way to go Martin, ..know any SS fabricators, who could do one offs or small runs?

[martinwinlow]

Tunni -

My views on your questions are:-

1/ If plastic UFH pipe works ok in a concrete screed, I can't see why GRP wouldn't - it's relatively flexible - no where near as rigid as the screed would be and should be able to cope with expansion & contraction issues ok

2/ The resin sticks well to concrete so I would imagine tile adhesive would work fine particularly with the very rough grp finished surface (compared eg to a plastered wall) - lots of nooks and crannies for the adhesive to get into and provide a key

3/ See above

4/ GRP and ply in combination has been used from the start of GRP in a very effective partnership - in my experience, boat building springs to mind with the ply providing stiffness to the GRP in compartmentalised designs, etc. Again, just my gut feeling but I would think it a far better solution in virtually any situation than any alternative. The only drawbacks I can see are 1/ the stink - working in a relatively confined space - so good ventilation would be required and 2/ the messy aspect of the system compared to laying a mat (I haven't seen the technique but I assume its stuck down?). You could argue its 6 of one and a 1/2 dozen of the other. I think I'd rather have a grp bond to everything 'tho than rely on silicon based gloop.

Unfortunately, my needs are pressing now, as getting my drains or 2 at least are holding up putting down the screed and therefore a dividing wall, which is holding up the plasterers etc etc so I'll probably end up buying the blessed things and go without beer for a week or 2.

I have had dealings with a local SS shop who mostly seem to do kebab equipment (!) but I'll pop in soon and have a chat about the practicality of them making a drain cover.

On a more general note, I am a bit perplexed by the theory of waterproofing the sub-tile membrane/drain interface. Do we assume that whatever you do, water is going to reach the membrane through the tiles or between them and that therefore you need to make a waterproof joint between the membrane and drain to prevent leakage below? If so, why do all the channel drains I've seen have an upstand all the way round inside the flange used to seal to the surrounding membrane which would prevent any build up of water coming thru from the tiles getting into the drain?
Obviously most of the water - 99.999% - will just run over the top surface of the tiles and over the upstand of the drain and away but what happens to the .001 percent that gets stuck around the edge of the drain beneath the tiles/grouting? Do we assume (aided muchly by UFH) that it just soaks back up through the tiling (assuming it's porous like travertine) and evaporates into the air and eventually dries out? Or what? I just don't like the idea of that water lurking around, going mouldy etc etc. So can someone shed light on this for me? I'm probably just being a bit paranoid (ex-engineer, you see!).
MW

[JFRWhipple]

...On a more general note, I am a bit perplexed by the theory of waterproofing the sub-tile membrane/drain interface. Do we assume that whatever you do, water is going to reach the membrane through the tiles or between them and that therefore you need to make a waterproof joint between the membrane and drain to prevent leakage below? If so, why do all the channel drains I've seen have an upstand all the way round inside the flange used to seal to the surrounding membrane which would prevent any build up of water coming thru from the tiles getting into the drain?
Obviously most of the water - 99.999% - will just run over the top surface of the tiles and over the upstand of the drain and away but what happens to the .001 percent that gets stuck around the edge of the drain beneath the tiles/grouting? Do we assume (aided muchly by UFH) that it just soaks back up through the tiling (assuming it's porous like travertine) and evaporates into the air and eventually dries out? Or what? I just don't like the idea of that water lurking around, going mouldy etc etc. So can someone shed light on this for me? I'm probably just being a bit paranoid (ex-engineer, you see!).
MW

Martin your observations on the linear drains is a good one. I feel the water should have a path to the drain and not rely on evaporation to fully dry out. Water absorption rates are much higher than 0.001 with most grouts and setting materials.

Here in Vancouver I have been specializing in these linear drain installs and have found a number of goto installs that I'm very happy with.

One is the use of a standard clamping drain and a more traditional mud bed for a number of the drains we install. We insure the weep holes are protected and the linear has a good pre-slope.

The second is to work with a drain from Quick Drain USA, Kerdi-Line or Nobel Company here in North America where the topical sheet membrane is tied into the drain but the strainer or grate is raised above.

Both systems work well and prevent the standing water problem you outlined in your post.