shower drain not flushed with tiles

[johnfrwhipple]

I fell asleep after dinner. Sorry no pictures.

There are many ways to build your shower pans and to do so not using a Kerdi Drain.

Have your heard on Nobel Flex?



Kerdi Fix is a similar product to the blue chaulking (Nobel 150)....

Have you heard of Hydro Ban?





I will post a few pictures for you in the morning.

Kerdi Fix is the "Uber Chaulking" and available at finer tile stores and not your local Home Depot.

Don't seek any advice in the Bright Orange Box...

[jadnashua]

Kerdi membrane is hydrophobic...it repels water. So, if you have it embedded properly in thinset, and overlap the seams at least 2", per the manufactuer's instructions, it won't leak, so no, it does not matter if you apply it like 'shingles' so it overlaps in one direction. I took a class on the stuff, given at the TCNA headquarters training facility. They had a cardboard box covered inside with Kerdi and thinset they used as a drink cooler. Every morning, they filled it with drinks and ice. By afternoon, the drinks were swimming in icewater. The box had been in constant use for about 6-months...never showed signs of seepage. the stuff works. If you take a square of the stuff, wrap it into a cone, and fill it with water, water won't escape out the pointed end if you have the cone reasonably tight. What you want is shown on this chart: http://www.schluter.com/print/8_2_kerdi_drain_3963.aspx The Residential floor drain adaptor kit with stainless steel integrated bonding flange. You may have to call them to find out where to buy it. this would screw into your clamping drain assembly, and provide a surface that will accept Kerdi directly via thinset.

[johnfrwhipple]

Jim could you upload pictures of the Kerdi Cone for me?

I have asked two top men from Schluter for examples of this. I have been waiting for over 2 months and have yet to see this actually work.

I must be doing something wrong. I have asked over a dozen people to date to show me and not a single person can. I myself did 6 separate test and failed with each one.

I think if I made a cone of Kerdi and then Hydro Banned it - now that would hold water...

Please share some insight here into how this Kerdi Cone is made. Are you talking about the "Magic Vortex Fold" - that is a myth and I MythBusted it Last Year?

Thanks.

JW

Kerdi membrane is hydrophobic...it repels water. So, if you have it embedded properly in thinset, and overlap the seams at least 2", per the manufactuer's instructions, it won't leak, so no, it does not matter if you apply it like 'shingles' so it overlaps in one direction. I took a class on the stuff, given at the TCNA headquarters training facility. They had a cardboard box covered inside with Kerdi and thinset they used as a drink cooler. Every morning, they filled it with drinks and ice. By afternoon, the drinks were swimming in icewater. The box had been in constant use for about 6-months...never showed signs of seepage. the stuff works. If you take a square of the stuff, wrap it into a cone, and fill it with water, water won't escape out the pointed end if you have the cone reasonably tight. What you want is shown on this chart: http://www.schluter.com/print/8_2_kerdi_drain_3963.aspx The Residential floor drain adaptor kit with stainless steel integrated bonding flange. You may have to call them to find out where to buy it. this would screw into your clamping drain assembly, and provide a surface that will accept Kerdi directly via thinset.

[Amjad]

Alright guys! Thank you everyone specially John and Jadnashua. So yeah this is what I basically did. I took out all the tiles (it wasn't that hard, they came off without a lot of hardwork). Then I cut a cricle around the drain in the kerdi and adjusted the compression ring by grinding it slightly. Then I cut a donut of Kerdi which went 2 inch under the existing Kerdi and sandwiched between the drain base with a Kerdi Fix and compression ring on the top. Tucking the donut of Kerdi under the existing kerdi with thin-set under and over it was tricky and required some time but i was able to pull it off.

@ John Thanks for sending the video clips. Principally, Nobel is very similar to Schluter's products and pretty much does the same thing the same way but hydro ban seems to be interesting. Do you think it'll work if I just apply that directly over the deck mud bed and the walls and use it around the base of the shower drain without the compression ring and then stick a Kerdi donut around the base and over it and then tighten the compression ring? It'll have to heavily applied so that it penetrates around the drain and the bed.

AND whats with the CONE? Why do you need a waterproof Kerdi cone? :S

[johnfrwhipple]

Amjad the cone thing is "Kerdi Stunt". The claim is you can form a cone from a piece of Kerdi and water will not leak through it. I have asked Schluter's top men to show me proof and almost tested them over dinner.

No one can prove this to me. I hate that this advice is given or the claim is mentioned on a regular basis as I feel it is miss leading and offers up some sort of false security.

I'm glad you took a few steps backwards and could get a new game plan together.

It is hard to "Type" here in Vancouver and help in Toronto. Call me (604) 506 6792 if you need anymore help in the future or find me right here.

Hydro Ban should not be put on thick. It needs two coats. Time to dry.

Email Michael Getzlaf of Laticrete Michael Getzlaf <canadian.mosaic@shaw.ca> and he will get your local Laticrete rep to call you.

I would suggest you contact Bob Weins of Schluter Bob Weins <bweins@telusplanet.net> as well and he can give you a run down on their products.

A little info is a dangerous thing. Take this job of waterproofing your showers seriously as you can do a lot of harm to a home and it's family if things go wrong.

Make sure you always flood test your showers. Do this before you tile. Do it for 72 hours if you can. 24 hours at the least.

When your ready for the next flood test I can help walk you through that procedure.

Good Luck.

JW