Residential Shower Drain Installation Instructions

Instructions For Attaching Ebbe Drains To Common Plastic Shower Drain Fittings

Ebbe square shower drains fit directly into most common 2" (pipe diameter) residential ABS or PVC 3 piece shower drain fittings. The E4400 Ebbe square drain riser and plug replaces the round riser or inlet component of these drains. In most conversions this simply requires the round riser or inlet portion of the drain to be removed and install the Ebbe E4400 drain body and plug.

Residental Shower Drain Conversion To Ebbe America Square Shower Drain

The fit between the E4400 drain body and the clamping flange of each drain manufacturer will vary. Some will fit tighter than others. If the fit is too loose to create good thread engagement Teflon plumbers tape can be used to build up the E4400 to a larger diameter as needed to create a tighter fit. Remember these are plastic components and they will crack or break. The sole purpose of the threaded fit is to allow the E4400 to be raised by unscrewing it later in the process of building and tiling the shower floor so the tiles are even with the drain. The threads are not intended to carry the structural load of foot traffic over the drain. Those loads are carried by the mortar bed that is packed beneath and around the square bowl of the E4400 drain riser body when properly installed. If possible, take along the E4400 with you when selecting a mating drain fitting.

Adapters For Other Specific Shower Drains

Ebbe America makes a variety of adapters that alters some specific drain types to be compatible with the Ebbe E4400 drain riser body. They are drains that are popular within select geographic regions of the U.S.A. and Canada.

Adapters For Ebbe America Square Shower Drains

Replace the round drain riser portion of a common 3 piece shower drain with the Ebbe America square shower drain riser body and plug. Adjust the E4400 to the proper mortar bed height.

NTCA specifications require that the minimum mortar bed thickness at the drain be no less than 1-3/8" thick. We are assuming that this means the thickness of the mortar bed above the waterproofing membrane. This is the requirement when building a common floating mortar bed. Floating-a mortar bed that does not bond to the waterproofing material below it. Non-bonding waterproofing materials include flexible sheet vinyl, rubber, chorally, and hot tar.

There is no such thickness requirement from the NTCA when the mortar bed is installed over a bondable waterproofing such as a fabric faced membrane, pressure sensitive faced composite, or a properly applied liquid waterproofing layer.

Install, compact and screed a sloped mortar bed to the top of the E4400 drain plug surface. While the mortar is still workable clear and maintain a 6" diameter mortar free area around the drain to permit the Ebbe E4400 to be adjusted by screwing or unscrewing it
Raise the drain riser by turning it counter-clockwise out to the desired tile + thin-set mortar height after the slope is established
Compact and screed mortar immediately around and beneath the Ebbe drain body E4400
Check tile height once again. Make any height adjustments now. It is a better idea to make the drain slightly high rather than too low to the finished floor. You can always float the tile higher with more mortar behind it when you install it. Allow the mortar bed to cure thoroughly
Install tile over the cured mortar bed. Grout the shower as usual and to the E4400 keeping the drain plug in place in the drain body. Keep the grout level as high as possible surrounding the drain. Do not remove the drain plug until the grout has thoroughly cured. The plug keeps the drain opening absolutely square and at the perfect size for a proper fit to for the Ebbe drain grate. Removing the plug prematurely can cause the grout to crack and will create an improper fit to the grate

Once the grout has cured to the manufacturers specifications, remove the drain plug and install your new Ebbe America drain grate, it’s that easy. Be sure to keep the grate removal tool handy in a vanity drawer for future needs.