Author Archives: Michael Schroer

Plastic Trench Drain Comparison – Zurn Z886 vs. NDS Dura Slope

Zurn Z886 vs. NDS DuraSlope

Part 1.  Channel Body Comparison There are many plastic trench drain manufacturers in the marketplace. By far, the top two manufacturers are Zurn Industries and National Diversified Sales (NDS). Zurn is a world-class plumbing supply manufacturer headquartered in Erie, PA. One of the four business grouping, Zurn, has is Drainage Products. The Perma-Trench products represent […]

Product Comparison – Zurn Z880 vs. NDS Mini Channel

NDS Mini Channel vs. Zurn Z880

The Z880 Perma Trench is one of Zurn’s most popular residential trench drain product lines.  Its name may sound intimidating, but there’s nothing to fear from this plastic drain.  It was designed for pools, patios and landscape drainage much like its competitor, the NDS Mini Channel.  Both the NDS Mini Channel and the Z880 are […]

Forgotten Trench Drain Systems – ADP Channel Drains

ADP 2" Grates

Every so often an ADP (American Drainage Products) plastic grate is mistaken for NDS Spee-D Channel.   There is a good reason for that.  ADP was a company based out of Columbus, Ohio who carried a product line that overlapped with those offered by NDS (National Diversified Sales).  In 1997, NDS purchased ADP and incorporated its […]

The Catch Basin Medley: Know Your Options

Catch Basin Medley Text Image

Catch basin material, size, and shape are determined by its intended application. Often made in plastic, many round catch basin options are small and usually found in residential or pool applications. Many square basins – even those on the larger side of the scale – feature optional decorative grating to assist in making an ugly […]

NDS 8″ Pro Series Channel Drain

NDS Pro Series 8-Shallow

Recently, a number of people contacted us regarding the NDS 8 inch Pro Series Channel Drain. In a previous article, the 8” Pro Series was mentioned, though not in any great detail. In this article, I’ll elaborate on the channel and grating features this popular channel drain system. The Pro Series by NDS The Pro […]

Extruded Channel Drains (Part 2)

Stegmeier vs. NDS comparison

Last entry discussed differences and commonality between extruded channel drains manufactured by NDS and Stegmeier. I wanted to continue along this path and discuss two other very similar extruded products — NDS’ Spee-D Channel and Stegmeier’s Flowmaster. The Flowmaster is marketed as a professional-grade channel drain for swimming pool decks. The Spee-D Channel is sold […]

Extruded Channel Drains (Part 1)

NDS Mini Channel Grate Options

Last month, I wrote an article about a plastic channel drain product marketed by NDS under the “Pro Series” brand. This neutral channel product line is manufactured by injection molding. While injection molding is great for making intricate shapes, manufacturing costs associated with injection molding drive product costs up. There are design and mold costs […]

NDS Pro Series Channel Drains

NDS Pro Series 8 - This Old House

NDS offers a line of channel drain systems called the “Pro Series”. These channels are injected, molded from polyvinyl chloride, and have a neutral slope (no slope). They come in a variety of widths (3”, 5”, 8” and 12”). According to NDS literature asterisk notes, this product is technology licensed from the Italian trench drain […]

Common Plastic Terminology for Trench Drains

Zurn Trench Drain System

It’s time to discuss some plastic terminology! Disclaimer: I am not an organic chemist or a plastics engineer. I’m gathering this information from other sources and I may not be explaining it as accurately as I need to. Polyolefin — is a polymer produced from a simple olefin or alkene as a monomer. For example, […]

Plastic Trench Drain vs. Residential Trench Drain

Outdoor Kitchen-TDS Bronze Grates

Are most residential drainage projects solved by plastic trench drain? It’s starting to look that way. As society’s attention to stormwater runoff issues grows, so does our need to learn about water control products such as trench drains. Concrete and fiberglass trench drains dominated the commercial market for years. Polymer concrete or fiberglass-based drainage systems […]