If Products Could Talk: ZeroDrain

Every specifier would jump at the chance to get to know a product before using it in a project. But what if designers could even… talk to one? We had a chance to do just that with California Faucets’ ZeroDrain®, a big invention from the award-winning fixture company. We “sat down” with the drain to get all the details about this addition to the market.

Tell us about yourself. What’s with all the buzz?

I’m a deceptively simple bathroom fixture that’s shaking up the plumbing industry. I’m the world’s first pop-down drain, meaning that when I’m letting water go down the drain, my stopper remains flush with the basin. That makes me look extra sleek with no ugly stopper protruding up that ruins the visual flow of the sink’s shape. When it’s time to fill the sink, just push me down. Easy-peasy.

Designers love that sleek look. In fact, you were an Interior Design Best of Year award winner.

I sure was, and I was also named one of the 30 most innovative products by Better Homes & Gardens. I think it’s more than just my good looks, though. For designers and specifiers, I’m a huge help— I can be installed into sinks with and without overflow holes, so they don’t need to waste any time worrying about what type of sink to order for a project. And because I’m part of the California Faucets brand, I can come in more than 30 artisan finishes, handcrafted right here in California, USA. I’m even revolutionizing the way things are done at California Faucets. They don’t include lift knobs on any of their new designs. Instead, they’ve got me.

It sounds like you’re one-upping the standard drain.

Exactly! I turn a formerly cumbersome, utilitarian product into one that functions much better and can also be a design focal point. It’s a complicated situation between me and older drains—while I respect my forebears, I’m about to put them out of business.

Let’s talk about function. How do you stand out from the crowd?

There’s a reason there’s a patent on my design. It isn’t just about my good looks—I am astoundingly simple to install. A professional plumber can set me up in less than two minutes. Putting in a standard drain and dealing with the under-sink apparatus can be a royal pain. Not with me. I’m two easy pieces, one that goes into the sink hole and one that securely threads onto it from under the sink.  That’s it.

And what about maintenance?

Same story—easy. Just pull out the stopper, the part of me that slides into the drain, and rinse me off. I’m virtually un-cloggable.