I have to preface my response by saying I've never used this drain.

But after reading the installation instructions, it appears that the finish grate is a "friction-fit" installation. No silicon required...or desired.

The floor gets grouted with a removable drain plug set in place of the finish grate. The plug is essentially a "place-keeper" for the grate. After the grout thoroughly cures, the plug gets removed. There is a warning to let the grout thoroughly cure, as the fit is tight, and removing the plug prior to grout cure could result in the grout breaking away around the plug. That would give you a ratty finished look and an improper fitting drain grate.

With the grout cured and the plug removed, the finish grate gets set in place. A friction fit only.

It appears that it's a tight friction fit. They have a little "E107 Grate Extractor Kit" that you can use later should you need to remove the grate but the grate is stuck in place.

There are references to "friction fit" but none to siliconing the grate in place.

For clarification, why not place a call to the company? They have their phone number on the website you linked to.

If you have the ability, take a few clear close-up photos of the drain. Have them on your computer, and you can email them to the tech you speak with while you're speaking with him.

I could be mistaken with my above analysis, and I'll extend to you my apologies if I've lead you astray. But those are my thoughts based upon how I read the info on their website.

alice and mongo - Thanks for commenting. I have not been able to sleep tonight worrying if this could be fixed, But I'm hopeful after reading your response. I needed someone with some expertise to review the website instructions because even though I did review the instructions, I am not an installer. I definitely will take a few pics and call the company today. I called the tile installer yesterday and he was just adamant that he installed the drain properly. At this point I really am sorry we asked him to use this drain. But we would have changed if he would have told us it would not work. Now, it appears that we are at the point of no return. I'll post after I talk to the company. Thanks so much.

aliceinwonderland_id and mongoct both gave answers that make this forum an exceptional place.

The Home Owner said her Plumber said she had to do this which would lead me to believe he installed the grill - after the tile was done.

Perhaps the plumber didn't leave the plug on with the instructions when he set the drain? Perhaps with two men playing with the new toy it curved somewhat from snapping in and out?

Who made the mistake here? Hard to say.

Mongo's take on it is very good. I called to inquire since I got a thing for shower drains and got no answers and only an answering machine.

The biggest lesson learned here is to insure everyone is on page with a new product. When working with shower drains it is often a team effort.

GC, Plumber and Tile Setter.

Was the blank cap on when the tile setter started? Was it on for a few days after he finished?

JW

johnfrwhipple and zulueta: I misinformed you on my post. The plumber was not involved at all in this matter. Everything was done by the tile installer. (Don't know why I typed plumber.) I left a message at the phone number from the Ebbe website and Larry called me back this morning. He is sending me the extractor shown on the website and said if it is just in there with silicone as my tile installer says that extractor should get it out. He also is sending me two construction plugs in case the tile installer needs to reset. I took the pics and sent them to the company lry@ebbe-america.com after our phone conversation. The email on the Ebbe website is old and does not work. Larry seemed very helpful. My tile installer called today and said he would be out to fix anything that needed to be fixed. My installer says he just put silicone over it because it is the upstairs shower but we can't get the grate out of the shower dooownstairs either. But I want to be sure that I have the right instructions for the product. I'll update this post as I get emails from Ebbe and when I receive the extractor which he is sending Fedex. Thanks for the responses.

Good news. I removed both grates with the remover kit from Ebbe and sent them pics of the installation in both showers. They advised that it appeared they were installed properly but just caulked and siliconed into place. I went over their instructions with our tile installer, who cleaned up the grate and fitted it into the plate without silicone. It fits perfectly and has no screws. I sent final pics to Ebbe and they agreed that everything appeared to be properly fitted.

Yeah, with those drains, you oughta' get a "tool" that pulls the grate up. Used them numerous times...no big deal.

lazarususa - Thanks for your comments. Yes, we did get a tool to pull up the grate. The only problem was that the tile installer had installed the grate too permanently and it wouldn't come up. I really think this type will work well for us now that it will come up with the tool.

trinintybay - now that you have used your ebbe drain for a while, do you recommend it? We are about to put a square drain in the shower and the plumber wants to use a different one, but the ebbe looks so nice! Can you remove the hair trap permanently?