Chicago Faucets Launches New Drain for Shower Safety

DES PLAINES, Illinois—Chicago Faucets has announced the availability of its new Auto-Drain Retrofit Trim Plate, developed specifically to support Auto-Drain shower installations in healthcare, senior care and other environments where occupant safety and water management are critical priorities.

For healthcare and senior care, upgrading aging shower infrastructure usually requires cutting into walls, expensive tile repairs and long room closures that disrupt patient care and lower bed availability. Chicago Faucets said the new oversized Auto-Drain Retrofit Trim Plate is specifically engineered to simplify the process of upgrading showers to meet patients’ needs.

“Simplifying the installation process allows facilities to quickly adopt the critical infection prevention benefits of the Auto-Drain Shower System,” Chicago Faucets said. “For vulnerable patients and elderly residents with compromised immune systems, traditional showers pose a hidden danger: stagnant water that pools in the piping after use, creating a breeding ground for waterborne pathogens like legionella pneumophila and pseudomonas aeruginosa.”

The Auto-Drain system protects patient health by targeting this risk at the source:

• Eliminates Stagnant Water: The system automatically drains standing water from the valve assembly immediately after each use.
• Reduces Pathogen Risk: By removing residual water, it proactively cuts down on the stagnant conditions required for bacterial growth and biofilm amplification.
• Supports Compliance: This proactive technology directly aligns with healthcare water management strategies, including Center for Disease Control guidance, ASHRAE 188 and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services expectations for risk reduction in patient care environments.

“Facilities today are under increasing pressure to proactively manage water quality risks while working within aging infrastructure,” said Alexander Bernstein, associate product manager at Chicago Faucets. “The Auto-Drain Retrofit Trim Plate was specifically engineered to help healthcare and senior care facilities more easily convert existing showers to Auto-Drain technology while minimizing renovation complexity and operational disruption.”