Shower Traps

Shower Traps and Shower Wastes for Shower Trays

A shower trap is the fitting in the plughole of your shower tray. On a modern tray it does two jobs in one body: it is the shower waste the water drains through, and it is the trap that holds a small water seal to stop drain smells coming back up. There is rarely room under a tray for two separate parts, which is why the two are combined into a single shower waste trap.

The traps here are fast flow designs, built to clear the tray as quickly as a mixer or pumped shower fills it. Once the tray is fitted, only the cover is visible, so the choice of finish is about matching the valve, rail and screen above it.

Check These Three Things Before Ordering

  • The tray hole. Measure the hole in the tray itself, not the old cover — covers are always wider than the hole. Most modern stone resin and acrylic trays use a 90 mm hole; older and compact trays often use 40–50 mm. The hole size each trap fits is stated in its title and specification.
  • The pipe. Showers drain into 40 mm (1½″) waste pipe, the same as a bath and larger than the 32 mm used under a basin. Check the outlet on the product page matches your pipe.
  • The space below. A trap needs depth beneath the tray and room for its outlet to run sideways to the pipe. Each product page gives the depth and outlet reach, so check them against a raised tray or floor void before ordering.

Choosing the Finish

A chrome shower tray waste matches the chrome valves, rails and screen hinges already in most Irish bathrooms. A black shower waste completes a black shower, where a chrome disc in the middle of the tray would be the one thing out of place. The brass shower waste has a bright gold cover for warm-toned schemes — a reflective gold rather than a satin brushed brass.

Keeping a Shower Draining Well

Slow draining is almost always hair caught in the top of the trap. Lift the cover every week or two and clear it from above — no need to get under the tray. If a shower smells, the water seal has usually dried out from lack of use; running the shower briefly refills it.

Fitting a basin or a bath as well? See basin wastes and bath wastes, or the full bathroom wastes range. We deliver across Ireland — Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford and everywhere in between — free on orders over €100, with same-day Dublin collection on stocked items by arrangement.

Kartell 90mm fast flow shower waste with a bright gold brass cover on a white trap body with an angled side outlet
Bright gold brass shower waste cover fitted in a white shower tray beside a beige tiled wall

Brass 90mm Shower Waste | Kartell Fast Flow Trap, Gold Cover

€35,00 EUR
€35,00 EUR
Gold
Gold
Kartell 90mm fast flow shower waste with a black cover on a white trap body with an angled side outlet
Black shower waste cover fitted in a white shower tray beside a grey tiled wall

Black Shower Waste 90mm | Kartell Fast Flow Shower Trap

€32,00 EUR
€32,00 EUR
Black
Black
Kartell 90mm fast flow shower tray waste with a polished chrome cover on a white trap body with an angled side outlet
Polished chrome shower waste cover fitted in a white shower tray beside a greige tiled wall

Chrome Shower Tray Waste 90mm | Kartell Fast Flow Trap

€29,00 EUR
€29,00 EUR
Silver
Silver
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Frequently Asked Questions

Is a shower waste also a trap?
For a shower tray, usually yes. A tray waste normally has the trap built into its body: it holds a small pool of water, the water seal, that blocks smells from the drain. Basins and baths often have the trap as a separate U-bend below, but there is rarely room for that under a shower tray, so the two are combined. That is why shower waste and shower trap are used for the same fitting.
Is shower waste pipe 32 mm or 40 mm?
40 mm (1 1/2 inch). Showers and baths use 40 mm waste pipe, while basins use 32 mm. A shower can put a lot of water into a small tray quickly, so the larger pipe keeps up with it. Check the outlet listed on the product page against your pipe before ordering.
Are shower traps a standard size?
The size that matters is the hole in the tray. Most modern stone resin and acrylic trays use a 90 mm hole, while older and compact trays often use a smaller 40 to 50 mm hole. A trap made for one will not fit the other, so measure the hole in the tray itself - not the old cover, which is always wider - and match it to the size stated on the product page.
Do I need a trap on my shower drain?
Yes. Every shower needs a trap to hold a water seal between the room and the drain; without one, sewer smells come straight up the plughole. With a combined shower waste trap, the trap is already part of the fitting, so nothing extra is needed underneath.
Why is my shower draining slowly?
In most cases it is hair collected in the top of the trap. Lift the cover and clear it from above. If the tray still drains slowly afterwards, check the waste pipe has enough fall towards the drain - a fast flow trap cannot overcome a pipe that runs level or uphill.
Which finish should I choose?
Match the fittings above the tray. Chrome suits chrome valves, rails and screen hinges, which covers most existing showers. Black finishes a black shower where a chrome disc would stand out. A gold or brass cover suits warm schemes - check whether it is a reflective or a brushed finish on the product page if you are matching brushed brass taps. On most shower traps only the cover carries the finish; the body underneath is plastic and hidden by the tray.