What's this shower tray contraption thing? 🤔

BrokenJetpack · 14-01-2026 11:16AM #1

So I have a low profile shower tray that was installed about 1.5 years ago, and it gets backed up pretty easily. It needs to be cleaned every week or 10 days, otherwise the water starts creeping out over the edge of the tray. I never had to do this with any other shower tray.

Part of the drain contraption has this black mini plastic tub thing, shaped like a tiny bucket, that sits into the drain. I'm not sure what it's for exactly but the water seems to drain faster when I remove it.

Does anyone know if this is needed, or can it be removed?

Jacovs · 14-01-2026 11:21AM

The black part goes in the drain hole, then the white part fits inside it, I assume?

Thats so any bits and pieces, dirt, hair, whatever, goes into the black bit, and the water then flows over it and down into your drain pipe. Which stops the drain pipes from getting clogged with crap.

So either clean that black thing every week or 2, or take it out and be prepared to clean out the actual pipes when they get clogged eventually. Which could be as cheap/easy as some drain cleaner, or as expensive/complicated as a plumber.

ongarite · 14-01-2026 11:25AM

It’s a trap to catch hair, etc & stop it from potentially blocking your waste pipe.

BrokenJetpack · 14-01-2026 01:33PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124146150#Comment_124146150

Yes the black part sits into the drain hole then the white part sits inside that. It's just strange that the water seems to drain faster if I remove the black part.

L1011 · 14-01-2026 01:37PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124146532#Comment_124146532

It would drain faster as its not being impeded; but it increases the chance that you get a blockage further down that's harder to remove.

Jacovs · 14-01-2026 01:41PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124146532#Comment_124146532

Not at all. If you remove the black thing the water, and everything else with it, has an uninterrupted path straight down into the pipe. So the size of the hole in the white thing determines how much water can flow out. When the black thing is in it blocks the path of the water, and water has to push back up between the black thing and the white thing, so theres a lot less space for the water to drain out, so it drains slower.

steve-o · 14-01-2026 01:44PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124146546#Comment_124146546

And his bathroom will stink like a sewer. Quite literally.

Jacovs · 14-01-2026 01:53PM

Shouldnt be a smell if there is a P-Trap installed, but if its low profile then I guess not.

Tree · 14-01-2026 10:03PM

the little cup /is/ the trap. if your upper part isn't sitting properly in it, you get sewer smells.

whizbang · 16-01-2026 03:45PM

Cut down a 330ml can of pop to use instead of the black cup.

It needs to be about a minimum of 5mm above the bottom of the white tube part. Maybe start with 10mm first.

this will keep just enough water in the trap to stop the smells (and the noise), but allow the rubbish to flow out easier.

Goldengirl · 16-01-2026 03:56PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124148128#Comment_124148128

And if the trap is empty of water it will really smell !

@BrokenJetpack I often kick off the top plug stopper to help drain while having a shower but being careful not to let too much hair drain down! If you have short hair you can do this every time you shower and it helps let the sudsy water down quicker .

The plug stopper which is slightly raised is what really catches the hair for me anyway . I have to clear it every few days . Rarely have any in the little pot you talk of .

After arriving back after a week away to dry shower traps and the house smelling like Ringsend Waste Treatment site , I would not recommend removing or interfering with that little water trap .🤢

steamdave · 17-01-2026 05:20PM

The black cup thingy is your trap. Remove that permanently and you run the risk of dangerous gas entering your shower room.

That dangerous gas is Hydrogen Sulphide, one of the most toxic gases in the world - even more so than Carbon Monoxide. You can smell it at concentrations as low as 0.01 ppm. If the concentration is high, it can deaden your sense of smell to it and you think you are safe, but then crash bang, you are unconscious on the floor. That is extreme, I know, but do not take the bad smell issue lightly.

Dave

BrokenJetpack · 23-01-2026 08:14PM

That's all great advice, thanks. If I was doing it again I really don't think I'd go for a low profile tray 😔

BrokenJetpack · 23-01-2026 08:20PM

And if the trap is empty of water it will really smell !
@BrokenJetpack I often kick off the top plug stopper to help drain while having a shower but being careful not to let too much hair drain down! If you have short hair you can do this every time you shower and it helps let the sudsy water down quicker .
The plug stopper which is slightly raised is what really catches the hair for me anyway . I have to clear it every few days . Rarely have any in the little pot you talk of .
After arriving back after a week away to dry shower traps and the house smelling like Ringsend Waste Treatment site , I would not recommend removing or interfering with that little water trap .🤢

That all makes sense, and I also kick off the white plug cover as I have short hair and my showers are normally sub two minutes. Problem is I have people with long hair staying for regular periods. I showed them how to pop out the white cover and cup and clean them, and I also got a flexible mini wire brush and told them to push it as far down the drain as possible if they notice the water is slow to drain. I'm hoping this does the trick 🙏🏻

steamdave · 24-01-2026 11:28PM

Nothing wrong with a low profile tray. Just make sure you have the correct trap for it and it is installed correctly. They are not so easy to trip over as you grow old!

Dave

What's this shower tray contraption thing? 🤔

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