Different Types Of Shower Drains

What Are The Different Types of Shower Drains? There are myriad different kinds of drains¹ to choose from when looking for a product to drain your bathroom or wet area. Choosing the right type of drain, location, and method of installation can all impact on the effectiveness of your drainage system. Any water left lying around creates an immediate safety or slip hazard risk, and also creates a moist environment that can damage your home or cause rising damp problems. An old drain that has begun to leak can also cause similar problems such as mould, mildew and water damage to the surround floor and subfloor below the bathroom.
Read on below for an explanation of the 2 main types of drains you can choose from, and their benefits. The two main types are point drains, mostly shaped like a circle, and linear drains that are long and shaped like a strip or elongated rectangle.

Linear Drain (Strip Drain)

A Strip Drain (also known as a linear drain) has become a popular choice for use as a shower drain, as it offers many benefits for fast waste water removal.
Linear drains are available in several widths and depths to suit your project and offer a minimal finish that looks modern and stylish, and can almost conceal a drain completely, without compromising on speed or volume of water drained.
Linear drains, sometimes also know as shower grates, remove water into a tray that then drains into the waste water system.
Due to the shape of the drain, it’s possible to create a bathroom with only one gradient leading to the drain against a wall or inside the shower.
Visually, and practically, strip drains are a great choice for larger tile sizes, as the straight edge means no or minimal cuts need to be made to the tile to fit the tiling pattern.
There are two main types of linear drains:

• Grate drains (also known as wedge wire drains)
  Offer a classic, highly polished stainless steel aesthetic
• Tile Insert Drains
  Offer the ability to continue your tile and match your tile to the top of the drain, meaning the drain is concealed.

Strip drains are manufactured from marine grade stainless steel, or high quality brass. Each material is designed to compliment the look and feel you choose for your bathroom design.

Point Drain

Traditionally the most common type of floor waste is the circular point drain that is installed in a central point and the surrounding tiles sloped on gradients down towards the drain.
When you picture a point drain, you may initially think of the circular drain, which is an inefficient shape for tiling as tiles are typically square in shape.
Our point drain Shower Waste is designed to remediate this problem, by fabricating it with a square shape. Not only does the square drain offer a solution to tile cutting and wastage, the area of the drain inlet is larger, allowing for more efficient evacuation of waste water.
Point drains are an excellent choice for bathrooms that feature a smaller tile size, as the funnel shape slope that’s needed to effectively drain the water is created using a gradient that may be too tight for a large tile size.
A tile insert point drain allows the continuation of use of your floor tile over the top of the drain that’s concealed underneath. The finish of the tile insert drain gives the bathroom an impressive sleek and minimal appearance, whilst giving you superior hidden drainage.

If you need help choosing the right drain for your bathroom project, give the owners, Gary or Greg, a call today on 1300 308 893 and get the right advice.