Hair bound with soap in the trap, and shower traps are designed to come out. Lifting the grate and removing the trap insert reaches the blockage in a couple of minutes.
Why a shower blocks faster than a basin
Everything that leaves a body goes down one 90 mm outlet with no plug to catch it. A hair filter in the trap is standard on modern channels and point drains for that reason, and it is the part to clean rather than the pipe.
What to do, in order
- Lift the grate and remove the trap insert. On most designs it twists out by hand.
- Clear it, rinse it, and put it back the right way up — a trap inserted incorrectly loses its seal and smells.
- If the water still stands, the blockage is past the trap, and a short auger is the next tool.
What not to reach for first
Chemical drain openers. They sit in a blocked trap when they fail, they meet whoever opens it, and some attack the plastics and coated grates in this family. Their own safety instructions govern their use.
The prevention
Clearing the hair filter monthly, which takes less time than reading this page.
Questions people actually ask
Can I remove the trap on a tiled-in channel?
On modern channels yes — the trap is designed to lift out through the grate opening for exactly this, and manufacturers say so. Older or built-in gullies vary, and there the manual is the authority.
Why does it drain slowly only sometimes?
Usually a partial blockage that shifts, or a waste run that struggles when something else drains at the same time. If it coincides with a washing machine or bath emptying, the cause is the shared run rather than the shower.
Last reviewed 5 September 2026