An idea how this shower drain works?

[GE90]

Hi

Our shower is slow to drain. No problem I thought, I’ll take the cover off the drain and clean out. However, I’m faced with this, with no obvious drain pipe leading away from it. Seems to have some type of spindle in the middle!

Any ideas how this works and how I can clean please?

Many thanks.

[anonymous-user]

Something about it will unscrew or lift out and there will be a bowl either with or without a float underneath it which traps all the crap. Also, get a toothbrush and clean out the black ste from round the edges.

[Aluminati]

The keyway would indicate not to unscrew it, it will loosen the trap underneath.

Where are the other elements that sat in it ?

[jontykint]

The middle comes out somehow, we used to have similar.
Stick your fingers in the bowl and pull it up by the outlet slots at inside the bottom of it.
There will be 2 parts to it

When you do get the middle out, however it does it, please show us all the shower gel gunk, hair and hell knows what else is clogging it up.

Ours was absolutely rank, and once it was cleaned it got cleaned every week after that !!

[sparkythecat]

Get your porky digit down it and hook out the central tube.

[finlo]

Too mank for my stomach, i'd be pouring a load of bleach down there leave overnight then flush with a kettle of boiling water.

[sparkythecat]

Unfortunately bleach won't dissolve hair, which is what causes most blockages.
You need caustic soda for that. Most of the proprietary drain unblocking solutions you can buy contain caustic soda.

[thebraketester]

Drain unblocker is what you want. It works great. One shot if you can get it.

[Alucidnation]

jontykint said:

When you do get the middle out, however it does it, please show us all the shower gel gunk, hair and hell knows what else is clogging it up.

Seriously??

[jackofall84]

It looks very very similar to ours. That very central part with the 4 noggins pops out, dip your fingers in the hole and lift from the underneath.

[blueg33]

sparkythecat said:

Get your porky digit down it and hook out the central tube.

This. Looks like our old matki trap. Not the best design.

Be careful if you use OneShot. It eats metal pipes and fittings so older houses may not be suitable.

[Demelitia]

Using a cable tie with backwards facing barbs cut in to either side of it can be used once a week to snag hair trapped in the drain and drag it out, with the added bonus of pulling any mank that’s stuck to it out. That’s if you can’t get to the blockage with the centre section pulled out.

[Your Dad]

Identical unit to one we have in our en suite, just pull the middle section out and you'll have two pieces that slot together.

Separate them to clean, and then slot back together when done and reinsert into the section that's fixed into the shower tray once you've cleaned that.

[strath44]

Don't be tempted to unscrew it, those key points are for installation and form the main seal, the hair trap should lift by hand / finger

[cbmotorsport]

thebraketester said:

Drain unblocker is what you want. It works great. One shot if you can get it.

This.

We have the same waste on a shower tray and it blocks occasionally. this stuff poured down it and left overnight sorts it every time.

https://www.wickes.co.uk/Kilrock-Kil-block-Bathroo...

[sparkythecat]

blueg33 said:

sparkythecat said:

Get your porky digit down it and hook out the central tube.

This. Looks like our old matki trap. Not the best design.

Top spotting there!
Give yourself 10 Man Points.

It's actually the Mk11 Matki trap. A lot better than the Mk1, which had an strange unnecessary restriction in it that caught all the hair and blocked very easily.

[Mr Pointy]

Maybe this helps?
https://www.bathroomspareparts.co.uk/matki-ff90--o...

[blueg33]

sparkythecat said:

blueg33 said:

sparkythecat said:

Get your porky digit down it and hook out the central tube.

This. Looks like our old matki trap. Not the best design.

Top spotting there!
Give yourself 10 Man Points.

It's actually the Mk11 Matki trap. A lot better than the Mk1, which had an strange unnecessary restriction in it that caught all the hair and blocked very easily.

Thanks.

We now have McAlpine fast flow shower traps, miles better and very easy to clean

[jontykint]

Alucidnation said:

jontykint said:

When you do get the middle out, however it does it, please show us all the shower gel gunk, hair and hell knows what else is clogging it up.

Seriously??

Yea, why not, stick it in the Dirty takeway's thread hahaha

[GE90]

Well, thanks everyone!

I have an admission - my wife had removed the inner part to clean, so I didn't realise that part should have been present.

Anyway, with that removed it still wasn't flowing well, so before seeing the recommendations to use a cleaner I resorted to the kitchen waste plunger, which actually seems to have worked.....!

I guess some cleaner would be the a good idea anyway.

Many thanks again!