The complete guide
How To Choose And Fit A Replacement Shower Trap Cover
The one fitting everyone forgets
People spend weeks choosing taps, a shower head and a screen. Then the tray goes in with whatever cover came in the box with the trap, and nobody thinks about it again. Until it starts to look bad.
It is easy to see why it does. That cover sits in the wettest spot in the house. Soapy water runs over it every day. It gets stood on. Limescale dries on it. A thin plated cover can start to pit or peel after a few years, and once it does, the whole tray looks older than it is.
The other common reason to change one is colour. Brass tones have become popular for taps and showers, and a bright chrome disc in the middle of the tray stands out once everything around it has changed. Swapping the cover is a small job, and it is often the last piece of a bathroom update.
What a shower trap cover is
Under the hole in your shower tray is the trap. It is the part that holds a little water to stop smells coming back up from the drain, and it connects the tray to the waste pipe. The trap body is fixed into the tray and stays there.
The cover is the visible top. On the kind of trap this product is made for, the cover is held on by a screw. Undo the screw and the cover lifts away, which is also how you get in to clean out hair.
This product is the cover only. The maker describes it as a replacement that installs onto your existing shower trap body, and supplies a fixing screw with it. The trap is not included, and you do not need to disturb it.
The two numbers that matter
Two measurements appear on this product, and it helps to know which is which.
The first is 110mm. That is the diameter of the cover itself, as stated by the maker. It is the size of the part you see.
The second is 90mm. The maker says the cover is designed for shower traps with a 90mm tray. That is the size of the waste hole in the tray, the opening the trap sits in. A 90mm waste is a common size on modern shower trays. The cover is wider than the hole so that it overlaps the opening.
Checking your own is simple. Undo the screw in your current cover and lift it off. Measure straight across the hole in the tray. Then measure across the old cover. If the hole is about 90mm and your old cover is about 110mm, you are looking at the right size.
The maker asks buyers to check the measurements and photos to confirm the cover suits their trap before ordering. That is sensible advice for any spare part.
Check the fixing as well as the size
Size is only half of it. Shower traps come from many makers, and they do not all hold their covers the same way. Some covers screw down. Others push or clip on.
This cover fixes with a screw, which is supplied. So the first thing to confirm is that your existing cover is also held by a screw. If your old cover simply lifts off with no screw, this may not suit your trap.
The second thing is the screw itself. The thread size and length are not stated by the maker. When the cover arrives, hold the new screw beside the old one. If they look the same, go ahead. If the new one is clearly different, do not force it into the trap. A damaged thread in a trap body is a much bigger problem than a cover that does not fit.
The height of the cover and the flow rate are also not stated by the maker. How fast your shower drains depends mostly on the trap and the pipe below it, and a new cover will not change that.
Why change only the cover
It is fair to ask whether you should replace the whole trap while you are at it. In most cases there is no need. A trap that drains well and does not leak is doing its job, and it is hidden under the tray where nobody sees it. The cover is the only part on show, and the only part that wears where you can see it.
Leaving the trap alone also keeps the job small. Getting at a trap body can mean lifting a tray or opening up a ceiling below, and that is real plumbing work. A cover comes off with one screw from above. You can do it on a Saturday morning with a screwdriver and a cloth, and the shower is back in use straight away.
So the rule of thumb is simple. If the trap works and only the top looks tired or no longer matches, change the top.
Brass and a brushed finish
The maker states that the cover is made of brass and has a brushed finish. The colour is listed as brushed brass.
A brushed finish has fine lines worked into the surface. It looks soft and matt instead of mirror bright. In a shower that has a practical side, because water spots and fingerprints tend to show less on a brushed surface than on a polished one.
One caution about matching. There is no single standard shade called brushed brass. One maker's version can be more yellow, another's more muted. This cover may sit well beside your taps, but we cannot promise an exact match with fittings from another range. If that matters to you, compare them in daylight before you fit the cover.
Fitting it
Make sure the tray is dry so you are not working in a puddle. Put the plug of a nearby basin in, or lay a cloth over the tray, so a dropped screw has nowhere to roll.
Undo the screw in the centre of the old cover with a hand screwdriver and lift the cover away. You will probably find hair and soap around the top of the trap. Clear it out and wipe the area. This is a good moment to rinse the trap through with warm water.
The new cover arrives boxed with a protective silicone cap, which the maker says is there to keep the finish in good condition on arrival. Unpack it, compare the screws, and set the cover in place. Fix it with the screw and tighten by hand until it is snug. Do not overtighten. Run the shower for a minute and check that water drains freely.
If the old screw will not move, stop. Forcing it can snap the screw or damage the trap. At that point it is worth asking a qualified plumber to take a look.
When it becomes a job for a plumber
Changing a cover is ordinary upkeep that a householder can do. Changing what is underneath is not.
If the trap body is cracked, leaking or the wrong type for the cover you want, it needs to be replaced. That means working on fixed pipework below the tray. It is a job for a qualified plumber, and the Irish Building Regulations apply to drainage work. The same goes for fitting a new shower trap or altering a waste pipe.
A slow shower is a different matter again. Start by lifting the cover and clearing the hair. If it is still slow, the blockage is further along. If several fittings in the house are slow together, call a plumber or drain contractor. A blockage in a public sewer is for Uisce Éireann or your local authority.
Looking after the finish
Warm soapy water and a soft cloth are all you need. Rinse and dry the cover afterwards. Wiping it dry after a shower is the simplest way to keep limescale from building up.
Stay away from scouring pads, abrasive powders and harsh or acidic cleaners. They are the usual cause of dull patches on any brushed metal. If you use a bathroom spray on the tray, rinse the cover straight away.
Lift the cover every month or so and clear out what has collected underneath. It keeps the shower draining well and stops smells before they start.
The short version
This is a single replacement cover for a shower trap. The maker gives the diameter as 110mm and says it is designed for traps with a 90mm tray waste. It is brass with a brushed finish, and a fixing screw is included. The trap body is not.
Measure the hole in your tray and your old cover, and check that your current cover is held by a screw. Compare the screws before fitting. Clean it with soapy water and a soft cloth. For anything below the cover, call a qualified plumber.