Shower tray draining slowly or not at all

The most common cause of a slow shower drain is hair and soap scum catching on the drain cover or waste trap. This builds up surprisingly quickly — a weekly rinse prevents it entirely.

Remove the drain cover (usually a push-fit plastic grate, sometimes held by a screw in the centre). Underneath you will find a hair/soap blockage in most cases. Remove it with your fingers or a wire hook — wearing rubber gloves is advisable.

If clearing the grate does not resolve it, pour one kettle of just-boiled water slowly down the drain to melt any soap build-up in the waste pipe.

For a more stubborn blockage, pour half a cup of bicarbonate of soda followed by half a cup of white vinegar down the drain. Cover and leave for 30 minutes — the fizzing action helps break up soap and grease deposits. Follow with another kettle of hot water.

If still blocked, the waste trap (the U-shaped section below the tray) may need clearing. Low-profile shower trays have a shallow trap which blocks easily. You can usually access this by removing the drain cover and inserting a small flexible drain snake.

Avoid chemical drain cleaners (bleach, caustic soda) as a first step — they can damage ABS plastic waste fittings. If all else fails and the blockage is further down the drain run, a drain rod or calling a drainage engineer (£60–£120 for a jetting call-out) is the next step.