Which waste do I need?

The waste is the part of a level-access shower that is easiest to get wrong. Three questions decide which one you need: what the floor finish is, whether the waste should hold water in a trap, and whether the water can drain by gravity. If you're unsure, email orders@stonebridgesupply.co.uk with your former or tray, floor finish and drainage route.

1. Tiled or vinyl floor?

Wastes for wet room formers come with a top or adaptor to suit the floor finish. A tiled floor needs a tiled-floor adaptor or cover sized to your tile thickness. A vinyl (safety flooring) floor needs a vinyl adaptor, where the flooring is clamped into the waste to keep it watertight. Examples:

2. Wet or dry trap?

A wet trap holds water in the waste, and that water seal stops drain smells coming back up. AKW's low-depth GW90 gravity waste has a 50mm water trap, and the GW90-2 low-height wet waste suits vinyl floors.

A dry trap such as AKW's DW90 low-depth dry shower waste is a lower-depth option, often used where there is limited depth under the floor.

3. Gravity or pumped?

With gravity drainage, water runs away to the soil pipe through the fall of the pipe. This is the simplest option where the floor depth and pipe route allow it, for example TF75 waste for Tuff Form or TDTW 50 waste.

Where gravity drainage isn't achievable, for example on solid floors or with long pipe runs, use a pumped waste with a shower pump. AKW's DigiPump range:

Check compatibility with your former

Each former only takes certain wastes. For example, AKW lists TriForm as compatible with its GW50, GW19, GW90, LDGW90 and DW90 wastes. Always check the datasheet for your former, which is linked on each product page, before ordering.

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