Hair Catchers | Sink Strainers | Drain Tools

A drain part has one job, and it only does that job if it fits. A hair catcher that is too small slides off the plughole. A plug that is a few millimetres out will not hold water. This guide covers how to measure, which product suits which problem, and when the job belongs to a qualified plumber, Uisce Éireann or your local authority.

Start by measuring

Use a ruler or tape measure and work in millimetres. Measure straight across the inside of the drain opening. That is the inside diameter of the waste. If you are replacing a cover, strainer or plug, measure across the outside of the old one too. Write both numbers down.

Then check them against the product page. We list sizes in millimetres where the maker gives them. Drains come in several common sizes and older homes can have odd ones, so measure your own and do not assume.

Hair catchers: over the drain or inside it

Over the drain. These are flat or domed covers that lie on top of the shower or bath plughole. They only need to be wider than the opening, so the fit is forgiving. You can see the hair collect and lift it off.

Inside the drain. These drop into the waste. They sit out of sight and do not move underfoot, but they have to match the inside diameter of your drain. Measure carefully for this type.

Either kind only works if you empty it. Clear it before water starts to pool around your feet.

Kitchen sink strainers and plugs

A sink strainer sits in the kitchen sink waste and catches food scraps. A basket strainer drops into the waste, so measure the inside of the hole. A flat mesh strainer rests on top and needs to be wider than the hole.

For a replacement plug, measure the plughole, or the old plug across its widest point. Basins, kitchen sinks and baths often take different sizes, so measure each one. For a pop up or click clack plug, check the size range on the product page against your waste.

Plunger or drain snake

When a plunger works. A plunger moves water back and forth against a blockage. It works best on a soft blockage close to the plughole, with enough water in the sink or bath to cover the rubber cup. Cover the overflow hole with a wet cloth so the pressure goes down the pipe.

Sink or toilet. A cup plunger has a flat rim that seals against a flat surface, so it suits sinks, basins, baths and shower trays. A toilet plunger is shaped to sit in the bottom of the toilet pan. Use a toilet plunger for the toilet, and keep a separate one for the kitchen sink.

When a drain snake is better. Hair catches on the fittings inside a shower or basin waste, and a plunger will not pull it free. A drain snake goes down the pipe, hooks the hair and brings it back up. It also reaches further along the pipe than a plunger can.

We sell hand tools and parts, not caustic chemicals. You will not find chemical drain cleaners here.

Drain rods and brushes

A long flexible brush cleans the build-up you can reach: the plughole, the overflow slot and the first stretch of pipe. Drain rods join end to end to reach along an outside drain, and the product page lists the fittings that come with each set.

Before you rod an outside drain, find out whose drain it is. A blockage in a shared drain or a public sewer is usually the responsibility of Uisce Éireann or your local authority, so check before you start or pay for private work.

Outdoor drain covers and gully grids

A gully is the open drain at ground level outside the house, often where a downpipe or a kitchen waste pipe ends. A cover or grid sits on top. It helps keep leaves and other debris out while letting water through.

Gullies are not all one size. Measure across the top of yours, note whether it is square or round, and compare that with the size on the product page.

Shower drain covers and linear drains

A shower trap cover is the round top you see in the shower tray. The replacement covers here are made for traps with a 90mm waste, so measure the old cover and the waste before you order. Swapping a lift-off cover for a new one of the same size is simple.

A linear drain is a long stainless steel channel set into a wet room floor. Fitting one is a different job, covered below.

Gutter and downpipe guards

Gutter guards sit in or over the gutter and let rainwater through while holding leaves back. Downpipe guards sit in the gutter outlet at the top of the downpipe so leaves do not wash into it. Measure the width of your gutter and the size of the downpipe opening. Guards cut down on cleaning, but gutters still need a check and a clear-out now and then, most of all once the leaves have come down in autumn.

Washing machine and dishwasher drain hoses

Measure the run from the back of the appliance to the existing waste pipe or standpipe, following the path the hose will take, and allow some slack so the hose does not kink. Check the hose diameter and the end fittings against your appliance. Your appliance manual gives the longest drain hose the pump can handle, so read that before you buy an extension.

When to call a plumber, Uisce Éireann or your local authority

Some problems are not a tool job. Call a qualified plumber if a blockage keeps coming back, if there is a sewage smell, or if several sinks, baths or toilets back up at the same time. Those are signs of a problem further down the line than a household tool can reach. A blockage in a shared drain or a public sewer is usually the responsibility of Uisce Éireann or your local authority, so check with them before you pay for private work.

The same goes for anything that means cutting into, moving or connecting fixed pipework. Work on fixed plumbing and drainage should be done by a qualified plumber, and drainage work may need to comply with the Irish Building Regulations. Sizes on this site are the maker's stated sizes. No product is stated to carry a certification or approval mark unless its product page says so.

Your drain buying checklist

Name the problem. Pick the category. Measure the inside of the drain opening, and the outside of the part you are replacing, in millimetres. Check the size, the material and the drain it fits on the product page. Then check the price, in euro, and the delivery cost.

The short version

Measure first, buy the part that fits, and leave fixed plumbing and drainage to a qualified plumber. Every product page here lists size, material and fit so you can decide before you order, and you have 14 days from delivery to change your mind.