What's the use for this shower drain cover?
I'm staying in an apartment in Mexico and found this mysterious shower drain cover/cap/lid in the bathroom, made out of plastic:
Is it to prevent insects from crawling out? To prevent bad smells from leaching? To decoratively hide the shower drain? What's the name of this "device" and how is it supposed to be used?
Best Answer
Having lived in Texas, I would use that to keep out scorpions, which can crawl up drains and even survive the water coming down them. Though I'd also change the strainer to a different design that a scorpion could not so easily squeeze through...
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Do you need a shower drain cover?
Shower drain covers are one of the most important parts of any bathroom, which need to be replaced once they go out of order so as to avoid plumbing problems in the bathroom.Can you remove the drain cover in a shower?
This cap covers the pipe cleanout, and prevents waste water from entering the cleanout. Instead, the waste water passes directly into the standard sewage pipe. If this sewage pipe becomes clogged and the drain fails, a plumbing snake may be required to clear the clog.What is a drain cap used for?
Place the cloth or sponge inside a plastic sandwich bag. Squeeze as much air out as you can and zip it closed or use a rubber band to secure it. Stuff the bag into the drain. The material should expand to snugly fill the hole, and the plastic bag will prevent water from escaping down the drain.what. (Bo Burnham FULL SHOW HD)
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Answer 2
My guess is that this would be to prevent sewage smell coming into your room. It's a common problem, see for example this Q&A online.
While I haven't seen such lids before, I've come across many such drains which allowed sewage odors into the hotel room. This was especially a concern in the following conditions:
A well sealed-off room, common with newer hotels in hotter countries to prevent hot air coming in while airconditioners are running.
A powerful bathroom exhaust fan, meant to let out steam after a hot shower to combat mould growth.
A lack of a proper siphon in the shower drain. I am not sure why they don't always make them properly, though it could be because the floors aren't thick enough to allow for high enough siphons.
The lid might be an attempt at closing off the drain so gasses cannot pass though, though I'm not sure if it provides enough of a seal to work.
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