Benefits Of Secondary Drains In Bathrooms & Wet Rooms

Secondary drainage is now being incorporated into designs more and more. Of course it’s primarily as a safeguard in case the main drainage system gets backed up for any reason, but secondary drainage performs another very useful function in the bathroom by acting as a barrier for unexpected water flow. Splash around too much in your bathtub and you need secondary drainage to carry the overflow away!

New Trend Specifies More Secondary Drainage

It is clear that secondary drainage delivers additional safeguards against a bathroom flooding but the additional cost may not be readily justifiable. An argument can be made that secondary drainage should form a standard component of new bathroom design as a matter of course unless specifically removed by the client.

Drier Floors Are Safer

The safety argument is easily made and is valid. Secondary drainage can also be incorporated into a type of sectional floor design, where an additional slope or slopes can carry some of the water away from the main area, as well as the primary slope and drainage design. Draining water quickly and efficiently is an important element of pleasurable showering. Good drainage with the correct floor gradient also makes mopping up faster and easier.

Centre Floor Linear Drain

Linear drains in general allow for greater flexibility and the centre floor model, including a low profile option, means it can be placed anywhere you want. Wall mounted models tend to be incorporated as the primary shower drainage with secondary drains positioned strategically elsewhere within the bathroom.

The bespoke linear drain option gives the designer complete freedom to define the dimensions of a drain in any specific location in the bathroom or wet room. Use these units singly or in multiples to prove practically unlimited secondary drainage coverage.

Keep The Water Where You Want It

Linear drains can be utilized to ensure water is only present in the areas it is designed to be. This is significant in wet rooms where freedom of movement and water flow (within reason) is one of the attractions. Secondary drainage consisting of a linear drain across the entrance to the shower area will ensure that water does not escape into the main bathroom area. Or across the threshold of the wet room as a barrier to make sure other areas of the house aren’t exposed to water.

Demand For Wet Rooms Is Growing

The demand for luxury wet rooms is growing, driven by consumer demand for hotel and spa-like pleasure within the bathroom. The senior citizen demographic finds easy justification for a new ground floor wet room. The new trend for secondary drainage is a natural step in the cycle of continuous improvement that keeps good design at the forefront of the market.

Find Out More

Explore the range of attractive and stylish drain options from Wet Room Materials. You may also download our free eBook The Architects Wet Room Design Guide for more in-depth information about the practical considerations of incorporating a wet room into your next project.

Important update to the NHBS Specifications 2018

Backing surfaces for tiling should;

• Be moisture resistant, where frequent wetting occurs 

When Tiling; 

• Proprietary water-resistant grouting should be used in accordance with the manufacturer 

Grouting should be: 

• As specified in the design including mix and colour 
• Cement-based, epoxy resin or a proprietary product 
• ‘Waterproof in and around shower enclosures and where tiling can be saturated’. 

Gypsum plaster should not be used where; 

• ‘Repeated or persistent wetting may occur’