Whether intended for the bathroom or kitchen sink, drains serve the important purpose of controlling how water leaves the sink. Some drains will hold the water in the sink until you open them to empty it.
Others permit the water to flow out unabated, but without solid debris that may clog the rest of the system.
Kitchen and bathroom sink drains are the simplest while those meant for the bathtub are intricate.
Drains designed for the floor are a unique kind – they permit water to flow off the floor into the sewage system minus the debris.
How To Buy The Best Sink Drain For Your Manufactured Home – 5 Tips
Bathroom sinks normally come with their drains. Some manufacturers, however, don’t include drains on their products.
If such sinks impressed you and you went ahead to purchase them, you will be forced to buy new drains for them.
Here are the things to do when buying new drains for your home:
1. Measure the sink
Imagine the agony of buying an oversize or undersize drain and being forced to return to the store to get the right one.
That’s why you need to start your journey by measuring the opening of the slot in which you intend to install them.
Better yet, you can simply check for the measurements on the manufacturer’s guide that came with your sink.
The measurements will help you figure out the size of the drain perfect for the slots.
Most drain openings in sinks measure 1-1/4″ although 1-1/2″ and 1-5/7” do exist.
2. Choose between Grid and Pop-Up functionality (for sink drains)
Most of the bathroom sinks you will find in the store fall into two broad groups:
- Pop-Up and
- Grid types.
The differences between them can be found in design and functionality.
Pop-Up drains can open and close, meaning they allow water to build-up in the sink, only allowing it to flow out when you want.
Grid drains, on another hand, come with a grid of tiny holes or a meshwork – they are ever open and will allow water to leave the sink almost as fast as it leaves the faucet.
Pop-Up drains are normally operated by one of two types of levers.
- One type of lever is located behind the faucet.
- Another type of levers can be found at any other part of the sink away from the faucet.
As you can tell, Pop-Up drains are highly advantageous over their Grid counterparts as they allow you to accumulate water in the sink and complete the cleaning with a closed faucet.
However, Grid drains have an upper hand when it comes to protecting the rest of the system from clogs – they catch larger particles of the debris before they enter the drain pipe.
3. Set a budget
Just so you stay focused on your priority options and don’t end up overspending, it would be prudent to prepare a budget.
Remember, there are a lot of both fancy and average options to choose from.
Walking in the store without a budget increases the likelihood of settling for products you know very little about, many of which may cost a lot of money.
That’s why you need to conduct your research and decide what you need before even preparing the budget.
Whether you are looking for bathroom or kitchen drains, there are always the right options for you in any pricing range although a budget will help you narrow down to just a few options.
The range of $25 – $40 usually has excellent varieties made from most of the materials you may prefer, and a range of finish options too.
4. Choose the style
The style of your drain should complement that of the faucet and the rest of the sink. You want something with superb aesthetic value.
The drain should not necessarily match your faucet and the sink – they just need to rhyme in style. Alternatively, you can choose a drain made from a different material or finish to the sink or faucet so that it can serve as an accent to your sink.
The most commonly used drains out there are brass-made. It has something to with the durability and the good looks of brass. Bronze and stainless-steel are commonplace as well.
Bronze has established itself as a versatile finish for eye-catching sinks and drains. Bronze drains blend well with sinks made from copper.
They also stand out when added on concrete sinks. If you want a drain that shines the entirety of its lifetime, go for nickel-finished drains – all you need to do is keep them clean.
Chrome-finished drains and sinks are synonymous with a modern look, and they look great when installed alongside a matching faucet.
5. Does your sink have an overflow?
Some sinks come with an overflow feature. As you can tell from the name, the feature prevents water from building up in the sink to a point of flowing over the brim.
This feature often comes in form of a tiny hole somewhere in the sink, and it functions by permitting air to flow into the drain when the sink is full of water so that the drain can open and rapidly empty the sink.
Bathroom sinks are sold with and without the overflow feature. Remember to check whether your sink supports the overflow feature.
Bathroom Shower Floor Drains
Bathroom shower floor drains are a special kind distinct from those you would find in sinks and tubs.
These drains are installed on the shower floor to prevent the water from accumulating on the floor.
They look very much like floor registers except that they are longer – some of them occupy the whole perimeter of the bathroom floor.
Here are the various types of the shower drains:
1. Square or round drains
As their names suggest, they are either square or round in shape. The common thing about these two is their reputation as standard bathroom floor drains. As such, they are common both in commercial and residential properties.
They are the cheapest type of drains. Nowadays these drains are available in a range of styles and sizes and for buyers from both the luxurious side and low-end side.
These drains are normally installed in the middle of the floor because of their small size. This positioning helps them remove as much water as possible.
2. Linear
Linear drains are longer – they look like floor registers but long enough to equal the size of the longest fluorescent tube on your ceiling.
They may come with the meshwork often seen in square drains or tiny holes found in round options. The storekeeper may refer to them as “channel” or “trench” drains, but they are the same thing.
The sleek design of linear drains gives the installer all the freedoms they need to pitch your shower floor in a single direction.
Thus, linear drains are advantageous over their round or square options because they don’t require the floor to slope towards the four edges of the floor to function.
As such, you can install them close to the wall or let them run the whole perimeter of the floor. Some bathrooms may require one at the entrance especially if the shower is curbless (barrier-free)
3. Top Tile Linear
Top Tile Linear drains are a variety of Linear drains. They come with a removable tile pan on their strainers.
Tile is often installed in the pan just to match the floor, thus camouflaging the drain with the seamless look on the floor. The outline of the drain remains visible even with all camouflaging.
The installation process of Top Tile Linear drains is the same as that of Linear options.
Note that whether you are constructing your bathroom from the ground up or renovating, you should position the drain in line with the shower’s waste channel, which is either already installed or predetermined.
Related: Can You Wish Dishes In The Bathroom?
Kitchen And Bathroom Sink Drains
The kitchen sink is a major accent point. It plays an important role in ensuring that your dishes are cleaned and some of your food is rinsed before cooking. The sink in the bathroom plays a slightly different role – it holds water to help you clean your face.
Both of these sinks, however, are serviced by the same types of drains. This means you will consider the same factors when shopping for kitchen and bathroom sink drains.
Most sinks fall into two categories: those with an overflow prevention feature and those without.
Each category of sinks requires a unique kind of drain that can support the overflow feature among other features.
There are four types of Sink Drains:
- Pop-Up Sink Drains
- Grid Drains
- Lift-and-Turn Drains
- Sink Drain Stopper
1. Pop-Up Sink Drains
This is the ideal type of sink drains for the bathroom because they let you wash your face easily.
As mentioned earlier, they can open and close like a lid, which allows you to close the sink to collect a lot of water before washing your face.
They are perfect for the kitchen sink as well because you need to collect a lot of water in the sink to rinse your dishes or wash some vegetables.
This type of drain requires a sink with the overflow feature. Installing this type of drain on sinks without overflow feature creates a risk of overflowing the sink when left unattended, which can end up flooding your whole bathroom or kitchen.
Older models of this type of drains still come with a mechanical assembly at the back which controls the Pop-up mechanism. More modern models close and open by simply flicking or touching the drain.
2. Grid Drains
These drains are made for vessel types of sinks. Vessel sinks are the conventional bowl-like sinks that are commonplace in most modern homes.
These drains are not designed to open and close like their Pop-up counterparts. Rather, they permit a continuous flow of water out of the sink.
The feature homes are a simple meshwork.
If you are prone to blocking your sink pipes with debris, Grid Drains would be the best option for you.
They also prevent the sink from overflowing even with those sinks that don’t come with an overflow feature.
However, their ever-open holes are also their biggest flaw – they are highly wasteful especially if you are prone to forgetting to close the faucets every time you leave the kitchen or bathroom.
They can empty a tankful of water – basically, your entire water reservoir – into the sewage system if the faucet is left open.
3. Lift and Turn Drains
This type of drains is highly versatile – they get along with pretty any kind of sink.
Whether your sink is Drop-in, Undermount, Overflow-protected or not protected, etc. – they’re good with this type of drains.
To empty your sink, you simply need to pull and twist them.
Once the sink is empty, just push them back into position and the sink will be shut.
They are incredibly easy to install if you compare them to Grid and Pop-Up options.
All you need to dismantle or install them is a flat head screwdriver.
4. Sink Drain Stoppers
Stoppers are intended for sinks that come without the overflow feature.
They are designed to hold water in your sink and allow you to wash your face, brush your teeth, or wash clothes without the worry of leaving the faucet open and probably flooding your bathroom or kitchen.
Bathtub Drains
Although drains serve the same purpose – keeping the water in the sink, bathtub, or shower or removing it when necessary – a unique type of drains are required for the bathtub. Identifying each type of these drains will help in choosing the right option for replacement or repair projects.
Here are the types of drains used in bathtubs:
- Lift-and-Turn Drains
- Push-and-Pull Drains
- Toe-Touch Drains
- Flip-It Drains
- Trip-Lever Drains
- Pop-Up Drains
1. Lift-and-Turn Drains
The easiest way of identifying this type of tub drains is by checking for a small knob on its cap. This knob is twisted to open or close the stopper. To close the hole, turn the knob until the stopper goes down.
To open the hole, twist it in the opposite direction as closing.
You shouldn’t over tighten it during installation. However, while it may sound like an intricate drain to deal with, the design is simple and hardly demands much attention.
2. Push-and-Pull Drain
You can easily mistake this type of tub stopper with its Lift-and-Tun cousin – they look strikingly similar in design and appearance.
The biggest difference between them, however, lies in how they operate.
You simply pull the knob to open the hole or push down to close it – there is no twisting. They are easy to install very much like the Lift-and-Tun Drains.
3. Toe-Touch
This type of tub drains is closely related to the Push-and-Pull and Lift-and-Turn stoppers. The tub user can open and close the water outlet simply by pushing the stopper’s head with a toe.
They are highly convenient. They are relatively easy to install and largely trouble except when the spring system wears out, in which case you’d rather replace it than repair.
4. Flip-It
These stoppers come with a toggle lever on top of the head which can be moved sideways to open or close the drain hole.
You don’t require tools or plumbing expertise to install them – just push it in the drain’s hole, the inbuilt O-rings will hold in the correct position to create a watertight seal.
5. Trip Lever
These stoppers are assisted with a lever system on the overflow plates located at the front part of the bathtub.
They operate by moving a plunger up and down in the bathtub’s overflow pipe. Typically, the plunger is linked to a trip lever that employs a connecting rod or wire found inside the tub’s overflow tube.
With its trip lever downbound, the plunger lifts up and the drain ends up open; when its trip lever moves upward, the plunger is pushed down and the drain ends up closed.
Trip Levers are sophisticated in design meaning the process of cleaning, installing, and repair can be challenging. Some modern versions of this type of stoppers replace the lever with an easy-to-install twist cover.
6. Pop-Up
There is little difference between this type of stopper and the regular sink Pop-Up drains. They are also similar to the more intricate Trip-Level stoppers since they are operated with a similar type of lever.
The movements of the lever cause the linking rod located in the tub’s overflow drainpipe to move as well, all of which end up pivoting the rocker arm connecting to the overlying pop-up stopper.
The complexity of this type of stopper makes them susceptible to collecting debris and hair. They are also hard to install and assembled because of the intricate level system in the tub’s overflow pipe.
Conclusion
Drains may be the smallest part of your sink system, bathroom, or bathtub, but they require care if you want to choose one that will work for you.
There are numerous options to choose from, but if you consider the relevant factors, you will pick an option that will reflect the value of your money.
