You finish your shower and the water just sits there. Or there’s a sour smell coming from the drain. Both are classic signs of a choked floor trap, one of the most common plumbing problems in Singapore bathrooms.
What is a floor trap?
The floor trap is the drain in your bathroom floor, under the metal grating. It holds a small amount of water that blocks sewer smells from coming back into your home. When it gets clogged, water drains slowly or not at all.
Common causes
- Hair, which tangles and catches everything else
- Soap scum and shampoo residue, which build up into a sticky layer
- Sand, grit and small debris washed off after the beach or outdoor work
- Small objects like bottle caps or jewellery
- A dried-out trap in a rarely used bathroom, which causes smells rather than slow drainage
Signs your floor trap is choked
- Water drains slowly or pools after a shower
- Gurgling sounds from the drain
- A bad smell from the floor drain
- Water backing up when the washing machine drains, if it shares the line
What you can try yourself
- Lift the grating and pull out any hair and debris you can see. Wear gloves.
- Pour hot tap water down the drain to loosen soap scum. Avoid boiling water, which can damage some pipes.
- Use a plunger with a firm seal over the drain.
- For smells in an unused bathroom, simply pour in a jug of water to refill the trap.
Avoid strong chemical drain cleaners. They can damage pipes and seals, and they’re dangerous if they splash back or mix with other cleaners.
When to call a plumber
- Water still drains slowly after clearing the grating and plunging
- More than one drain in your home is slow
- Water comes up through the floor trap when you flush the toilet or run other taps
- The smell persists even after cleaning
In HDB flats, if the blockage is in the common sanitary stack shared by several units, it’s usually handled by the Town Council. A plumber can quickly tell whether the problem is inside your unit or in the common pipe.
Clear drains, fast
Handyman Service Hero clears choked floor traps, sinks and basins, and fixes bathroom drainage problems in HDB, condo and landed homes across Singapore. Call or WhatsApp us a photo or video of the problem, and we’ll get your bathroom draining properly again.
