Introduction: Foolproof Shower / Tub Hair Strainer

About: Technical Editor for two magazines. Software tester for the computer controlled electronic brakes of Locomotives.

"Hello, my name is Greg and I shed".

"Hello Greg!"

Seriously I can plug a tub drain in about a month! As you can imagine I have tried many different ways to keep my hair out of the drain. Some products didn't stop hair at all. Some didn't seal against the tub and the hair slithered under the strainer. Some have holes positioned so there is a back up of water about 3/4" high until the strainer is removed from the drain. And some were displaced by the water falling on them. The easiest way to stop hair clogging the tub / shower drain is to just stop showering. This however, has its drawbacks! After a while, no one will sit near you. Although come to think of it, this does have its advantages :)

So I finally decided to design a strainer that will not clog, collects every strand of hair, is easy to clean and positively seals against the shower / tub drain. So now I will show my fellow "Shedders" how you can build your own "Foolproof Shower / Tub Hair Strainer" too!

Step 1: Supplies Needed.

From Home Depot, I purchased a generic American Standard spec 4" toilet valve seal. Because my tub is Blue, I chose the Fluidmaster seal. There is also a red seal from Korkey. Further down the isle, I picked up a stainless steel Kitchen Sink Strainer. They come in a 3 pack, small, medium and large or a single. I purchased the single large size. Finally you need some generic silicone seal. I used clear but any color will work.

Step 2: Assembly

The assembly surface should be flat. Put a bead of silicone seal on the strainer's solid metal rim on the opposite side of the raised section and press it down onto the flat toilet seal. (Unit is shown tipped over to show glued seal)

Allow the silicone seal to set up for 24 hrs.

Step 3: Test Fitting the Strainer

If you have a flat area around the drain, no fitting is needed. My tub is not perfectly flat, so a little deforming of the metal strainer was necessary to have the seal conform to the tub surface without rocking. A red magic marker arrow indicates the direction the strainer must face each time it is installed.

Step 4: Finished!

Note how the strainer sits flat and is perfectly sealed to the tub surface and very little water is needed to flow over the strainer's rim and through the strainer mesh and down the drain.No more standing in dirty water!

All hair (and anything else!) is captured on the strainer's flat surface and can be wiped off easily with a finger. Also note that water flowing onto the strainer from either a shower or tub spout will not displace the strainer because of the 4" toilet seal's rubbery consistency.

Now go get clean! No more snaking the drain for you!

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