Yes. All shower drains within the United States must have a trap installed, and this is required by law not only in the United States but across the world.
Most showers will automatically have these traps installed when they are fitted into the home, and all bathroom fitters must make a point of adhering to the rules on shower drains by law.
The key reason why traps are required by law when installing a shower in the United States is that the trap is responsible for keeping hazardous gasses from rising into the home.
Though the curved shape of a drainage trap may look very unassuming, the shape actually plays a key role in helping to keep your bathroom safe from gasses.
As we mentioned earlier, gasses travel upwards, subsequently, traps are installed to create a dip in the drainage system that anything traveling down the drains must navigate to travel onward.
This dip makes it impossible for gasses that may be traveling up through the drains to travel onward and find themselves rising into the bathroom. The trap is installed in such a way that the curve points downward, which also has the extra benefit of trapping water.
The law stipulates that the shower drain trap cannot be further than 5 feet away from the actual shower drain inlet. However, where the trap is installed within that 5 feet is totally up to you.
Where Does The Shower Drain Trap Need To Be Installed?
You may occasionally find that your shower drain trap encounters some issues, and it can often be difficult to figure out just how you are supposed to go about fixing any such issues. Let’s take a look at how to do it!
What Do You Do If A Shower Drain Trap Isn’t Working Properly?