Collection: Bottle Traps

Choosing a Bottle Trap for Your Basin

A bottle trap is one of the few plumbing fittings you actually see. Under a wall hung or countertop basin it's as visible as the tap and gets judged the same way. If the basin is going into a vanity unit, buy on price. If it's exposed, match the trap to the basin tap above it.

Bottle Trap or P-Trap

The pipework usually decides this. A P-trap runs horizontally into the wall. A bottle trap drops vertically first and then turns, so it suits an outlet that exits low or a basin with little clearance beneath it. Check which way your pipe runs before ordering. Both suit basins rather than baths: for those, see our bath wastes and traps.

Finishes

There are seven finishes available, wider than most suppliers carry in this category. Match the trap to the tap, not to the basin.

Chrome

The safe choice, and the least noticeable if you would rather the plumbing didn't draw attention. Starts at £23.99, with a full range of chrome bathroom accessories to match.

Matt Black

The strongest seller here. Against a white basin the contrast is deliberate: the trap reflects as part of the design rather than as plumbing nobody hid properly. Matched by our black bathroom accessories.

Brushed Brass, Gold and Bronze

The warm metals, and the reason to have an exposed trap at all. Brass and gold suit a contemporary scheme, bronze and antique brass a period one. These are the finishes where a mismatch shows most, so if the tap is a warm metal the trap should be too. See the brushed brass accessories.

Round, Square and Minimalist

Shape follows the tap. Round works with almost everything. Square suits an angular basin and a square-bodied tap, and looks wrong beneath a curved one. Minimalist is slimmer, for limited clearance. Traditional round, with its stepped profile, is the one for a period bathroom.

What You Will Also Need

A trap alone doesn't finish a basin. You also need the waste, the fitting that sits in the plughole, and it should match. Our basin wastes come in the same finishes, slotted, unslotted and click clack. Choose slotted if your basin has an overflow hole and unslotted if it doesn't: getting that wrong is the most common mistake here.

Fitting

A like-for-like swap is straightforward, but a poor seal leaks slowly inside a cupboard rather than failing obviously. If you're changing trap type, moving the basin, or unsure if the new trap matches your pipe size, enlist a plumber to help.