ArcaMax

When my husband and I were touring homes, the space that won me over in the house we bought was the primary bathroom. It’s gorgeous — it has big windows that let in natural light, a stand-alone tub (a luxury during the Arctic blasts that strike each winter in Colorado), and backlit vanity mirrors that give off a warm glow. It was a serious upgrade from my last home. But my absolute favorite feature was the walk-in shower because it’s spacious, features double showerheads, and has built-in shelves. It felt like I’d be in a luxury hotel every time I used my en-suite.

The shower definitely helps solidify a spa-like vibe in the bathroom. However, I realized about a week after living in my new home that one of my bathroom’s sleek, luxe features is actually a huge pain: the long, linear drain that’s installed in the floor toward the wall and in between the two showerheads.

The problem with linear drains

While taking a shower shortly after moving in, I noticed that the water was very slow to drain. It was even pooling around my feet. As it turns out, I confirmed on Reddit, this is a very common problem with linear drains. I obviously had no idea about this before we moved in, naturally, and was drawn to the drain’s modern, seamless design.

But at the end of the day, sometimes things that look fancy are worse — and Reddit (and then, plumbing professionals) revealed to me that linear drains are often not as efficient as point drains, which are the more common circular drains.

In fact, in one forum I discovered some people griping that they have to clear out the drain on an almost daily basis because they had so many problems with slow draining and water pooling in their shower, which can cause a whole world of plumbing issues.

How I deal with the linear drain

Cleaning out the drain is now such a frequent chore in our household — we do it at least once a week — that we keep a screwdriver in our bathroom all the time in order to pop off the drain cover. It’s not that bad — you simply have to take off the cover and clean out the drain tray — but as someone who is squeamish about hair, I’m glad my husband willingly tackles this bathroom-cleaning task. Plus, at the end of the day, while it’s good to clear your drains regularly and avoid putting things down that might clog them, experts recommend deep cleaning drains once or twice a year.

Drains like the one we have in our shower, according to plumbers, are known to cause problems.

“Linear drains can trap hair, soap scum, and debris because of their long, narrow design,” says Shaylin King, owner of Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Eastern Washington, a Neighborly company. “Over time, this can cause blockages.”

Linear drains also require more frequent cleaning compared to standard drains, King says, and due to their design, repairs can also be more expensive than traditional plumbing.

Linear drains are undeniably sleek and modern, and fit perfectly into minimalist or contemporary designs, says Ben Harvey, the principal designer and CEO of San Diego, California-based Harmonia Living. But in practice, he agrees with me that these types of drains can be a bit of a headache — especially with double showerheads thrown in the mix.

“With double showerheads, you’re often doubling the water flow, soap suds, and hair that the drain has to handle,” he explains.

I’m filing this lesson into “the things you learn when buying a house” category. We always tested the water pressure in showers when we were getting serious about putting offers in, but didn’t think about the efficiency of drains.

Honestly, it wouldn’t have been a dealbreaker, and it’s not something that would show up in a home inspection, but it is something that we may look to upgrade down the line.

Fortunately our shower drain includes a removable tray that catches hair and debris before it gets stuck in pipes — which is important when you’ve got linear drains, according to Kelly Russum, the owner of KC’s 23 1/2 Hour Plumbing & Air Conditioning in Palm Desert, California.

Russum also recommends drains with hydrophobic or anti-stick coatings, which reduce soap scum, grime, and limescale adherence. It also helps to avoid shower products that can clog drains.

But my take? Linear drains are one of those design trends that’s more about form than function!

(Apartment Therapy is dedicated to helping people transform their lives by providing everything they need to create beautiful, organized and healthy homes. For more information, visit www.apartmenttherapy.com.)

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