Chrome Wastes

Chrome wastes guide

This collection gathers the wastes and traps that come in chrome: basin and bath pop up and pop down wastes, bottle traps for wall hung basins, a bath overflow kit, flexible bath connectors, and floor wastes and tile inserts. Chrome is the most widely matched finish in the bathroom, so the question here is rarely the colour. It is the size, the overflow and the fit. The sections below cover what chrome is, how it behaves, and what each family of chrome wastes offers, so the part you order suits the basin or the bath. The matching taps are on chrome taps.

How chrome is made

Chrome is electroplated onto a metal body, and the wastes in this collection show it. Chrome is electroplated onto a solid brass body to produce a mirror-bright, highly reflective surface, and multi-layer plating adds corrosion resistance. The chrome wastes here are electroplated or chrome plated. The Phoenix chrome wastes, for example, have an electroplated finish to ensure the colour lasts, and the Meir chrome floor grate is chrome plated brass.

Electroplating is durable, and PVD, the vacuum process used for brushed and coloured finishes, is the other common process on wastes. Check the finish process on the product you are buying, because it tells you which one it is.

What chrome shows, and how to wipe it

Chrome is highly reflective and polished, which shapes how it looks day to day. It shows fingerprints, smudges and water spots more easily than other finishes, needs regular cleaning to keep its shine, and some people find it cold or clinical. The reflective surface shows every droplet and smear, limescale is more visible on chrome than on brushed nickel in hard water areas, and a quick wipe after use keeps it looking its best. A microfibre wipe restores the shine almost instantly: chrome forgives cleaning, but not neglect between cleans.

Chrome is also the most forgiving finish to mix with others. It sits happily beside white, black and most neutral tapware, which is why a chrome waste is the safe choice when the tap and basin are not from the same range.

Basin wastes in chrome

Several makers offer a basin waste for a basin with a 32mm waste outlet that connects to 40mm pipework. The Phoenix universal pop-up waste and the Phoenix flat-topped version work that way, with a pop up dome on one and a flat top on the other and a pull out plug for cleaning on both. The Otti mushroom waste is similar. The Nero Universal Project waste suits basins with a 32mm outlet, with or without an overflow, and the Nero universal waste has a G 1 1/2 inch thread. The Fienza universal pull-out waste suits a 32mm or 40mm outlet, with an adaptor included for the 40mm.

The Turner Hastings two piece waste in chrome is solid brass with a high flow rate and a universal fit for basins with 40mm or 32mm outlets, with or without an overflow. The Meir universal all-in-one waste serves basins and baths, includes an overflow and is Watermark approved to AS/NZS 3718:2005. The Clark 40mm pop up waste in chrome suits basins with or without an overflow, with one limit: it is for wall hung, under counter, semi-recessed and semi-inset basins only. The Caroma dome waste in chrome is designed to fit Liano II, Urbane II and Contura II basins and will not fit other basins.

The ART Australia Basin Pop Down in chrome is the flush type. It sits flush in the open position, with a quick remove cartridge, and it comes in a 32mm version and a universal 32/40mm version, with Satin Chrome also listed. For the sizing guide in full, see basin wastes.

Chrome or brushed nickel

The question that comes up most often with chrome is whether to choose brushed nickel instead. The comparison is balanced. Chrome is bright and cool, widely available, and it wipes clean. Brushed nickel hides marks better, because its brushed texture scatters light while chrome's mirror surface does not. The lighter brushed finishes can still show smudges and watermarks, and brushed nickel can look different under different lighting, so look at a sample in the room before you decide.

For a waste, the choice follows the tap. A chrome tap wants a chrome waste. If the room mixes metals, mixing finishes on purpose is acceptable, though a near match looks like a mistake. Brushed nickel wastes are on brushed nickel wastes.

Types, sizes and the standard size

Basin wastes come in three types: the pop up, the pop down and the plug and waste. The pop up lets you drain the basin or push the plug down to seal it, and it is the most popular. The pop down sits recessed when sealed and flush while water drains. The plug and waste uses a separate plug and is the easy, widely available fallback.

On size, there is no single standard. Basins are usually 32mm and baths 40mm, and vanity basins usually take 32mm while larger fixtures take 40mm, with adaptors bridging a mismatch. Most Australian basins take 32 or 40mm, measured at the part inside the basin. Measure the opening, not the cap, and let the thread and size confirm the match.

Overflow

The overflow is a small hole near the top of the bowl. An unslotted waste is completely watertight when closed, while a slotted waste has a slot that carries overflow water away whether the waste is open or closed. A basin or bath with an overflow needs a slotted waste, and one without needs an unslotted waste. The wrong type can cause leaks or stop the overflow from working. Many of the chrome wastes here are universal and convert between the two, and the title or feature list says so.

Bath wastes

Bath wastes are 40mm. The Decina bath pop-up plug with removable waste is solid brass in polished chrome, with a removable cartridge for cleaning and drain access, designed for baths. The ART Australia Bath Pop Down comes in Chrome and Satin Chrome, suits bath and spa applications, and sits flush. The Nero 40mm bath pop-up plug has no overflow and the Nero pop up bath waste has one, and the short version suits tight spaces. The Fienza pull-out bath waste comes with and without an overflow. The Turner Hastings safety pull-out bath waste has a pull-out feature that is quick for children's safety, with a mechanism strong enough to prevent accidental unplugging.

The Decina bath pop down overflow and waste kit adds an overflow to an existing built-in bath or spa. The kit includes an overflow, a hose and a 40mm pop-down plug and waste, and the outlet is positioned near the top inside edge of the bath to take excess water back to the waste. For every bath waste type, see bath wastes.

Flexible bath connectors

Two connectors in chrome bridge a bath waste and a drain that do not line up. The ART Australia Bath Bend Pop Down and Connector combines the plug and waste with a 600mm flexible connector and an elbow, a 77mm low body, a maximum offset of 650mm and a bath thickness adjustment to 12mm. The Decina flexible bath connector comes with a chrome pop-up plug and waste. Its flexible tube is 300mm, can be cut shorter and suits solvent welding. It works with baths that have at least 100mm of room underneath. Measure the offset and the clearance under the bath before choosing.

Bottle traps

A bottle trap replaces the plastic trap under a wall hung basin, and in a chrome bathroom it keeps the pipe in the same finish. Chrome versions come from Phoenix, Caroma, Nero, Turner Hastings and Meir. The Phoenix 40mm trap is vertically and horizontally adjustable with a removable cap. The Caroma Modina trap is brass and designed to suit Caroma wall hung basins. The Turner Hastings deluxe S trap and Aurora P trap come with a 32x40mm bush and a rubber key seal connector and adjust to suit a 32mm waste. The Meir round trap is made for a 32mm waste. A bottle trap suits exposed pipework and is not for floor-waste outlets or kitchen sinks, and connecting one to the wall pipe is licensed plumbing work. For the full range, see bottle traps.

Floor drains in chrome

Chrome drains for the floor come from Meir, Caroma, ART Australia, Nero and Fienza. The Meir square floor grate in chrome measures 110 x 110mm for 100mm pipe, with a wide outer grate for tiling and sealing. The Caroma square floor wastes come in 50mm, 80mm and 100mm outlets with removable grates, and as stainless steel tile inserts for 80mm and 100mm, all Watermark certified. The Nero round tile inserts are 304 stainless steel with 100mm and 130mm faces. The ART Australia Bermuda range includes the Megaflex with a 50mm outlet, the Mega round tile insert and the Reflections, whose flippable insert gives a tile or a chrome plate. The Fienza square floor waste has a round grate and a 100mm outlet. For the wider guide to outlets, falls and tile inserts, see floor wastes.

Care and cleaning

Wipe chrome with a soft cloth or a microfibre cloth after use, and use mild soap and warm water for a deeper clean. Dry it afterwards to prevent water marks and scale. Avoid abrasive pads and strong chemicals. Lift out cartridges and grates to rinse off hair and soap. In hard water areas, scale builds up faster on chrome than on a brushed finish, so a regular wipe does more than an occasional deep clean.

How to choose

Work from the fixture. For a basin, confirm the outlet, the overflow and the fit statement. For a bath, confirm the outlet and the overflow, and whether a connector is needed. For a wall hung basin, add a bottle trap. For a floor, confirm the pipe size and the tile. Then match the chrome to the tap, and wipe the two together. The parent page for every maker's wastes, traps and grates is wastes, traps and grates.