Mira Flight Shower Tray Not Draining

We had a Mira Flight shower tray fitted to an en-suite bathroom, and it was okay for about 18 months. Then, the water started to overflow the shower tray while showering because it was not draining away quickly enough.

Cleaning out the Mira Flight waste tube
Cleaning out the Mira Flight waste tube

We regularly cleaned out the channel drain waste chamber body and the waste pipe with special triangular and cone-shaped sponges on sticks to ensure we got into all the nooks and crannies that Mira had designed into the drain assembly’s plastic extrusions.

Making sure the channel drain waste tube outlet is clear
Make sure the channel drain waste tube outlet is clear

We also used a drain cleaning coil with a brush on the end to ensure the waste pipe was clear. The drain cleaning coil meant that we could get into the main waste pipeline to make sure the entire route was clear of all blockages.

Mira Flight channel drain waste tube insert and cover
Mira Flight channel drain waste tube insert and cover

To prove that there was no blockage in the waste pipe, we tested a sink further upstream, draining away with no problems.

When we removed the channel drain cover and removed the waste tube insert, the water drained away quickly. Putting the waste tube insert back in would slow the flow of the water right down, so we could only draw one conclusion. That conclusion had to be that the channel drain waste tube insert had somehow expanded over time, pressing against the channel drain chamber wall and inhibiting the flow of water from the shower tray.

Mira Flight waste tube insert
Mira Flight waste tube insert

As unlikely as it may seem, the solution was to cut some of the length of the waste tube and drill some holes in it to facilitate the water draining away at a better rate. This seemed to make a lot of difference, and the water now drains away with much greater vigour.

Holes cut out of Mira Flight waste tube insert to aid drainage
Holes cut out of Mira Flight waste tube insert to aid drainage

A more drastic solution might be to ditch the waste tube insert all together, but this seemed to be too severe a solution as Mira included the waste tube for a reason, which was probably to catch any detritus that may make it through the cover. Still, in our case, it was also stopping the water which defeats the object!

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