How to Make a Shower Trap

Locate the area under the shower where the plumbing drain lines extend to, which is typically below the shower. In some homes, the pipes are in an access panel in the first floor or in a basement. In other homes, the pipes are in the crawl space accessible from outside the home.

Lay two curved PVC elbows so that they form an S shape. Open a jar of PVC cement and apply a 1/8-inch layer around the outside of the smaller elbow opening and the inside of the other elbow. Push the two pieces together and hold for 30 seconds.

Hold the trap up to the shower drain to determine if an additional straight section of pipe is required to make the connection. If so, measure the distance from the drain opening to where the trap stops and cut a straight piece of PVC pipe to the length using a hacksaw.

Wrap Teflon tape around the threaded part of a male PVC adapter and screw it into the bottom of the drain.

Pick up a female PVC adapter and wrap more Teflon tape around the threads. Screw the female adapter into the waste water pipe that leads to the sewer.

Apply more PVC cement to the outside of either end of the PVC trap you glued together. Hold the trap up to the installation location and press the upper elbow into the shower drain or the straight pipe, and press the lower elbow into the waste water line. Hold it for 30 seconds and then release.

Turn the water supply back on and watch the newly installed trap for leaks.