10 Best Drain Cover [Buyer Guide]
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Do you find that your outside drain gets blocked frequently? Drain blockages caused by fallen leaves and other debris are an unnecessary annoyance! In order to stop this from occurring, you’ll need to invest in a drain cover. Drain covers are usually made from a durable type of plastic that add another layer of protection to your drain. They work by covering the large openings of your outside drain, while still having smaller holes to allow rain to pass through. Here at Konservatory, we recommend investing in a drain cover regardless if you have frequent blockages, or not! However, when you’re in the market for a buying a drain cover, there are a few things you need to consider before you buy… will it have a pre-cut hole for any pipes? Will it be supplied with brackets for a drain that’s next to a wall? Does it have smaller holes for rain flow or larger holes? What material is it? The list of buyer considerations are longer than you may initially think! Drain covers can save you a whole lot of bother by preventing blockages. They are also great for the gardener who is aesthetically conscious of their garden and would prefer to cover their drains! Covers often come in sleek colours – to conceal them rather than draw attention.
In this guide we talk you through the 10 best drain covers available on the market now. After the reviews, like our recent blog on dust extractors, we’ve also included a summary section. This section is filled with helpful advice and considerations to make before you commit and buy! If you still happen to have any unanswered questions, we have also included some FAQs at the bottom of this page. So, if you’re wanting to find out more – keep on reading!
Whatmore Drain Cover
This drain cover is one that pops over the drain, instead of inside it. With smaller holes for rain flow, this drain cover stops any leaves or large debris getting into your drain and causing any blockages. Made from a black plastic, these are durable and made to last throughout all weather conditions. These drain covers come in a pack of 2 and are 32cm wide.
Key Features:
Twin pack
Durable
Made to withstand all weather conditions
Specification:
Brand
Whatmore
Colour
Black
Material
Plastic
Dimensions (cm)
32 x 7.5 x 28
Pros
Prevents leaves and debris blockages
Cons
May not be right size for everyones drain
Strata Drain Cover
This drain cover is one that pops over the drain, instead of inside it. This drain cover stops any leaves or large debris getting into your drain and causing any blockages. Made from a black plastic, these are made to withstand even the toughest conditions. This drain cover is 34cm wide.
Key Features:
Durable
Can overcome most weather conditions
Specification:
Brand
Strata
Colour
Black
Material
Plastic
Dimensions (cm)
34 x 29.7 x 7.6
Pros
modern look to fit in with most homes
Cons
Not sold as twin pack
Map Drain Cover
This drain cover sits inside the drain, instead of on top. This cover is designed to suit square gullys of 152mm and With smaller holes for rain flow, this drain cover stops any leaves or large debris getting into your drain and causing any blockages. Made from a black plastic, this drain cover will almost certainly withstand tough weather conditions due to the fact it is placed inside the drain. These drain cover is 18.6cm wide.
Key Features:
Prevents blockage
Durable
Made with tough thermoplastic
Specification:
Brand
Map
Colour
Black
Material
Plastic
Dimensions
18.6 x 16.6 x 1.4
Pros
Non corrosive
Cons
Plastix grid drain cover
This drain cover conceals your drain in a similar way that a wheelie bin storage conceals your wheelie bins. With smaller holes for rain flow, this drain cover stops most leaves or large debris getting into your drain resulting in blockages. Made from a black plastic, these are durable and made to last throughout most weather conditions. These drain covers come in a pack of 2 and are 34.6cm wide.
Key Features:
Durable
Prevents blockages
Specification:
Brand
Plastix
Colour
Black
Material
Plastic
Dimensions
34.6 x 30.1 x 12.6
Pros
Comes as pack of 2
JAK Drain Cover
This drain cover is one that is placed over the drain, instead of being put inside it. With smaller holes designed for rain flow, this drain cover helps stop any pile up of leaves or large debris getting into your drain and causing any blockages. Made from a black plastic, these are durable and built to withstand tough weather conditions. This drain cover is 30cm wide.
Key Features:
Durable
Keeps drain unblocked
Holes help rain clean the drain
Specification:
Brand
JAK
Colour
Black
Material
plastic
Dimensions
30 x 30 x 10
Pros
Hard plastic
Cons
Does not come as a pack of 2
Whatmore Drain Cover
This drain cover conceals the drain in a similar way that a BBQ cover conceals BBQ’s. This drain cover is one that goes over your drain. The design is simply made with smaller holes to allow rain flow to proceed and to stop leaves passing through reducing the chance of blockages. Made from a black, frost resistant plastic, these are durable and made to stand against all weather conditions. These drain covers come in a pack of 2 and are 33cm wide.
Key Features:
Frost resistant plastic
Durable
Designed with smaller holes
Specification:
Brand
Whatmore
Colour
Black
Material
Frost resistant plastic
Dimensions (cm)
33 x 33 x 8
Pros
Comes as a pack of 2
Prevents blockages
Cons
Style might not be for everyone
Generic Drain Cover
This drain cover is designed for circular drains and is placed inside the drain, instead of being popped on top.With different sized holes, this drain allows access for rain flow to carry on whilst stopping any leaves or larger debris to pass through, which prevents any blockages from occurring. Made from a black plastic, these are durable easy to place into the drain with an extremely low chance of them moving once placed.
Key Features:
Suited for circular drains
Durable
Different sized holes for multi function
Specification:
Brand
Generic
Colour
Black
Material
plastic
Pros
Blocks leaves
Made from hard plastic
Cons
Not suitable for square drains
Whatmore Drain cover
This drain cover is one that pops over the drain, instead of inside it. It is designed with smaller holes so rain flow can pass by, this drain cover stops any leaves or large debris getting into your drain. Made from a black plastic, these are durable and made to last throughout all weather conditions. This drain cover and are approximately 32cm wide.
Key Features:
Smaller holes for rain flow to pass by
Durable
Keeps drain unblocked
Specification:
Brand
Whatmore
Colour
Black
Material
Plastic
Dimensions (cm)
31.24 x 7.11 x 28.7
Pros
Sturdy
Cons
Does not come as a pack of two
PC6CG Drain Cover
This drain cover is designed for larger drains. It features a solid top galvanised cover with a strong PVC frame. With it being a closed top you wont have to worry at all about any blockages. This drain cover will almost definitely withstand all weather conditions due to it being extremely secure and heavyweight.
Key Features:
Closed top drain
Strong PVC frame
Specification:
Brand
PC6CG
Colour
Silver
Material
Solid top galvanised
Dimensions (cm)
66.9 x 53.9 x 5.6
Pros
Prevents all chance at exterior blockage
Cons
Not suitable for smaller drains
Summary
After reading all of these reviews, you will have hopefully found a drain cover that works for you and your outside space. You may also consider purchasing a hanging egg chair and cantilever parasol. However before you commit to the purchase, its good to have a quick skim through the buyer considerations we’ve listed here. These are the things you should keep in mind before you actually buy your drain cover, as you need to make sure you’ve made the right, informed decision so you can get the best outcome and value for money. We’ve also included an FAQ section so you can find the answers to any unanswered questions that you may still have. Drain covers are often very cheap items that can save hours of work in the garden, they’re super effective when you’ve got the right ones for you. So, with that being said, these are some key features to look out for:
Design
Fortunately, there is a whole host of different drain cover designs, which will mean you will definitely find one to suit your needs. Some of the drain covers that we’ve featured in this guide are very discreet, which is greta if you’re wanting something to blend in and not be easily spotted. These tend to be the drain cover type that sit inside your outside drain – meaning it’ll look completely seamless if you’re not wanting to draw attention to that area of your garden. If you’re not too fussed about it being seen, there are many drain covers that sit on top of your drain. Yes – they’re easier to spot, however if you’re purposely wanting to cover the drain for an appearance-related reason, a drain cover that goes over the drain might be exactly what you’re looking for. Often, a drain is something that you’re wanting to hide, so getting a drain cover to purposely mask it is pretty handy. Another plus about choosing the design of your drain cover is that they’re often very affordable items, which means that if you’re not at all happy with how one style looks – you can easily replace it.
Ease of installation
We reckon that ease of installation is a buyer consideration that’ll be quite high on everyone’s list. This is simply because – who wants a huge task when installing their new drain cover?! Luckily, most drain covers are very easy to install. There are different types of drain cover, ones that sit just on the inside or on the outside sat on top. Some will be supplied with nails that’ll require a little bit more labour as they’ll need to be screwed into the ground, whereas others are a lot more simple and just require being popped on top or inside. Some drain covers are made specifically for drains that are close to a wall, so these will come with something to attach to the wall – which will require a little bit more work. It is highly unlikely you’ll need a professional to install your drain cover for you.
Effectiveness
For a drain cover to be effective it needs to be durable, sturdy and not leave any large gaps for leaves to get in. Some of the drain covers that we’ve featured in this buyer guide are made to have only small holes for rain to flow through. If you’re using a drain cover that has a pre-cut out slot for a drain pipe, make sure that this cut out is the exact same size as your pipe. This is to ensure that any leaves or debris can’t get into the gaps and then therefore lead to a blockage deep in the drain pipe. A top tip is to look for a drain cover that mentions that it is weather proof, as this will mean that it’ll be far less likely to move out of place which causes gaps. No gaps = no debris blockages!
FAQ
How can I hide my garden drains?
So, a drain cover is the perfect way to cover any unsightly drains in your garden. But if you’re still wanting to disguise the drain cover, you can use different grasses or plants to distract from the drains completely.
What are drain covers made out of?
Most drain covers are made from a durable type of plastic. They often come in dark, discreet colours too so they don’t draw too much attention. Some drain covers are made from metal too but the plastic options are far more common. This is partly due to anti-weathering capabilities and due to it being incredibly cost effective and efficient.
Are drain covers expensive?
As we’ve mentioned throughout this guide, drain covers are often very cheap and affordable. They look great and don’t cost much either – a win win!
Is there any tips for unblocking a drain without spending a lot?
There are some DIY methods of unblocking your outside drain. Here we’ve linked a video from YouTube showing you one inexpensive method of unblocking your drain.
We’ve also linked some further reading for you here if you’d prefer to read some tips about unblocking drains.