Trough Sinks

What Are Trough Sinks?

A trough sink is a long communal hand washing basin that lets multiple people wash at the same time. You will also see them referred to as wash troughs, washtroughs or trough basins. Rather than filling with water, a trough is fed at a controlled premixed temperature through individual tap positions along its length, which keeps water use low and eliminates the risk of overflow.

They are the practical choice for any washroom that needs to move people through quickly. Schools rely on them because a row of individual basins takes more wall space and more pipework for the same number of users. Sports centres, offices, industrial units and public conveniences use them for exactly the same reasons. Where individual hand wash stations are more appropriate for a project, our commercial hand wash basins cover that requirement.

Stainless Steel Wash Troughs

Stainless steel is the most common specification for commercial wash troughs in education, sport and public sector projects. It is robust, straightforward to keep clean and holds up well in environments where vandalism or heavy daily use are a concern. The full range of sizes, projections and tap hole configurations is on our dedicated stainless steel wash troughs page.

Solid Surface Wash Troughs

Solid surface wash troughs are specified when aesthetics matter as much as performance. Manufactured from materials such as Corian, they are produced with seamless joints and smooth continuous profiles that are not achievable in fabricated metal. Available in profiles including box, conceal, slope, curve and convex, they suit office washrooms, hotel and hospitality fit outs and any project where the washroom is considered part of the interior design rather than a utility space.

Most solid surface troughs can be ordered in standard sizes or made to measure, and are available in a range of colours and finishes. They accept wall mounted taps or, where the profile includes a tap deck, deck mounted taps. Waste fittings and traps should be specified at the point of order to confirm compatibility.

Choosing the Right Wash Trough

The three decisions that matter most are material, length and tap configuration. Stainless steel is the default for schools, leisure and public sector use. Solid surface is the right call for offices, hospitality and higher specification projects.

Length determines capacity. A general rule for adult installations is one tap position per 600mm, so a 1800mm trough comfortably serves three users at once. Shallower projection models are manufactured specifically for younger children in nursery and infant school washrooms. For non-standard spaces, made to measure units are available from most manufacturers in the range.

Tap configuration needs to be confirmed before ordering. Troughs with pre drilled tap holes take deck mounted taps directly. Troughs without tap holes are designed for wall mounted taps set above the basin. In schools and public washrooms a thermostatic mixing valve must be incorporated upstream to control outlet temperature in line with HTM 04-01 and current Building Regulations guidance. A wash hand trough fed at the correct temperature with the right tap type will meet the requirements of most specifiers and local authority procurement teams without further modification.