Help clearing a badly clogged shower drain

[Jim Matthews]

Pressurizing a clogged drain will only put stress on the system - or move the clog farther from the drain.

Use mechanical means to remove the mat of hair that holds things together.
Clean down to the bottom of the P-trap, and look it over with a flashlight.

If the drain still doesn't flow, you're in professional territory.
These are simple problems, that improperly handled become complex repairs.

[Stephen Tashiro]

Make sure you know what type of trap is on the drain. There is a type of trap that is like a can, instead of being like the common S-shaped pipe trap. I've heard this type is not easy to snake-out. I have one on my bath tub, but fortunately it has never clogged.

[Myk Rian]

This might be a dumb question, but is there another way to eliminate that possibility without climbing to the roof? Getting to the roof is not easy (three stories, steep roof)

Whatever you might do with the roof vent, do not, and I repeat, DO NOT use a leaf blower in it.
I did that this summer to remove a wasp nest. A little later Wifey calls me into the bathroom to show me a flood on the floor.
The air pressure blew all the water out of the toilet.
I had invented a new style Bidet.

[Jason Roehl]

Did you laugh?

[John Coloccia]

Sound like the clog is too far down, but before we got a new drain with a hair trap, we use to get hair clogs all the time in our bathtub. My goto tool was (and still is) old guitar strings. I save the wound string just for this. I bend the end back, so there's a little hook to grab things. Then I go to the other end and make a couple of bends to make a little crank. I turn it and snake it down. A few seconds later, I pull out the clog. Very quick and easy.

[Myk Rian]

Did you laugh?

Yes. We had a good laugh over it, after wiping the floor down.
Good thing there was nobody sitting on it, or something in it.

[Phil Thien]

Start boiling multiple pots of water on the stove, and pour them down the drain. As soon as you empty one pot, fill it with water and start it boiling again. Do this until the drain runs freely.

[Augusto Orosco]

Also, you could try the plunger again, but don't use full, powerful strokes with it--that can make the problem worse by packing the clog into a turn somewhere. Instead, use quick, short, in-and-out strokes in rapid succession to work the clog--make sure you have the drain filled with water first, since the water doesn't compress like air will. It also helps if you cover the overflow drain (if present).

Bingo! Last night I used the snake again. Although it came back empty I made sure I twisted it around trying to loosen whatever could still be there. I then tried the plastic barbed short snake and still found nothing. Finally I turned on the shower and let the water fill up; which it did pretty quickly. Went at it with the plunger for 3-4 minutes,using the rapid short motion you suggested and voila! Shower now drains like the first day it was installed.


Thanks Jason and everyone else for all the good suggestions. It's helpful when you can brainstorm the problem with a bunch of people. You guys just saved me a bunch of money!

[Jason Roehl]

Just a little experience. My #2 child, thin as he may be, has caused me (and my brother-in-law, when we stay at their house for Turkey Day) much plumbing grief over the years. And not from hair.

Glad you got it working!

[Myk Rian]

When the kids were young, the toilet got plugged. After many attempts at using a snake, it came down to pulling the toilet up.
A rubber ball was stuck in the bottom of it.
Watch the kids, constantly!!!

[ray hampton]

I use a tool that are made to remove belts from cassette players, the hook on the end can be use to catch the hair at the tub drain and pull the globs of hair out

[Ethan Liou]

Whenever I feel the drain performs not as well, I use Sodium hydroxide before it becomes a real problem. I know you probably won't be wiling to try another chemical. But this has been working for me for quite some years and it's easy. It's a strong chemical though. So be really careful.

[phil harold]

I would not use a vacuum
Sewer gas can get you sick and explode

find a pressure washer and get this
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...0901_200330901

wear gloves
use a 5 gallon bucket to coil it into before and during use



p.s. women products are famous for causing clogs those cottoniny and string things catch on almost anything!

[David G Baker]

Sodium Hydroxide should work well in clearing a drain because it will dissolve hair, grease and flesh. The flesh dissolving is the major risk factor and it will also dissolve eyes. I used 36N Sodium Hydroxide for years while I managed a motion picture film processing lab as a component in the processing chemistry. If you use it wear gloves and eye protection designed for working with caustics. I am not sure that concentrated Sodium Hydroxide is available for sale to the general public. I have used Sulfuric Acid as a drain plug dissolver, it works but if you have plastic fittings the chemical generates a lot of heat and may melt the fittings, don't ask me how I know.

[Rich Engelhardt]

These are simple problems, that improperly handled become complex repairs.

That's exactly the lesson I've learned.....
Unless it's a super simple thing, when it comes to plumbing I just suck it up and call a pro.
99 times out of 100 I ended up having to call one in anyhow after I'd wasted either a lot of time or a lot of money or both, so I just skip that part these days.