How can I sort out our blocked shower drain?
You might notice the blocked shower drain when you are in shower and suddenly the water level starts rising up. A blocked drain, quite disgusting and a sign of problems to come!. What about that wet sinking feeling when you are brushing your teeth at the washbasin on a lousy Monday morning and the filled sink just refuses to drain!. Nobody likes to deal with blocked shower drains because they are a real hassle and they give an impression of being unsanitary (because they are). But the fact is that sooner or later, a bathroom drain is going to become clogged or suffer a blockage. So you should know how to unclog them, well in advance.
Why Do They Happen?.
Blocked shower drains can occur when some material such as hair, dust and particles become trapped in the area between your bathroom drain and the drainage pipes that follow underneath. The problem aggravates when bathroom products like soap, shampoo, conditioner, detergent, and the like begin to accumulate on the mass. As the mass grows, it restricts the free flow of water, and the drain eventually becomes clogged. So, if you are finding the water isn’t flowing freely through your drain resulting in water rising quickly in your bath or sink chances are that you have a clog in your plumbing system.
How to remove the drain blockage.
If you’re facing a clogged bathroom sink or blocked shower drain problem, there are a couple of different things you can do to get things flowing smoothly again. Whether you are working with a sink or a bathtub drain, the first step to take is to remove the stopper. With a bathroom sink this can be as easy as pulling it right out or as complicated a problem as looking under the sink and removing the nut that holds it in place. In case of bathtub drain, you can either remove the overflow plate or unscrew the stopper.
Once you remove the stopper, you may then be able to see the source of the clog. It is very likely to look like a small mass of hair and debris wrapped around the drain’s hardware. Try to get as much of this out as possible by hand, this could solve the drains problem. If it is difficult to reach the area where the clog is located, or difficult to grasp the mass, simply use a bent wire clothes hanger to help you do the job. Your drain is likely to get unclogged if you remove the soap scum, hair and other particles from it that you can see.
If, after exposing the drain, you observe that the blockage is not close enough for removal with the wire you have, then you will need to find another way. A very useful tool is a drain plunger which can eradicate those blockages that are too deep to reach. To begin with, you should plug the overflow drain to make sure that the plunger has optimum suction. Next, place the plunger directly over the drain opening and methodically pulse the plunger up and down several times. You may find that this suction-push action of the plunger loosens the clogged debris down the pipe and the accumulated water now drains freely.
However, if this method also fails to have any affect you might have to use some sort of chemical cleaner. The chemicals have the potential to damage your bathroom fixtures, and they are dangerous too; for this reason, they should be used only when all the above methods fail to unclog your drain.
Get expert help if this is necessary, call in a drains contractor.
If the above methods fail to solve your blocked shower drain problem then you may have to contact a plumber. Alternatively experienced drains contractors like Dynorod have all the necessary equipment required to unclog the drains and inspect the interior with a CCTV inspection or drains camera. Although availing plumber services can be a costly proposition it gives you the much needed peace of mind as the water starts flowing
6 Responses to “How can I sort out our blocked shower drain?”
If you are an experienced plumber snake it! you can do it yourself (they have them at stores like homebase) or call a plumber like Dyno Plumbing
Go to Home Depot, buy a blow bag (19.99) (Looks like an inflatable black rubber balloon with a garden hose attachment on one side), take off the grill of the shower floor and using the blow bag and a regular hose (attached) inser the blow bag a few inches into the pipe, run the water from the hose, the pressure exerted by the water into the blowbag will push out any blockage, if it doesn’t work e-mail me, my hsuband is a plumber who Lives for solving such problems, no idea why but it’s true.
You will have to locate the p-trap. Its an s shaped pipe usually a foot away from the drain. You will have to go under the house to see it. If your house is on a concrete slab there should be access on the opposite wall of the tub behind the faucet. You can remove the trap and clean it out, if its not clogged there run a plumbers snake down the pipe toward the main sewer line.
Snake it Its a plumber’s snake that is used to un-clog small blockages. It can be purchased at Wal-Mart or any hardware store.
I dunnoe what it is called. But its a rubber cup with a handle. Its like a suction cup. Just place it over it and push the handle hard. It might help. Alternatively add some baking soda and crystalline citric acid in the drain, Some means 2 heap table spoons each. Add a glass of warm water in the drain and somehow seal the mouth of the drain with the above mentioned rubber cup. The mixture will make lots of CO2 gas which will flush the drain.
Hope this hels!!!
Pouring boiling water down there can sometimes help.
have you, got any drain rods , sounds like your drains are blocked
if you ask me,
it will cost an awful lot to call someone out, ask a friend if they
have got any drain rods 1st,
and do that, and after wash them out with a hose ,
that will clear them ,
also, if you, are a c/tenant have a word with the council and see
if they can help you out, go to enviromental services,
the tel no . is in the phone book ,
good luck ,
had same problem not long ago,
had too have new sewers put in.
it cost £ 6,1099. that was privately,
have you, got one or two man holes , if 2 then you, are soley
responsible for the waste , that goes into the saddle of the
main sewer,
if only one then the council are the responsibl ones ,
don’t worry , it will get sorted out.
give them a ring now,