Shower drain unblocker.

[dannyboy2005]

This is the 2nd time the shower has been blocked. Firstly there's not enough 'slope' to get the momentum of the waste to flow and secondly, its hair + dead skin that's stuck.

I have tried rodding it, plunging it, but just wont shift. My only option is going to the local plumbing store and asking for the harshest chemical ever to eat away the hair and dead skin.

Dose anyone have any home secrets they use to get rid of blockages.

The water is draining VERY SLOWLY and i need a shower tonight... I dont want dead skin floating around my feet.

Thanks

 

[Dom]

Bleach? Lol

 

[drywallguy]

The old hair and soap clog with some skin cells just for good measure.
You will want something flexible like a drain snake to get through the p trap. (The U shaped fitting that keeps sewer gas in the pipe.) You can rent a large electric snake (probably not on Sunday) from most rental places. Or purchase a smaller hand cranked one from a hardware store. Remove the drain cover and feed the snake down while cranking.
It doesn't take much grade or slope to get water to drain. But if the pipe is full of stuff a 45 degree angle won't help. Have fun!

 

[Joan Archer]

Mr Muscle Sink and Drain Cleaner.

You either have a lot of people who use the shower over a short period or it's not cleaned on a regular basis if it's that blocked up.

 

[jimbo45]

Take it from me as an old Engineer -- short of actually unscrewing the connecting drain pipe and removing the blockage the only other possible option is to pour some Caustic Soda down the drain --- TAKE CARE HANDLING THIS AS IT REALLY WILL BURN YOUR SKIN.

Before using the shower again and after it's unblocked flush the shower with loads of water to remove all traces of the Caustic soda.

Please take GREAT CARE however when handling this stuff.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[WindowsStar]

This is the 2nd time the shower has been blocked. Firstly there's not enough 'slope' to get the momentum of the waste to flow and secondly, its hair + dead skin that's stuck.

I have tried rodding it, plunging it, but just wont shift. My only option is going to the local plumbing store and asking for the harshest chemical ever to eat away the hair and dead skin.

Dose anyone have any home secrets they use to get rid of blockages.

The water is draining VERY SLOWLY and i need a shower tonight... I dont want dead skin floating around my feet.

Thanks

This is what I have done that has worked very well.

First buy some Liquid Plummer, Draino or equal drain cleaner. Double the recommend dose and add about 1 hour of time to it. Boil ~ 2 gallons (4 liters) of water. Once the time has elapsed for the drain cleaner, run the water as hot as it will get for about 5 minutes. When the 5 minutes is up pour the 4 liters of boiling water down the drain. This should clear everything. Good Luck.

 

[WindowsStar]

Take it from me as an old Engineer -- short of actually unscrewing the connecting drain pipe and removing the blockage the only other possible option is to pour some Caustic Soda down the drain --- TAKE CARE HANDLING THIS AS IT REALLY WILL BURN YOUR SKIN.

Before using the shower again and after it's unblocked flush the shower with loads of water to remove all traces of the Caustic soda.

Please take GREAT CARE however when handling this stuff.

Cheers
jimbo

Yes, please take care in doing this and do take into consideration that Causitc Soda is NOT safe on all drain pipes.

 

[drywallguy]

Please everyone be careful with chemical drain cleaners in your tub/shower drains. You can end up standing or sitting in any chemicals that don't make it all the way to the treatment plant. That being said, all drain water ends up in a waterway down the line. Drano is not very green. Most chemical drain cleaners are made for sinks and are labeled so. I like the easy way as much as anyone, but I will dig soapy hairballs out of the shower drain. Your welcome for that mental picture.

 

[dannyboy2005]

Caustic Soda down the drain

I read up on this stuff and is mostly suitable for kitchen drains where there's fat and food stuck. This stuff softens it up.

I made my own solution. I used my metal snake/ prodded to try and pull out all the hair, only a little bit came out.

I then blasted the power shower hose (Removed head for even more pressure) down the whole (Removed plug obv) and this bought up loads of dirt that swam around in the try where you stand. Absolutely loads of S*it.

I packed baking soda right down the pipe and added white vinegar then KABOOM the solution foamed up everywhere.

I then washed this all way with the power showers house and repeated the step again with Bi-carb soda and same reults.

I did this twice more with both mixes and rinsing the drain out each time.

It seems problem is fixed. It can take loads and loads of water and never gets flooded. I saved my self £80 as i didn't need a plumber.


P.s. Taking the pipes apart was my last option if the above didn't work. I didn't want to cut through the neat silicon that act's as a filler where the valance and the tiles meet and there's only about 6" of movement when you put your hands under the shower tray. All in all, took about 90 minutes.

Thanks All
Dan

 

[Joan Archer]

Glad you have it sorted, just remember now to do it on regular basis, once a week, so it doesn't get so clogged up again.

 

[Kirsch]

Glad you have it sorted, just remember now to do it on regular basis, once a week, so it doesn't get so clogged up again.

Once a week? If the Abominable Snowman lives there, sure.

I think once a month is good enough

 

[z3r010]

Now it's fixed, buy one of these and keep it clean - Buy Tala Stainless Steel Sink Strainer online at JohnLewis.com

 

[dannyboy2005]

Now it's fixed, buy one of these and keep it clean - Buy Tala Stainless Steel Sink Strainer online at JohnLewis.com

Good find. Next time i pop to Milton Keynes i'll get one of these.

Thanks

 

[Joan Archer]

Now it's fixed, buy one of these and keep it clean - Buy Tala Stainless Steel Sink Strainer online at JohnLewis.com

I have a similar thing over the plug hole in my bath John.

 

[bigmck]

I have this same problem as I usually shower with two or three women. With all of the moving around we do, the dead skin really mounts up.

 

[DocBrown]

I have this same problem as I usually shower with two or three women. With all of the moving around we do, the dead skin really mounts up.[/QUOTE]


:roflmao::roflmao:

 

[pparks1]

I packed baking soda right down the pipe and added white vinegar then KABOOM the solution foamed up everywhere.

That was going to be my suggestion. It's what I have used in the past and it's green and easy on the pipes. Not to mention, very cheap.

 

[dannyboy2005]

I have this same problem as I usually shower with two or three women. With all of the moving around we do, the dead skin really mounts up.

Pics of GTFO! lol