Is It Time To Call A Plumber
If all else fails, dont wait any longer to call the plumbers. The problem will quickly become worse and if nothing else is working, then your local plumbers know what needs to be done to eliminate the clog once and for all. Addressing the issue now can prevent additional water damage from happening.
UNCLOG A SHOWER DRAIN WITH A COAT HANGER
You dont need special tools to unclog a shower drain. You probably have what you need in your nearest closet. Using a straightened wire coat hanger can be an effective way to remove shower drain clogs.
Making A Baking Soda And Vinegar Solution
What Happens If You Use Too Much Drano
If you use too much Drano, it could damage your plumbing and be very dangerous. The active ingredients in Drano are sodium hydroxide, often called caustic soda or lye, and sodium chloride .
These two ingredients work together to create a reaction that produces heat and breaks down fats and proteins, which helps to clear clogs. However, when these two powerful ingredients are used in higher concentrations, they can create enough heat to damage your pipes or create toxic fumes, which can make you very ill.
Additionally, Drano can damage your septic tank bacteria, leading to a build-up of solid waste that could clog your drainage system. Therefore, it is very important to make sure you read the directions and follow them exactly, as using too much Drano could have dangerous consequences.
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Before You Call The Plumber Follow These Tips To Clean A Clogged Smelly Shower Drain
Amanda Lauren is a Los Angelesbased contributor to a variety of publications and an interior design expert with two home decor product lines. On top of creating design and lifestyle content, Amanda hosts the Bougie Adjacent podcast where she interviews celebrities, influencers, and entrepreneurs. She appreciates both traditional and contemporary interior designs and believes pink can be incorporated into any room of the home.
There’s nothing less relaxing than getting ready to take a nice bath or shower only to be greeted by a smelly shower drain odor. Even worse is realizing the water isn’t going down after you’ve already toweled off.
A clogged shower drain is a nuisance, especially if it happens frequently. Whether you have excess soap scum, long hair, or something else that’s clogging your pipes or causing a smelly shower drain, this is a problem that doesn’t go away on its own and must be handled immediately. Luckily, most shower drain odor and clog issues are easy to handle if you know how to clean a shower drain the right way. Then, take some precautionary measures to prevent a clogged shower drain in the future.
How To Fix A Clogged Shower Drain When The Blockage Is Deep
PLUMBING REPAIR, PLUMBING TIPS
Did you know that the average person uses eighty to one hundred gallons of water per day? Whether its the shower or the toilet, we all rely on water throughout our day.
Thats why something like a clogged drain can throw a wrench into your entire day. A clogged shower drain is especially hard to deal with. This is due to the hair and debris that can easily get tangled deep down in the pipe.
So how do you deal with it? In this article, well teach you how to fix a clogged shower drain. Lets get started!
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Purchase A Shower Snake
A shower snake is a device that is fed into your shower drain to push apart blocking debris. Shower snakes are very effective at drain cleaning and can unclog a shower drain quickly.
Purchase a long drain snake and remove the drain cap. Then, feed it through. You may notice that it gets hung up at times. When it feels like it is blocked, pull it out a little bit and try to push through whatever is blocking it. Do this a few times and then pull it out. Test your drain by running your shower with hot water to see if you made a difference. See this post if you need more help in learning how to use it.
How Do I Unclog My Shower Drain
There are a variety of ways that you can unclog your shower drain. What it all boils down to is removing whatever is clogging the drain, whether its built-up minerals, hair, or something else. Lets see how you can get rid of the clog:
Vinegar and Baking Soda: What you need to do is mix baking vinegar and baking soda together to form a paste. What this will do is help break up the blockage so that it comes out of your shower drain. What you can do is pour the mixture into your drain over a period of time, then wait for a few minutes before pouring a pot of boiling water down. Repeat as needed until the clog breaks free.
Boiling Water: If vinegar and baking soda dont work, then all hope isnt lost! What you can do is follow the same method as above with one exception-after pouring in the mixture, make sure to pour boiling water down right after. The heat from the water should melt any buildup, allowing it to flow freely through the drain.
Your Hands: What many people find effective, but not necessarily pleasant, is using their hands to pull out whatever is causing the clog. What you do is get a wire hanger and bend it so that the hook at the end becomes exposed. What you can do is push down into your drain until you feel something once there, take hold of it with the hook and pull out whatever is causing the blockage .
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How Do You Clear A Main Sewer Line Clog Yourself
If you have a clog in your main sewer line and youd like to clear it yourself, here are a few steps you can take:
1. Start by snaking the clogged line with a plumbing auger. This involves using a long flexible cable with a special auger head to scour the line and break up the clog. This is an effective method for clearing most clogs.
2. If the auger does not work, you can try using a hydro jetting machine. A hydro jetting machine uses high pressure water to blast through the clog and clear the line. This is an effective method for clearing out stubborn clogs.
3. If the above methods do not work, you can try using a sewer rooter. A sewer rooter is a long flexible cable with a specialized head designed to cut through tree or plant roots that may have infiltrated the line.
4. If youve tried all of the above methods and you still cannot clear the clog, you may need to call a plumber in order to have them clear it. Professional plumbers have access to specialized tools and equipment that can get the job done quickly and effectively.
Baking Soda And White Vinegar
I usually use white vinegar and baking soda to prevent clogging the drains. However, these ingredients are efficient even when shower drains are already clogged with hair.
- Baking soda You need about half of a cup of baking soda. Pour it down the drain and wait for approximately ten minutes until you see bubbles. Use a shower head and pour hot water down the drain.
- Baking soda and vinegar If the drain is fully clogged, using baking soda may not be enough. However, we have a trick for each situation. After pouring a half cup of baking soda into the drains, add the same amount of white vinegar right away.
Let all these bubbles and foam work for 30 to 60 minutes. In some cases, you may need to let it sit overnight. Then, flush the drains with hot water. Repeat the process if necessary. Take care not to use boiling water if your pipes are PVC.
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How Do I Know If My Main Drain Is Clogged
Checking the fixtures in your house is the best way to know if your main drain is clogged. Youll know that the main drain is clogged when multiple fixtures are not working properly.
If you find that theres standing water on your sink and no other fixtures have a clog, you dont need to worry. Most likely, its a localized drain and a plunger can solve the problem.
When we talk about a clogged main drain, were looking for other issues. Thats why we need to check multiple fixtures to validate that the main drain has a problem.
If theres one fixture you must check first, its the toilet bowl. Then check the other fixtures. Always remember this, when the main drain is clogged, most of the fixtures have a problem.
Clearing And Maintaining Your Slow Shower Drain
Fixing a slow drain isnt an impossible DIY, and its likely youll be able to make at least some progress using the methods above.
Once youre in the clear, though, dont forget that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Consider getting a drain cover to catch loose hair or debris, saving you the hassle of future slow shower drains. And if youre ready to protect your shower in the long-term, check out our guide on protecting your bathroom drains.
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How To Relocate Shower Drain Part 1best Way To Remove Shower Drain Clogs
When it comes down to removing shower drain clogs, you can use a few tried and tested methods. These are the best options weve seen effectively clearing a shower drain clog. Depending on the severity of your clogged shower drain, you may need to use more than one of these methods to unclog your drain.
Before we begin, its important to note that:
If you cannot unclog your drain after using these methods, or you suspect the clog has led to other plumbing issues, you should get a professional plumber to come and inspect your shower drain and plumbing system.
How Do You Unclog A Shower Drain
Step 1:
Unclogging a shower drain is similar to how you unclog bathtub drains. Start by removing and cleaning the stopper and strainer and remove as much drain-clogging gunk that you can using a drain stick or a snake.
Step 2:
Then, use Liquid-Plumr® Clog Destroyer Plus+ Pipeguard. When used as directed, this formula dissolves the toughest drain clogs, eliminates drain odors and helps prevent future clogs with regular use. This drain cleaner is safe to use to unclog bathtubs, show drains and other bathroom drains.
Step 3:
After you think the drain clog is gone, flush the drain with hot water to make sure its unclogged. Turn on the faucet to see if water drains quickly and easily. If there is still a drain clog, repeat the steps for removing it.
If the bathtub or shower clogs persists, it may be time to call in a professional plumber. For more information, check out our article How to Know When to Leave it to the Pros.
And, try pouring two cups of Liquid-Plumr® Clog Destroyer Plus+ Pipeguard down your drain monthly to prevent slow draining showers .
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How To Use A Drain Snake
If the clog is a mass of soap scum-coated hair that just won’t move, you need a drain snake . The price for one of these tools can range from around $30 for a metal snake to just $10 for a three-count package of plastic drain snakes.
Using a drain snake is easy: Just remove the drain cover, then push the snake into the drain pipe. When you start to feel resistance, you’ve hit the clog. Don’t pull up the snake just yet. Keep rotating the snake so the clog will be caught for removal or broken up.
When you stop feeling resistance, slowly pull the snake from the drain and dispose of the clog. Finally, run the shower at full force for a few minutes to make sure everything is clear. Clean the drain cover with hot water and an all-purpose cleaner and replace it.
How Do You Know If Your Main Drain Is Clogged
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Your main drain is clogged if the multiple fixtures in your house have a problem and some fixtures produce smelly water and turbid water. It is also clogged when the water from the toilet backs up when you open the sink.
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Can I Pour Boiling Water Down My Rv Sink Or Shower
Many household drain clog solutions recommend pouring boiling hot water down a clogged/slow drain. The idea is to loosen and break up any grease/soap scum that has constricted the pipe and reduced the flow of water.
But, on RVs, the same logic applies to boiling water as we noted above for caustic substances. Boiling water can damage your RVs plumbing and should be avoided.
Combining hot water from the tap with dishwashing liquid, etc., is acceptable. But boiling water shouldnt be used in your RVs plumbing system.
How To Snake A Shower Drain
Although not required, special shower drain unblockers can help with tough clogs. A plumbers snake is a portable auger of sorts. A hand crank operates a cable that reaches far into pipes to snag distant shower drain clogs. Use these instructions for how to snake a clogged shower drain:
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Signs Of A Clogged Shower Drain
Years of grime, hair, soap scum and even tiny objects may accumulate in your pipes and clog up your shower. Shower drains can block for a variety of reasons, including rust and scale buildup, as well as tree roots growing into your drain. Because shower drains generally take time to form, you may not notice the issue at once. There are three symptoms to look for if your shower is clogged.
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