Got A Clogged Shower Drain? How To Unclog It?
Unclogging a clogged shower drain:
Is the water building up quicker that it is draining? If so, you likely to have a clogged shower drain or it is about to plug completely. What is the first thing you do to unplug a clogged shower drain? Most people that I know don’t like doing this type of work, so, here I will give a few options that work really well and can solve your shower plug problem for good: 1 – Pour a half cup of baking soda followed by a half cup of white vinegar down your drain. Cover the drain for at least 2 hours, if you prefer, do this at night and let it seat there overnight. 2 – Once you have waited long enough, run hot water to check if the drain is draining, if this attempt works, then you are done. Using baking soda & vinegar:
Most people that I know don’t like doing this type of work, so, here I will give a few options that work really well and can solve your clogged shower drain problem for good:1 – Pour a half cup of baking soda followed by a half cup of white vinegar down your drain. Cover the drain for at least 2 hours, if you prefer, do this at night and let it seat there overnight. 2 – Once you have waited long enough, run hot water to check if the drain is draining, if this attempt works, then you are done. Using a plunger:
1 – Remove the screen on the top of the drain by removing the screws from it. For that, you will need a flat head screw driver or a Philips screw driver. 2 – Check the shower p-trap drain with a flashlight to see if there is debris in the drain. If so, remove it with a wire hanger or something flexible. If you cannot see anything in the drain, use a plunger to try to unclog the drain. You might have to try this exercise for a couple of times. If the drain is still clogged, then you might have a more complicated problem. At this point, most people would recommend you to go at your local store to by a drain cleaning product, however, it is of my own experience and beliefs that drain cleaning products most of the time won’t fulfill their promises. So, don’t waste your time and money with it.
The next step is to use a cable machine:
What kind of machine should you use to unclog your shower drain?
Again, it will all depend on the age, size and type of drain that you have installed in your home.
If your home is over 40 years old, it is most likely that your home’s plumbing system is made of cast iron and/ or galvanize pipe, if that is the case, things can get even more complicated. Everything single drain will have a p-trap that will hold water to prevent sewer gas from returning into your home, but what is the size of your secondary piping system and p-traps? If your shower has a 2” piping measurement, then, you might be able to cable through it, however, you will need the smallest machine available for secondary drains and, the best machine for it is made by Spartan, called 700-machine. Once you have removed the screen from the drain, make sure that you are using latex and leather gloves, a rubber boot, goggles for your protection, also, make sure that your cable machine has GFI and its properly grounded. If you rent or buy one of these machines, you should have step by step guidelines on how to use them. If you rent the machine, make sure you have it demonstrated to you. If your shower p-trap measures 1 ½” in diameter, you can still try to cable through but it might be extremely difficult to make through it. On this case, you might consider replacing the shower drain. If your home is newer than 40 years, it is likely that, you will have ABS piping throughout your home. If this is the case, you should be able to cable your drain with 2 different types of machines, the 700-machine and/or 100-machine. You can also power pressure wash the drain with a scourt-jet machine. After, you have tried all the above options and still have a clogged shower drain you might consider calling a professional company to fix your drain.
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