How do I unclog my tub drain?

Question

It clogs all the time (my hair is constantly all over the place and I've been meaning to get a screen, which I definitely WILL BE doing soon) and I've used Draino (or something similar) several times. The problem is, the other times I used it the water would drain out, just slowly. The shower would stay clog-free for about a month and then clog again! This time, the water hasn't drained at all - it's just sitting in the tub! To add to this issue, neither I nor my boyfriend can remove the cover over the drain - we've tried several times over the past few months. Any ideas? I'm going to need to shower tomorrow!

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Had the same problem until i found a solution! Go to a place like Home Depot and buy the product i list below under 'source'. you'll likely pull out degrading goop with hair and it will be disgusting but will help. repeat this process often so you dont have much to remove each time. i'd avoid things like draino because, in excess, they can damage pipes.

if this approach does not work, you may have to have a professional come and clean out your pipes.

Answer 2

As a maintenance man in an appartment complex I had that problem alot. Hair and dirt build up in the drain.

Home Depot sells a product that is in a black bottle and has a plastic zip lock bag around it in the plumbing department. This eats the hair and creates a heat that will remove the clog.

Another way is to cover the crome plate below the spout. Cover it good so no air can pass through that. Put a plunger over the drain and plunge away. Make sure you have hot water in the tub so when you break the clog the water will flow and you will know you did it.

Good luck!

Answer 3

I agree, the zip it is fast, economical, and anyone can use it. As far as the cover, is it a grid strainer? If it is, with lots of tiny holes, take a piece of stiff wire, and fashion a small hook on one end. Insert the hook down through one of the holes, and "hook" the strainer and pull up. It should come out with a little effort. After you clean the clog out, apply some plumbers grease to the sides of the strainer, and snap it back in place. This type of drain has a lifting lever above on the overflow. Sometimes the rod that is attached to the lifting lever, will rust and break, permanently leaving the plunger attached to the bottom of the rod, blocking your drain. If this happens, take the 2 screws that hold the lever cover, and remove it and the rod or rods that are hidden inside this assembly. Fashion a longer hook out of a clothes hanger, and fish it down, and try and hook the plunger, and pull it out. This will release the water from the tub. Using drain openers, that build up heat, are bad for plastic drains. I have seen the pipes burst under the slab, from using too much of these chemicals. Most of the time, they don't work, and now you or a plumber has to deal with the added inconvenience of acidic water. I always use mechanical means to clear clogs. I hope this helps!

Answer 4

The absolute best product I have ever found is simply called Hair Clog Remover. It's in a red jug and it's sold at Walmart in the house fixtures area, near things like bathroom fixtures, paints, lightbulbs, extenstion cords, etc. (It will not be with the household cleaner type stuff. This stuff is much stronger than Drain-O and Liquid Plumber.)

You won't need to remove the drain cover with this stuff. It will seep down past it, into the drain and annihilate that clog. It's best to put it in the drain before bedtime, so it has the whole night to work it's magic without being disturbed.

Trust me, this stuff is amazing.

Answer 5

I've used a commercial cleaner "Plumbers helper" in the gray container at Home Depot. It's probably as you say, hair. There is a guard that you can put over your drain to collect this unwanted hair and save you a lot of problems. In the meantime, it's going to cost you for the plumber if this doesn't work. Give it time, about an hour and use hot water. It has to dissolve the hair.

Answer 6

I had to take a wire hanger...bend the hook part into a long stick with a tiny hook - put it down the drain and pull the hair out...and I had to pull out about 2 cups of hair and the problem was those little plastic coverings to protect razor blades...they were cloggin it up! get a little catcher thing when you pull everything out. ...to get the water out, get a tube and suction the water out to the sink to drain it...DRAINO will not work because it is not like soap buildup-it is a clog...you need to snake it out...that is what the plummer would do "snake it"...

Answer 7

just buy liquid sosa if available in your place and pour it on your clogged drain line. you may wait for few minutes. that's all. as long as it is not metal or stone inside, your problem is solved.