Any ideas on how to unclog (with a small plastic ball) a shower drain?

Question

Our master bath shower is clogged with a small toy plastic ball. We can no longer see the ball. Any ideas on how to remove it?

Answer 1

shop vac.

Answer 2

You don't have many choices but here are three. Start with a plunger and very gently force the cup down creating the least forward pressure possible. Then very quickly with as much force as you can pull it back. Try this several times if necessary using the same process. If you are able to see the ball, get a coat hanger with about a 1" 90 degree bend on the end. Slowly slide it by the ball and turn the hanger underneath the ball and gently pull up.

Next try a wet/dry vac if you have one. Stick the tube as far down the drain as you can, seal around the top with a rag to create suction only in the drain and hope for the best.

If these fail you can try securely taping a small fish hook on the end of a hanger and slipping it down the drain and turning it sideways to snag the ball and pull it out.

Don't worry too much if the ball doesn't come out. While that would be best, if it goes down it only has to travel a few feet before it enters a larger line, 3" or 4" connected to your toilet, and unless you have a line full of the old nasty stuff it will be flushed out relatively easily. Depending on the size of the ball it could require a snake to push it. It shouldn't create a problem farther down assuming you don't have a major clog point already in your drains.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Sometimes you can get lucky by doing this:

There should be some water in the shower, but only enough to cover the drain.

Take a plunger put it over the drain.
Press down on it slowly until it is all the way down.
Then quickly pull up on the plunger.

This has worked for me once in a while.

If that don't work you you can try to open the drain from under neath. (That is if you can get at it)

Or you can get a plumbers snake & work that into the drain & maybe you will push the ball into a larger drain (3 or 4 inch drain)

Or you could hook the ball on the snake & pull it out.

If none of these work you may have to call a drain cleaner or a plumber. They have snake with a cutting head & that will likely
work.

Answer 4

How small? Does the shower still drain? If the ball is small enough to get through the trap, it is likely to travel all the way through the plumbing to the sewer.

If there's no water backup when you run the shower, it may already have passed thtough, but you can put a coaster or other block over the shower drain and run water into the shower until you get a couple of inches of backup, turn off the water, and pull the drain block. The flush" ought to do the trick.

If the shower is plugged, the wet/dry shop vac is the ticket.

Answer 5

if it won't drain and all else fails pour acetone in the drain to dissolve the plastic