HELP!!! I have a stubborn bathtub drain.?

Question

I have put Draino in it 4 times in the last 2 months. Can someone tell me how to get this drain clean and working short of calling a plumber?

Answer 1

Put 1 cup of baking soda into the drain, then pour in 1 cup of vinegar. It will foam up, then rinse with hot water. You may have to repeat a couple of times. Once the drain is running clear, do the baking soda/vinegar treatment once a week. Will keep your drain clear.

Do NOT do this if you have just put Drano down the drain. Wait a day or so. If the drain is still slow, it may not be your pipes, it might be where they meet up with the city pipes. Then you would need a plumber.

Answer 2

I would strongly suggest, when it comes to plumbing problems of this nature, to go from the simplest solution to the most difficult - not the other way around.

1. Are there lower level drains having problems also ( I'm assuming "No")
2. Drain-O (did that - didn't work).
3. Plunger - Do not try to force it through the pipe, try to suck it out of the pipe.(start with plunger flat over the pipe and pull upward to suck )
4.Take the drain cover off and use a snake - not a coat hanger either. You may have to send it pretty far into the pipe. Remember to not only slide it into the pipe but jerk it back and forth as you insert it another inch or so. You want to be sure that right where it is at now is clear before going further.
5. If this don't work look to the back of the tub - there is an overflow pipe that you may be able to send the snake through that to go further than you did through the drain. There may be a trap on the floor that has a lid that can be removed - open it and see if there is any debris in there and if you can go further with the snake.

If all of this fails then the blockage is at a point beyond the tub. Generally, the tub is furthest from the main drain coming from the bathroom so you may want to remove the sink trap to send the snake down there too. This is where a long snake may come in handy. In fact, you may want to try this before ripping the tub apart. Perhaps you can send it over toward the tub and if there is a block in that line you can get to it from the other side.

Be creative is what it is all about..... If you dont want to go through all of this - Call the plumber.

Answer 3

Are there any other drains that are not working properly and is the toilet working okay? If they are you probably have a clogged drain in the tub only. Remove the overflow drain. You can then purchase a small manual snake tool from your local home improvement store and snake it out and bust the clot loose and clean out the pipe. If your other drains are not working properly you will need to find your clean out drain. It is usually outside and on newer homes it will be located slightly above the ground. On older homes it may be buried. You will need to get a metal rod and start pushing it through the ground until you hit it. It should be located outside where the majority of the bathrooms are located. Once you find it you will need to rent a 3/4 inch snake and snake it out as far as you can go. If you can't find your clean out you can go on the roof and snake down through the vents which will put it in the main drain. Good luck.

Answer 4

If you have a drum trap attached the drain. You "may" be able to get off the clean-out lid. If it breaks, don't worry. Clean it out be hand. Be careful to use gloves and eye protection. There is probably Drano still left in the trap. It WILL burn if you get it on you. after cleaning it, you will either have to get a repair cap or a fern-co/rubber cap. This may not be the correct answer for your situation. There are many other things that come into play. Good luck!

Answer 5

I've found that chlorine bleach does a better job at clearing a drain. I pour a half gallon down the drain, pop the drain cap on and run hot water the next morning.

Invest in one of those hair catcher drain covers. They are very inexpensive and will help keep the drain clear in the future.

Answer 6

Use a home made snake. Get a metal coat hanger and cut a 12" piece off of it. Curl a small hook on one end and on the other end leave it straight. Attach the the straight end into a cordless drill and poer it up while working the hanger into the drain and pull back as you keep the drill going. I guss you could do it by hand if you dont have a drill.

Answer 7

You might want to try to use a snake on the tub. If you remove the overflow cover and put the snake down thru there. You probably need a long snake and twist it around and bring up whatever is clogging your drain. Snakes are available at the hardware store. They are not too expensive and I have used my on several occasions for all of my sinks and even my toilet.

Answer 8

I would not suggest using draino especially if you have PVC(plastic)pipes which most newer homes do. You might be able to rent a snake from home depot or menards.

Answer 9

Use a snake. . . about 50 bucks at any hardware store. if you have a septic tank it may be plugged up. Find where your leach line ends and see if there is water coming out.

Answer 10

try one that is just for hair and this may work better there are many brands ive used one that worked great but forget the name