My shower drain is clogged?

Question

My apt. is pretty old and every few months the drain in my shower starts clogging up and I have inches of water at my feet so I Drano it and clean out the accumulated hair and then it drains well again (until another couple of months) but I've done that and it's still draining slowly. I have done the Drano thing with two bottles but to no avail. Am I going to have to call a plumber (if so, about how much will that cost?) or is there something else I'm not doing.....Thanks!

Answer 1

You should call your landlord, that's his responsibility not yours. If you feel you should do it, for what ever reason, there are hand crank snakes you can try. Also go to your local Lowes or Home Depot and ask for a drain opener for hair. They will give you a liquid. Read the instructions it's a pretty strong acid. Much Luck

Answer 2

It sounds like the trap in the drainage piping is probably very clogged. If you can get at the trap - it's the u-shaped piping below the drain- remove it carefully there will be water in the pipes and clean it. If the trap is not accessible a snake will probably help - you can rent one from a hardware store or Home Depot/Lowes.
If the above is not something you can do call your Landlord if it's not his responsibility maybe he has a low cost maintenance person who will help. I would think a Plumber would charge +/- $250.00 for the above. Obviously it would be more if the problem is more complicated - but it sounds like a very bad clog.

Answer 3

check the internet even though Drano is a good product you might need something stronger buy an industrial strenght drain cleaner and avoid letting hair go down that drain since you know it will clog easily. If that doesnt work then finally youll have to call a plumber but that wont be cheap. Try to see if any neighbors know one that might be cheaper, usually people know someone.

Answer 4

you can try and take the plate off on the tub,thats the 2 screws and some of them have a hair catch on them and some dont, the way to tell how far the blockage is is when you turn the water on does it back up right away or does it take 20 seconds or more, the closer it is the better chance you can do it yourself....i charge 75 dollars to snake a drain that price will go up to say 150 depending who you call.... usually a sewer rooter company gives you a price over the phone and may be cheaper than a plumbing service...good luck tina

Answer 5

depending on the time the plumber is there plus service call,it could cost you a few hundred dollars.. he will most likely take up you toilet at lowest point and snake it out and the cost depends on how many feet he will need to go to reach where its plugged.. being it an apartment and the plugged area is in the man line that is shared with other tenants, your landlord should call.. it could be to a collapsed drain line and has nothing directly to you where the line outside will need replacing....once cleaned you a hair/lint drain cover in shower
to be able to clean after each bat or shower.....

Answer 6

I had the same problem with my downstairs shower. I put nearly one full container of caustic soda. It didn't work.

The hardware store guy advised me to use a "snake". It's a coiled type metal rod. It took me a while to wriggle inside the hole. I persisted. Low and behold. I solved the problem. I still have the rod and use it everytime and as soon as a drainage problem starts. I don't leave it too long.

It only costs a few Dollars. A bit tricky to get it through inside the pipe but keep trying.

Answer 7

One suggestion; You can remove the little grate that covers the drain and dig out the accumulated soap/hair/gunk in the
p-trap with a wire or wire clothes hanger bent into a hook.

Answer 8

YOU need a plumber!!!.