Plumbing 101: How to Fix A Clogged Shower Drain

Having a blocked shower drain is one of the most common plumbing problems that you will experience at home. Clogged shower drains are usually caused by hair and soap that has been clogged on your shower drain for some time. Luckily, this kind of plumbing problem in your house is also one of the easiest problems to fix. All you need to have are some basic tools and some chemicals if needed.

Here, we are going to show you how you can do some basic methods for you to unblock your shower drainage.

Know the Cause Why Your Shower Drain is Blocked

First, check your shower drain if it is partially or completely blocked. You can do this by running some water and see what happens. If the water goes down slowly, then that means that your shower drain is partially blocked. One of the common cause of a shower drain that is blocked is because of some hairs falling in it. Here are some things that you can do to remove hair from your drain.

How to Unclog Your Shower Drain That is Caused by Hair

Removing Hair from a Drain Catch

If in the case that you are using a catch on your shower drain, all you have to do is to lift it up and then remove any hair. Dispose of the hair that was removed from your catch properly. Do not try to flush these hairs down your toilet because this can cause you fixing the whole drain.

Once you have removed all the hair in your catch, try to run some water and see if it flows smoothly. Put your shower drain catch in its place and try running some water again and see if the water flows smoothly.

Removing Hair from the Drain

If in case that your shower drain does not have any catch and you have already tried removing hairs on your drain but your drain still seemed to be clogged, then the problem may have taken place to the drain itself.

You have to remove the drain cover and then if you have any stopper, try to remove that as well. Check if you can see any object that is causing the problem. You will be needing some drain tool for you to clean this. Once you are already equipped with some drain tools, go ahead and pull anything that is blocking your drain. Try to dig deeper for you to be able to remove any hair or other materials that are blocking your drain. Once you are done, put the cover of your drain back and then try to run some water and see if it flows smoothly. If it still does not work, then you have to put more pressure to unclog your drain.

Use A Plunger

If all the solutions above do not work and you still have a clogged shower drain, then you can simply try to use a plunger and put a lot of pressure on your drain. You can do this by simply putting the plunger over your drain and then ump it up and down. This way, you will be able to unclog your drain.

Other Ways for You to Unclog Your Shower Drain

Aside from the ones mentioned above, there are also other ways on how you can fix your clogged shower drain. Here are some other ways that you can do.

Make Use of Hot Water

All you have to do is to boil some water. This is the easiest method that you can do that might help you unclog your shower drain. Once the water is all boiled up, go ahead and pour it in your sink on a little bit at a time. The hot water will be able to break down and dissolve the materials that are blocking your shower drain. However, you can only do this method if your pipe material is made of metal pipes. This method is not applicable to a PVC pipe because it will damage the joints of the pipe and cause it to loosen.

The Clean and Clear Method

This is basically just like the volcano project that you did in your science fair. All you have to do is to mix 1/3 cup of baking soda and a 1/3 cup of vinegar. Pour these two solutions in a heat-resistant cup. Once that the mixture starts frizzing, just go ahead and pour the solution into your shower drain. These will help in breaking down the hair and other material in your drain. Let this sit for about an hour for a better result. After that, go ahead and run some hot water in your drain for you to flush the mixture.

Dig Out Whatever is Clogging in Your Sink

If you are having a really stubborn and nasty clog in your shower drain, then it is better than you dig up whatever is blocking your drain. Wear your rubber gloves and then open your drain cover by unscrewing them. After you have taken out your drain cover, go ahead and get a wire coat hanger. On that hanger, you should leave a hook for you to use to get the materials that are blocking your drain. Once that you have already pulled out the things that blocking your shower drain, pour some boiling water to wash out any residue. Put the drain cover back and then run some water again for you to see if the water goes down smoothly.

Use Some Cleaning Aids

There are also some cleaning aids that you can use for you to unclog your shower drain. These cleaning aids can be effective but be aware of any warnings. Make sure to read and follow the instructions because some of these cleaning aids can cause burns or eye irritation and more.

Use a Wet or Dry Vacuum

This is also known as a shop vac and can do heavy duty vacuuming. This type of vacuum has a long detachable hose that you can connect to either a blow or suction valve. Here are the steps on how you can use this device to unclog your shower drain.

Step 1: Take out your drain cover

Step 2: Connect your vacuum hose to a blow valve

Step 3: After that, place the hose over your shower drain and seal it properly.

Step 4: Turn on the vacuum for about 30 seconds. This will make all the dirt to come out.

Step 5: If the water still does not go down, try using the suction valve instead. This will act like a plunger that give pressure to remove any material that is blocking your shower drain.

For more information on blocked drains visit Red Dog Plumbing.

Homeowners also have the same common issues when it comes to their residential plumbing. Homeowners there tries to fix this issue first. And when it is too complicated for them to unclog their shower drain, then that is the time that they call a professional plumber to help.

One of the plumbing company that you can check out is the GM Plumbing Corporation. This is a company that deals with any kind of plumbing issues and every employee is a professional plumber so rest assured that you are going to get the best plumbing service that you are looking for.