Calling all plumbers!!

[Sparky Anderson]

So I need a little plumbing advice. The bathtub in my house is getting pulgged, I have a feeling it has to do with the wife shaving her legs in there and all. When I run the shower the tub drains but very slowly and if I were to have a long enough shower, the entire tub would fill as it does not drain fast enough.


Any suggestions on what I can do to fix it myself before it gets worse??

 

[FleshLight]

Draino. One of those rent-a-hand-turned-roto-rooter things.

 

[Ausm]

Use Liquid Plumber GEL it rocks on slow drains.


Ausm

 

[MrChad]

Open up the drain and dig out the hair. It's not a pretty process, but it needs to be done. A screwdriver or wire coat hanger might help.

 

[spherrod]

depending how bad it is you might be able to get something you pour down the sink and leave overnight

 

[Heisenberg]

Those liquid drain cleaners don't work very well IMHO. The best option is to snake the drain out.

 

[spherrod]

Originally posted by: Heisenberg
Those liquid drain cleaners don't work very well IMHO. The best option is to snake the drain out.

it depends on what exactly is causing the blockage and how long it's been a problem in my experience. They worked fine in my bath which was starting to get a little bit blocked

 

[nageov3t]

was anyone else expecting this to be a thread about pot?

 

[Slacker]

oops, tubfemale is censored?

 

[Ornery]

Before yopu go crazy with chemicals and snakes, pull off the Bucket and Rod Assembly. If it isn't adjusted right, it won't be opening all the way. Try the drain while that's removed.

I use a garden hose to flush drains. You have to seal it tightly on the inlet, and vent, but it's hard for a clog to resist 40PSI water pressure, and it costs nothing.

 

[EngenZerO]

damn does your wife have chewie legs?

 

[Sparky Anderson]

It just started a few days ago ... I think maybe I'll try the liquid cleaner overnight and if that doesn't work then move on to more drastic measures...

 

[Sparky Anderson]

I don't have access to the plumbing unless I start cutting holes in the walls...

 

[Ornery]

Originally posted by: Sparky Anderson
I don't have access to the plumbing unless I start cutting holes in the walls...

Only two screws to remove, to lift out the Bucket and Rod Assembly, and it's free!

 

[SuperPickle]

Originally posted by: Ausm
Use Liquid Plumber GEL it rocks on slow drains.

Yep, that's a good place to start. If a lye-based cleaner doesn't do the job, you can find acid-based cleanout solutions as well. These can be find in any decent hardware store. The Draino-type cleaners work on protein clogs, but sometimes there is other stuff in there.

I was appartment manager for about a year and in that time a tenant's child stuffed a washcloth down the tub drain passed physical retrieval. Draino did nothing. However, a bottle of the acid-based cleaner ate through it in just under an hour making the drain fre-flowing again.

Start with the chemicals, then try a cleanout snake. If neither work, be prepared to dismantle the piping or take it in the pipe and call a professional.

 

[Ornery]

Hey Pickle, if you would have had to call a plumber to fix that, would the tenants have been billed for it?

 

[OutHouse]

buy a plunger. that will take care of 90% of tub clogs.

 

[SuperPickle]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Hey Pickle, if you would have had to call a plumber to fix that, would the tenants have been billed for it?

Hmm - I'm not sure. The plumber would have billed the apartment owners and I suppose it would have been up the owners to collect from the tenant. Knowing the owners are off-site slackers, they probably would have absorbed the cost without hassle to the tenants.

It'd have been interesting to see what could have been done - legally.

 

[jadinolf]

Originally posted by: loki8481
was anyone else expecting this to be a thread about pot?

Why?

 

[sonambulo]

plunge that btich. my shower drain got clogged about three days after i moved into this apartment. dropped down two drano gels, four dranos, and a couple jugs of bleach (i get all this siht free...dont ask) and nothing budged. after i plunged it i pulled out, in succession, one baseball sized chunk of hair/dirt/scum, one of those wide handled womens' razors, another large ball of hair/dirt/scum, a barbie doll with no hair, and finally one more ball of hair/dirt/scum/pebbles(?).

fcucker flows free now though.

 

[DingDingDao]

You can get this stuff called Red Devil Lye at Home Depot. Unbelievable stuff. Dry powder, just put a teaspoon in the drain. It cleans out everything. Much better than any of the liquid plumbers or drano or any of that crap.

 

[SuperPickle]

Originally posted by: DingDingDao
You can get this stuff called Red Devil Lye at Home Depot. Unbelievable stuff. Dry powder, just put a teaspoon in the drain. It cleans out everything. Much better than any of the liquid plumbers or drano or any of that crap.

True, lye is the active ingredient in most drain cleaners but powdered lye only works if the product comes in direct contact with the clog. If the drain is plugged at or passed the p-trap, the powder does no good.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: Ausm
Use Liquid Plumber GEL it rocks on slow drains.


Ausm

Yep. Leave it in for an hour or more though, instead of the 15-30 minutes they recommend. I did this last year to our tub and it hasn't clogged back up since. Also, get a hair trap for your drain.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Before yopu go crazy with chemicals and snakes, pull off the Bucket and Rod Assembly. If it isn't adjusted right, it won't be opening all the way. Try the drain while that's removed.

I use a garden hose to flush drains. You have to seal it tightly on the inlet, and vent, but it's hard for a clog to resist 40PSI water pressure, and it costs nothing.

I would love to watch you do this

 

[MustangSVT]

draino of sorts will fix this problem. only suggestion is to use it right before you goto sleep where no water will be used for extended period of time. which will make it more effective.