Help please! What's the name of those gizmos that you wiggle around in the plug hole of a bath? A wooden bbq stick just doesn't cut it. Plug hole is tiny and is now taking hours for the water to run away. Have been meticulous about removing hair after each use and suspect this is the cause.
If I needed to call a plumber what would they do that I couldn't?
Many thanks.
Is there any way to get to the trap? eg removable side panel. If you can get to it then it should all unscrew by hand and be much easier to clean out. Poking something from the top is unlikely to be successful.
drain rods or snake
https://www.diy.com/departments/bailey-12-piece-drain-rod-set/5016729030490_BQ.prd
You can use a brake cable, sometimes brake cable outer, if you don’t have a handy snake.
Fold the cable so that you’re pushing a long loop down the plug hole and you get a bit more ‘push’. Not as rigid as a snake, but sometimes enough.
if the plug hole can take it an outer offers an OK fake snake.
Thanks all. The side panel can be removed so that's probably where to start. Not sure whether the claw on the plumbing snake would be too wide as it's a really small plug hole, will bear that in mind though.
The Mr Muscle product I usually use has stopped working meaning it must be a bad blockage.
Try pouring a load of bleach down and leaving overnight. Shifts most things in our house.
Give this stuff a try if you're confident it's hair;
https://www.screwfix.com/p/zep-10-minute-hair-clog-remover-drain-unblocker-1ltr/739kh
If it's not hair you may need to put up a sign...
Try pouring a load of bleach down and leaving overnight. Shifts most things in our house.
You really shouldn't mix different chemicals. If the OP is going to try bleach, then they should at least run some water through the blockage first to get rid of as much of the Mr Muscle as they can.
If it were me, I'd be trying a plunger and, if that didn't work, remove the trap. And, if I removed the trap, I'd have a bowl and some old towels at the ready.
I use the drain snake thing and it either brings up nothing, or you pull out a wigs worth of hair (need pliers to pull it out), it's kinda terrifying...
I've also used Mr. Muscle & caustic soda (separately), though am paranoid about the last, as your supposedly not to use it with PVC pipes.
Should have know HG would have a product.. I'll be looking out for some
The outer cable idea is great. I shall use that in future.
Net curtain wire and a hook if you've got any on a window. An old outer cable and a curtain hook would work.
And, if I removed the trap, I'd have a bowl and some old towels at the ready.
And don't pour the contents of the bowl back into the bath until the trap is back on. I mean, we've all done it...
Get a Robert Dyas big blue sink plunger. We had problems with a slow bathplug. Tried a cocktail of chemicals, bought a snakey thing all to no avail. Even hired rods and tried to get it from the manhole.
Bought the plunger then after a shower as the water as dissappearing insutingly slowly I set to work. You can build up quite some pressure, keep at it and it'll burp through the overflow, maybe even eject a few shards of mystery substance. But persevere and eventually it'll clear, with a foul noise and even worse smell. Revell in your mastery of the plumbing, as a daemon spawned abomination of hair, soap, clags and even some post ride mud, can be pulled from the plug hole and thrown like a freshly landed squid into the bin.
I use some plastic barbed rods. Works well, grim but satisfying job!
When a plunger alone doesn’t work, I place a mound of bicarbonate of soda over the shower drain. Then I add the bleach.
combining the two (alkali) shouldn’t produce anything crazy like chlorine.
and the bicarbonate of soda slows the flow of bleach and gives it a chance to tackle the blockage.
If possible I would remove the trap and clean that. If the blockage is further down than the trap it might be worth getting professional help.
A decent length tie wrap/ziptie works well just put some cuts to form barb style hooks, works very well, if indeed it is hair and plebs, causing the issue, as mentioned above, the results are grim
Spokes work, if the blockage is just below the surface
the other trick I’ve used to great effect is two big (3-4L) milk cartons. Brim them with water, fill the bath until it starts to back up and then shove them upended over the plug hole and press down.
aldi had cheap drain rods in this week
otherwise get a plunger, seal the overflow (with your hand or whatever)
and get pumping
I've never had a blockage I couldn't clear with a plunger, hard work but quite satisfying.
Fill the bath to the brim and let gravity do its stuff.
Just get the trap off - at least that way you’ll know what the cause is so you can be better prepared to avoid it happening again. No tools required and very simple to do.
with the trap off you’ll also likely have decent access to inspect the pipe downstream in case that needs a poke with a stiick.
drain rods or snake
https://www.diy.com/departments/bailey-12-piece-drain-rod-set/5016729030490_BQ.prd
They had them snake things in Aldi when I was in yesterday.
If you are disassembling the trap and wastes beneath the bath, an extra pair of hands with a good wet and dry vacuum can suck up the mess before it hits your subfloor.
Does anyone know if the Screwfix stuff is better than Mr Muscle?
Another one for a plunger here
Ive tried chemicals, drain rods, even resorted to using the power washer hose to try and jet through the blockage
Went and bought a plunger and it works every time
Plunger works every time for me but as mentioned, it absolutely stinks...needs a bit of welly but it seems to shift everything back into the bath.
Suspect I'm a typical bloke as after I've done that job, I strut about like some sort of King...ignoring all other jobs as I've saved the month!
God knows what it all is, I'd rather not consider that!
Does anyone know if the Screwfix stuff is better than Mr Muscle?
the liquid is about the same. It’s not as good as the foamy mr muscle. But that needs some flow to do its work.
Sodium Hydroxide to drain cleaner is like original nitromors to modern nitromors. That is it actually works.
It can get very hot and is a strong alkaline so goggles and gloves if you use it
Sodium Hydroxide to drain cleaner is like original nitromors to modern nitromors. That is it actually works.
It can get very hot and is a strong alkaline so goggles and gloves if you use it
"It can get very hot and is a strong alkaline so goggles and gloves if you use it"
I should Coco. 20g of NaOH in 1L of water needs goggles to avoid eye damage. Be very very careful around pellets.
My drain snake doesn’t have a claw on the end and pokes through the central circle on the plug hole cover. Be prepared to haul out a block of hair approximately the size of a rat. Try not to scream. Hideous!
Plunger followed by hair removal stuff over night. Followed by more plunger.
I use an old Camelbak drain snake type thingy that has a brush on the end for cleaning the gunk out of the Camelbak's drinking hose. Since growing my locks again, I shed a LOT down the plug hole and this works a treat.
I always found prevention better than cure.
Either a fortnightly overnight soak with bleach or some Mr Muscley type liquid or for preference.
I've spent most of the last 25 years living with or married to women with either long curly hair, very long curly hair or an afro. So i've emptied more shower/bath traps than i care to think about.
Plunger followed by hair removal stuff over night. Followed by more plunger.
As others have noted some of these cleaners are quite corrosive, and it will sit in the trap doing its thing so if you are plunging or snaking after treatment there is potential for splashes. On skin, just be aware of it and a good rinse with running water and you'd be very unlucky with lasting damage. In your eyes could go bad quickly so a decent fitting pair of safety specs or goggles is highly recommended
(20 years working with cleaning chemicals and if I wouldn't risk it, nor should you)
Ok, I have been following this thread as my bathroom sink had become blocked last week Removed the trap and it was clear so tried my old plunger with no joy. Bought one of those snake things mentioned and could only get it about 3 foot in before hitting something solid in the pipe or a bend it couldn’t get round. Didn’t want to pour chemicals in and be left with them sitting in the pipe as it wasn’t really draining.So I ordered a better plunger and left the trap off so tap water drained into a bucket under the sink allowing us to use the sink while I waited for my next day off/plunger. So today I get the plunger and I put the trap back on to fill the sink ready to plunge and……..the sink is draining freely. FFS! I have now taken the opportunity to pour some drain cleaner down just to be sure.
The dilemma I am now faced with is, when my wife gets back do I tell her I has somehow cleared itself, or, do I claim to of been at it for hours using the new plunger/snake and my great plumbing skills have eventually fixed it?
Strange how it went from nearly completely blocked to running free.
Cleared the sink on my mum's bathroom sink with one of those wire thingy what's it's, the blockage was beyond the trap....
You can use a brake cable, sometimes brake cable outer, if you don’t have a handy snake.
This is genius
If you have a jet washer you can get drain cleaner attachments. I now have one after my fight with a fatberg under the kitchen sink.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285850972424
+1 for just buy some actual caustic soda,
Do wear gloves and eye protection.
DO ONLY EVER ADD POWDER TO COLD WATER
NEVER ADD WATER TO POWDER
NEVER ADD POWDER TO HOT WATER
Do watch Fight Club for further safety advice.
Bleach sort-of works, it will also brake down organic material, it's just a bit slower.
Bleach is compatible with alkaline cleaners.
Do not confuse Bleach with things like Harpic which is acidic and will turn your bath of caustic into a fizzing, eye melting, lung burning mess (as will mixing bleach and Harpic). In general / if in doubt the advice to flush everything with water before trying the next chemical solution is best.
Sodium Hydroxide to drain cleaner is like original nitromors to modern nitromors. That is it actually works.
Carb, intake & EGR cleaner is a very effective paint stripper, pretty much as good as the original nitromors. I've accidentally stripped the paint off two engines with it 😂
Use a Bomb . only thing that would clear a blockage I had a few years back. I'm sure there were instructions not to just shove it in the sink and look down the hole!
Just had the first weekend in a while where my feet haven't been standing in inches of water at the completion of my shower. Have been getting vigorous with the wooden BBQ stick and repeated for good measure, seems to have done the trick. Not kidding myself that this is the end of the drama! Shower tray for the new bathroom will be chosen with care, practical over modern. Ongoing hair loss is a pita.
Why's that then?Adding powder to water brings the concentration up from zero, adding water to powder brings it down from (effectively) infinite, too high concentrations can be very bad. Very hot, lots of spitting and vapour production.
TBH, i've been doing it water to powder for years. But i've got the right quantities of powder and water premeasured and ready to go. So it's never been an issue. But i'm well aware it could be. Like it was when we used to muck around at school blowing stuff up.
Shower tray for the new bathroom will be chosen with care, practical over modern.
Just seen your comment – we got this shower tray – apparently the design of the waste is self-cleaning and minimises blockages. We have had it for about 14 years now, and the very occasional blockage (like once a year at the most) is easily removed (and my wife has lots of long curly hair).
Why's that then?
Pretty much what Mert said, the reaction is highly exothermic (it generates a lot of heat) so adding water to powder results in that water boiling, filling the room, your face, your lungs, eyes, etc with caustic fumes.
Adding powder to water means there's a bucket of water to absorb that heat. It still get's surprisingly warm which is why you shouldn't overdo the concentration as it will start steaming if you go too far.
There's also less chance of splashing. I'd disagree with Mert that you can add the water if it's pre-measured, you're then risking the solution splashing around, crystals/dust becoming airborne, or knocking buckets over. It's just inherently less risky to take half a bucket of cold water, half a cup of crystals and add the crystals to the bucket slowly whilst stirring gently so the crystals don't just form a boiling cake on the bottom of the bucket.
I'd disagree with Mert that you can add the water if it's pre-measured, you're then risking the solution splashing around, crystals/dust becoming airborne, or knocking buckets over.Oh, i know it's not clever, but i've been doing it that way, on and off, since i was living in a place with plumbing that could be blocked by a single pube... in hindsight, the place should probably have been condemned. (But according to google earth, it's still there and looks unchanged!)
Shower tray for the new bathroom will be chosen with care, practical over modern.
What you need for your new shower tray is a waste trap which is accessible from above. mine just pulls out from inside the shower cubicle and has a little cup that makes up the trap. you can take that out, empty the oomsk and clean the cup out. Doing so affords direct access to the downstream waste pipe without a u-bend in the way so a quarterly skoosh of a dose of your pre-emptive cleaner of choice straight down the waste pipe is easy then you replace the trap and the cleaner can dwell in the pipe as long as you like.
Well there you go, every day is a school day
