My tub is clogged with something gross. Help!?
This weekend, I got the plunger out and went after my slow-running bathtub drain. After the fifth or sixth plunge, found some very "interesting" material coming up from the drain, like urp or poop. Yerk. I live in a fourplex, so I'm guessing it came from a shared drain pipe. The drain is still almost completely clogged. I tried more plunging (what a workout), however it's worse than it was before. My toilets flush good and nothing came up in my sinks or toilets afterwards. Does this sound like a job for a plumber to auger or do you think a commercial drain cleaner will do the trick? What drain cleaner would work best?
Please do not use chemical drain openers! Try using baking soda and vinegar. The effervescent effect will help loosen up the clog. When using a plunger on a bath tub it is always useful to cover the overflow with a wet wash cloth. This will help create more suction when plunging. If all else fails contact your landlord and let him know about this problem.
Talk soon,
Joe Beaven
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ANGEL Says:
I would try Drano max first, and if that doesn't work I could call the plumber.
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Posted on January 14th, 2009 at 9:23 am
killbasabill Says:
Sounds like you have some severe back up in your drain. I would try a lye based drain cleaner like Drano or Red Devil to see if that helps. Please follow the directions on the package as these are caustic in nature and will cause burns if handled improperly. If these fail, try air pressure to force the clog down to the main drain. A snake will be your next resort if these don't work.
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Posted on January 14th, 2009 at 10:00 am
rich2481 Says:
just is rotting hair, gross, pour as much baking soda into the hole as you can, the pour on white vinegar, this should clear it ,, if not, Walmart sells this long piece of plastic with barbs on it ( 18 inch ) for 2 bucks or so, use that to clean out the hair,
remove the plate with lever on the tub itself likely the hair caught on this, if you have one, used to be you plugged the tub with this ( down position ) and up for draining, lots of hair catches in it too,
THen fill tub up as much as you can, pull the plug and let gravity wash all that away
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Posted on January 14th, 2009 at 10:17 am
Bob W Says:
Muratic Acid…be careful
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Posted on January 14th, 2009 at 10:52 am
uh-oh! Says:
It's probably just a major hair plug. Get a wire coat hanger and some rubber gloves. Straighten out the hanger and bend one end of it. Put it down into the drain, turn it back and forth a couple of times and then pull it back out. You'll probably have a hunk of muddy-looking hair. Throw the hair in the trash and repeat this procedure until you get nothing more out of the drain. It's gross and nasty, but it will get your drain working again.
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Personal experience with a plugged bathtub drain…
Posted on January 14th, 2009 at 11:35 am
Drain Man Says:
Please do not use chemical drain openers! Try using baking soda and vinegar. The effervescent effect will help loosen up the clog. When using a plunger on a bath tub it is always useful to cover the overflow with a wet wash cloth. This will help create more suction when plunging. If all else fails contact your landlord and let him know about this problem.
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Drain cleaning specialist over 5 yrs.
Posted on January 14th, 2009 at 11:53 am
plain jane Says:
What "rich" is thinking of is called a "Zipit" and is sold in most plumbing departments. It's about 30" long and is flexible. Shove it down your drain as far as possible, then twist it 1/2 a turn and pull it out…lots of slimy hair should come out. Do it a few times (try it in the bathroom sink, too).
Please NO Drano, no lye, no Red Devil, etc. First, they produce noxious gas; second, it can splash back on you; third, if anyone like a plumber has to work on the plumbing, they'll get burned by that cr*p; and finally, if you have a leak or bad pipe somewhere, that cr*p will get where you don't want it. Most of those products should be illegal and banned.)
Follow up the cleaning with some vinegar or citrus-based cleaner, then rinse it. Then by a hair-catcher device to prevent all of this from happening again.
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handyperson
Posted on January 14th, 2009 at 12:04 pm