Figuratively and literally. And we need your help.
Last week the drain in our bathtub started to act up a bit. Nothing too alarming since growing up with three sisters taught me that shower drains periodically get a little hairy and need some cleaning to keep going with the flow. Well, then our plumbing world came to a halt. The drain went from slowly letting water through to a no-drop-shall-pass policy in the course of one post-basement-painting shower.
Annoyed, but mostly unphased, we broke out some tried and true de-clogging techniques:
- Fishing around with our fingers (gross, we know) dislodged a decent-sized Sherr-ball, but didn’t open the floodgates as we expected.
- Plunging released a few more items we’d rather not have seen again, but still no change in water level.
- Even our 25 foot-long drain snake (i.e. auger) was a waste of time (though we had low expectations for it anyways).
- So then we broke out the boiling water trick that had saved our kitchen sink last year. After five attempts we had only succeeded in adding more water to our tub.
- That’s when we turned to a technique suggested by some of you, a half-cup of baking soda followed by a cup of vinegar. We did that, watched our little drain volcano fizz, let it sit for five minutes, then flushed with hot water. Still no luck. Even our second attempt provided no relief, just more science project flashbacks.
- Sherry even tried the $3 As Seen On TV quality Zip-It tool that someone suggested online. It didn’t yield anywhere close to the über disgusting results shown in the video that we found below (THIS IS NOT ME, AND THAT IS NOT OUR HAIRBALL- in fact our Zip-It came out totally clean)- which we’re half grateful for and half frustrated by.
We had renewed hope this weekend after detailing our issue to an expert at the hardware store. He weighed a couple of options for us, and ended up recommending an 100% biodegradable enzyme product called Roebic Laboratories Bacterial Drain Cleaner. It involved mixing two tiny capfulls into 12oz of warm water then dumping it down the drain to sit overnight. The next morning we were pleased to see the twelve ounces of water solution was completely gone (as in, some water had slowly drained!). But our smiles disappeared as soon as the tub started filling up again when we turned on the faucet.
So after two nights of trying the Roebic solution and more showers-turned-baths than we’d like to admit (each followed by manually emptying the water that collected in the tub with a bucket, sigh) – we’re just about ready to call in professional help….
… unless, of course, you guys have any genius solutions for us! Seriously, we’ll try anything (well, anything within reason). Please shower us with suggestions – wait, scratch that water metaphor. Please inundate us with any drain unclogging tips that have worked for you (which we hope will end up solving this case and thereby serving as a great resource for anyone else with drainage issues). You know we’d love to DIY this bugger and declare victory over our clog-that-won’t-quit and we’re not ones to give up without a fight. Fingers crossed we’ll get ’em in round six!
Update: Oh no we di’innnnnt! We just unclogged the dastardly drain. Woo to the hoo. Here are the details…
MustardSeedMum says
We had a similar situation with our bathtub. Did the finger fishing (gross), stuck a chopstick in to fish deeper. We (and I use “we” loosely) managed to get some balls out, but what finally unclogged the drain was the good ‘ol shopvac. It brought up a whole whack of nasties. Not sure if your clog is happening a lot further down, but it might be worth a try before calling in the pros.
All the best!
Ashley M. says
Unfortunately, I will also have to vote for the chemical drain cleaners. We had the same exact problem in our bathtub about a month ago. We tried EVERYTHING (because I hate, hate, hate using chemicals) . . . we even broke our auger trying so hard!
So, feeling low, we went to Lowes and asked the plumbing specialist. She suggested all the stuff we already did . . . but when we told her we were unsuccessful, she said to try the chemical stuff. However, she also said if even that didn’t work — it might actually be our pipes. I don’t know if you have PVC or galvanized pipes, but sometimes the galvanized variety actually close in on themselves as they age, and you need to manually replace them. Just a thought — maybe go to your local hardware store and talk to the plumbing specialist. The one at our Lowes said there’s no reason to call a plumber — and that even replacing the pipes shouldn’t be too difficult to DIY.
Jill says
We’ve used the bacteria based stuff, too. It actually made the plugged up drain worse, but we then used a snake to dislodge all the digested hair, etc, and it totally worked!
Good luck!
Brooke says
Hey sorry to say, but I think you will want to call the pros in on this one. It could be tree roots getting to your problem, and if that is the case it is not a DIY. Good luck youngsters!!
Mike at The Big Stick says
You probably just need a much longer drain snake. We stopped up our kitchen sink in the middle of preparing Thanksgiving dinner for 20 family members last year (FYI – Don’t put massive amounts of carrot peels in the garbage disposal). I eventually unclogged it but it was waaaaay down there. I had to use a 40 foot snake.
Emily says
One time my drain did this and I went to the grocery store and bought a can of aerosol stuff. I can’t remember what its called. But you put over the drain and push down on the can. My husband (who is a plumber) couldn’t believe I had wasted $5 and was sure it wouldn’t work. Luckily he was wrong!
But I can’t help but think in your older house with big trees it could be another problem. When I lived in an older rental we had the same problem and it turned a true root in the middle of the road was causing the blockage.
I hope it’s something simple! Good luck.
Samantha says
We’ve lived in several houses the age of yours and when we end up with a shower clog that doesn’t clear with the usual methods, it usually turns out to be a problem of tree roots getting into the line that runs away from the house. The first time, you need to have the “rooter” people come out and use their long auger thing to clear out the roots. After that, it can be maintained by giving it a little dose of root killer liquid once a month to keep the roots from growing back. And, yes, it seems like this crops up after a good bit of rain that gets those trees all excited and spreading those roots.
So, yes, you need to call the guy. :-( But you can keep it from happening again in the future. :-) Good luck!
Lisa says
We had the same experience a few weeks ago! I wanted to go environmentally friendly, so we got a product from Home Depot called Terracycle Drain Cleaner. As much as I wanted it to work, the entire bottle didn’t do a thing for our sink and I was hesitant to buy any more eco-products. I vote Drano – it was the only thing that helped! Good luck!
Cathi says
My handy Zip-It usually does the trick, but I recently mentioned to my plumber (I recommend that everyone have a good plumber, HVAC guy, auto mechanic, and doctor!) that I couldn’t get the Zip-It to work in one of the bathtubs. He pointed out that the tub had one of those “stoppers” like you have in your tub shot. He said that with that particular system, I have to remove the face plate for the tool to work properly. This is an older home, with lots of trees–A couple of times, I’ve had to pay him to climb onto the roof and snake out all kinds of tree roots. If your sewer line has clay pipes, who knows WHAT’s growing in there!
Sunny Pritchard says
This, I’m afraid, is the reason chemicals were invented, so it’s either enviromental green or wallet green that gets sacrificed here. I did 3 kids in cloth diapers, so I don’t feel too bad about the occasional bottle of Draino. Good luck, Youngsters!
Laura E. says
We had a similar drain issue and came to find we had tree roots that grew into our piping!! Unfortunately we had to have the pipes replaced. :( Hope you two have better luck
FAR says
Totally unrelated to your drain issue, but do you guys know that your ad server is serving up ads that say “don’t let public schools teach about homosexual marriage”? All opinions on the matter aside, I was a little shocked to see such a polarized, totally unrelated to your web site, advertisement here. I’m all for free speech, but I came here to check out your cute house, not for political smear. Just thought you guys might want to know what your readers are seeing….
YoungHouseLove says
FAR,
Whaaaaat?! We’re on it. Thanks so much for the heads up. We’ve never seen those but we’ll get them taken care of asap!
xo,
s
Janette says
That happened to me a couple months ago– turned out to be tree limbs that grew into the septic tank and had to be cut and fixed
Hugh says
I didn’t have a chance to read all of these comments…but your problem reminds me of a similar problem I had with my laundry sink in the basement….
long story short version…
nothing would clear the clog until I realize it was the sink upstairs that was actually blocked too…cleared the upstairs sink with a plunger and then they both drained properly.
air flow in pipes can be just as important as water flow in turns out.
Good Luck
Hugh
Dayka says
I just had this problem 2 weks ago–nothing I tried would work. Found a plumber who worked at Home Depot and he recommended a prodeuct called “Crystal Heat Drain Opener”. After a few times, it did the trick. 2 capfuls down the drain, run a bit of water, and step back. I had to do it 2 or 3 times, but it cleared it right up and no standing water to my ankles for the next shower. It’s not chemical free-but it’s going to take some to break down whatever’s in there. He also recommended that you used it periodically to keep it from getting clogged again. They should have it @ True Value. If you try this and it works for you, I’d love to know about it. Good luck!
Jennifer says
So sorry to hear my Zip-It suggestion didn’t work for you! It definitely worked for me, and it was gross (but nowhere near as gross as that video).
Now I have a little metal strainer from Home Depot (http://tinyurl.com/yjmr93j) to catch my thick curly hair (or paint chips!), and I empty it every time I shower.
I have an enzyme product from Whole Foods, but I haven’t had much success with it. Good luck!
aryn says
Perhaps its haunted? ;o)
Chris says
I haven’t read through all of the posted comments, but here are my suggestions: First, remove the cover of the cleanout/overflow drain (the round metal thing in the tub below the spout that sometimes has the drain plug lever on it) and snake the drain through there. If you still get no results, try the plunger method again on the drain in the bottom of the tub, but make sure the cleanout/overflow is sealed off (otherwise the suction action from the plunger won’t do anything). If that still doesn’t work, make sure the vent pipes that exit the roof don’t have bird’s nests, dead rodents, or other pipe-clogging debris. Those vent pipes are essential to preventing a vacuum that would cause water not to drain (aside from venting dangerous sewer gasses out of your house). Hope this helps and good luck!
Julie says
I’ve used this several times and it always works like a charm. Several other people have mentioned compressed gas – this is the one that’s worked for me. Good Luck!
http://www.shopclr.com/CLR-Cleaners-1/CLR-Power-Plumber-Drain-Opener-Can
Julianne Hendrickson says
I sure hope you don’t have galvanized plumbing…this is what happened to us when we moved into our house. Everything started to back up (sink into other sinks, bathtubs, etc.) We had to dig up the pipe and re-pipe the area. Don’t mean to scare you, but this sounds all-too-similar.
Chris says
One more thing. That drain cleaner in the plastic bag people are talking about I believe is called “Hot Power”. It is a very stong acid that actually heats up in the pipes and eats right through the clog. If you use too much it can actually burn right through PVC (plastic) pipes as well as ruin your tub or shower. I would only use it as a last resort and I definitely wouldn’t use it for “routine maintenance”.
Carol in Indian Springs Village says
Our problem like that was the trap in the tub. We called in a pro to replace it and it works like a charm now. Sometimes you just have to call in the pros.
lauren says
last week, i had a bathroom sink issue and i did the baking soda/vinegar/wait 10 minutes/add boiling water thing about 5 or 6 times… not TOTALLY clear but running way more smoothly!
Lyndsey says
Hi there
I had same issues and went for the soft approach then the hardcore chemical version. You maybe able to feel the heat of the reaction and be able to tell how far down the blockage is. Possibly because the pipe is not angled enough for grease and the hair to flow quickly enough away and therefore build up in the pipe. I ended up having to trace the pipe outside and taking off the screw cap ends and sticking a rod up from outside in, a few plops later the problem was fixed. You may not have the luxury of this option though.
Sara says
This happens in our tub and I’ll admit it is because of my shedding problem. If your tub looks like the picture above: unscrew the round piece off along the tub wall, stick a plunger over the drain on the tub floor, and go at it! Some stuff may come out of the tub wall hole…or just loosen it.
We were told to do this by a sewer man (who actually did it for us the first time) who came to our rescue when a tree root was taking over our drain pipes! He cleaned out the roots and took care of my hairballs. It worked and we have since had to do it again with success. Hope it helps!
Kathy :) says
Just happened to us….I recently read that 90% of all clogs are hair related…..we tried everything…even pouring bleach down. We got some liguid plumber….1/2 bottle waited 15 mins…ran hot water…didnt work…repeated the process and SUCCESS…..
Good Luck
Kylee says
This sounds extremely similar to an issue we’re currently dealing with. After thinking it was resolved after a few rounds of a chemical-free homemade Drano, it came back with a vengeance. We finally broke down and called Mr Rooter and found that we were the not-so-proud owners of Orangeburg pipes. We have an early 50’s house such as yours. Apparently this is when it was widely used as they were saving any metal they could for the war. Anyway, per the Wikipedia site, it’s life is around 50 years – which holds true in our neighborhood as 10 of our neighbors are currently having the same problem. The Orangeburg is basically a thick cardboard and starts to collapse which means we are all having to replace the sewer line. It’s a very costly repair, so I hope that you don’t have this issue, but I’d call in a pro for a video inspection before it gets so bad that you can’t use the water without the basement flooding. Good luck!
Live a Colorful Life says
I wish there were an environmentally safe option I could recommend, but barring tree roots, this has always worked for us. It is called ProPlus Drain Opener (professional strength). Yeah, big POISON caution on the front (contains sulfuric acid). We rarely have to use it, thankfully, because I hate thinking about the ingredients. But sometimes it is the drain opener, or the plumber.
Erin says
I encountered a similar situation in my home, we accessed the plumbing line in my basement by removing the trap and snaking towards the stack to remove the offending hairball.
As far as tree roots go, I have mine rootered every 2 years in my 1940’s home. That encounter was a little different it impacted water draining from my kitchen sink, dishwasher, bathroom and washing machine. They all appeared to drain fine but then backed up in my basement, from a drain opening there. It was awesome.
I choose not to use chemicals, my understanding is they can be hard on older homes plumbing. If you go the rooter route have your pipes scoped first to ensure they are not the kind of pipes that can be destroyed by rooting.
Wendy says
I’ve delt with this in the little guys bathroom because those bath crayons tend to find their way into the drain at times. They melt and clog up the pipes like crazy. Unfortunately, I’ve tried everything and the ONLY thing that would even budge the clog was an acid solution I picked up at True Value. It was professional drain opener and it was so scary it was wrapped in a plastic bag. I was scared to death using it – just had this vision of blindness – but I put on my rubber gloves and poured it down the drain and it cleared it up. I know it’s not organice by any means, but sometimes you just gotta bring out the big guns!
kelly@TearingUpHouses says
hey sherry,
i’ve literally dealt with this problem dozens of times in various properties and this little tip from my contractors has always worked:
http://tearinguphouses.blogspot.com/2009/10/my-dirty-little-bleach-secret.html
cheap, too!
kelly
kelly@TearingUpHouses says
p.s. if it’s a root problem, they sell inexpensive products at home improvement stores that should alleviate the problem. i believe the one i used in the past was some sort of powdery stuff from home depot, and it did the trick.
kristin jo says
probably an obvious question, but did you check the basement drain/s?
when I have had sewer blockages due to tree roots, the basement drains flood.
btw, cool that you are painting the basement, I can’t wait to see pics!
Matt says
So the clog is not in your shower trap, which is why none of the typical things are working, AND the 25ft snake didn’t even work. You need some serious snaking which means a professional. Sorry.
-m
Meredith says
I have an ancient bungalow, and have had this problem before. I ultimately called the plumber, but I know you kids like to do things yourselves. I hate to disagree with the masses, but if you have complete and utter blockage, you are way past chemicals. Chemicals work when you have a slow moving drain but the whole theory that they are heavier than the water and will sink through to the clog is a fairy tale, plus, as someone else already said, they will sit in the pipe and possibly harm you or the plumber if the pipe has to be physically opened. So, in my humble opinion, complete blockage of a single drain pipe calls for a power auger, which I swear I think can be rented from Home Depot or Lowe’s. It will have an insanely long metal hose thingy that unwinds and will go to the point of the clog and shake it free. Good luck!
Megan says
I’ve seen a couple people suggest this product and my husband and I have used it before too and it works! It’s called Liquid Fire. It’s in a red bottle and comes in a plastic bag. The guy at the hardware store said it was the best stuff. It only costs about $7.
rebekah says
We rented an auger from Home Depot. There’s usually one or two accesses outside that you can insert it into. The people at Home Depot will give you a tutorital on how to use it too.
Kelsey says
“Touch Me” I would love to have an IPOD Touch and I would add a design your home app or a personal shopper app! Both would be free by the way!
Amy says
Bummer. Been there, too. After all the other stuff and much hang-wringing we even used the gross chemicals. Only temporary relief. Plumber came, fixed it. “Why didn’t we outsource this to begin with?” Good luck!
allie says
what works best for us is sticking the wet/dry vac hose down the drain and suck all the crap out. i am going to warn you…it stinks, quite literally.
Kelly says
I have no suggestions for now, but for the future maybe invest $3 in one of those wire mesh drain covers. I got one a few months ago and I can’t believe I went this long without one. And judging by how much hair it catches, I’m surprised our shower hadn’t clogged more often.
Ocotillo says
Is the plumbing original to your old home? I only ask because we lived in a 1952s ranch home for a few years and we had the same problem as yours (except ours was the bathroom sink). We tried everything to fix it, but then we had to call in the professionals. Basically, it was an old home with old plumbing, and things just needed replacing. Perhaps you have the same problem?
Bex says
We had the same exact problem several months ago. We tried everything, even our 25-foot snake. Finally we called one plumber and they gave us this whole shebang about the age of our house and its pipes and how he’d have to go through the wall and redirect them and bla bla bla for $2,000. We called another plumber. He brought a 50-ft snake. It took him ten minutes and $80, and we’ve been fine ever since.
tasha says
I used Draino and left it alone overnight.. came back the next morning and it worked!
If you can get to the pipes underneath the elbow shaped piece might be blocking it.
Veronica says
I had a similar issue in a 50 year old house I tried augering it myself but it was disgusting and didn’t work – You just have to know when to call out a pro. They opened the plumbing access from outside the house augered it with a 100 foot auger – and the problem was cleared out (all within 1/2 an hour).
Jo says
I agree with the people who said to remove the cover on the drain (the plate of the stopper) and try a long snake–I’m not really sure what the zip-it is like, but in my older house I had a clogged bathtub that only cleared up after using a 25 foot snake/auger. Gross, but it worked.
Starry-Eyed Barefoot Bride says
We try to be chemical free (or really close to it) for as many things as possible. But about a month ago, the drain slowed. (and if I had been smart I would have started with the boiling water RIGHT THEN!) within a few days, nothing was moving and we tried every green solution we could think of. As a last ditch to calling the plumber, we used a bottle of Liquid Plumber and a few hours later – totally clear. Now we try and maintain it better so hopefully we dont have to go chem extreme again.
Jessica says
My husband and I had a similar problem in our old house. We always solved it using Drain-O. I did send my dad the link to your post and ask for his opinion (he is a plumber) and he said:
If it is just like this one with the flip handle on the overflow, it has a spring in it that is full of hair and grease. You have to take the overflow top off and pull the spring out and clean it, then pull the drain plug out, put the top overflow back in, adjust the drain to hold water and that should do it. Or call a service plumber and let him take 20 minutes to do it…(about 125.00)
Hope this helps you!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jessica,
Thanks so much for asking your dad the plumber! We’ll definitely do exactly what he has suggested and report back with results. Fingers crossed…
xo,
s
tabby says
We had a clogged pipe in our laundry room right behind the washer machine. Resulted in a huge mess and the water backed up all over the floor! Any how, after trying a wet vac over the pipe opening and an auger/snake we were about to call the plumber when on as a last ditched effort decided to try Kleer Drain that we had seen the HD. Looks something like a short pogo stick and it shoots carbon dioxide cartridges down the drain to blast the clog. It makes a LOUD bang, but it worked! My husband used all 4 cartridges, but truthfully I think by the 2nd or 3rd it was unclogged– he was having a little too much fun with his new toy.
m.zinman says
Draino hair remover………recommended by a worker at Home Depot and it solved our problem.