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Unclog Your Shower Drain With These 6 Tips

24 February

A clogged shower drain can be challenging, especially if standing in ankle-length dirty water takes ages to drain.

But clogged shower drains are pretty standard, with their leading causes being accumulated hair clogs, lint, soap scum and other debris that solidify clogged drains.

This obstruction then creates backflow and prevents standing water flow through drain covers. A light shower drain clog may be easy to fix using homemade remedies and commercial drain cleaners; however, a severely blocked drain requires thorough plumbing. But you need not panic and call your plumber just yet!

With the right equipment and simple precautions, you can unclog your shower drain quickly. We will now walk you through the nitty-gritty of a clogged drain and some easy tips for fixing it.

What To Do When You Spot Shower Drain Clogs

Removable Shower Head

1. Check For Obstruction

When you notice water clogging around the drain covers, the first thing to do is look for visible obstructions in the blocked drains. These can be anything from coagulated hair clumps to small objects and soap suds. Once you spot the obstruction in the drain opening, gently remove it using your hands or drain snake.

2. Check If Your Drain Is Open

Showers usually have a gap between their drain stopper and the water pipe responsible for drainage. While some drainage systems can have stoppers that can be unscrewed and lifted to open the drain, others have a switch near the faucets to help with it. Regardless of the stopper type, you must ensure that the drain cover is open after showering so that the water can flow into the drains easily.

If you notice standing water and poor drainage after following these steps, you must physically unclog the drain using your preferred method.

3 Tips To Unclog Shower Drains

Unblocking Shower Drain Iwth Plunger

1. Home Remedies

There are many ways to fix a clogged drain without using plumbing tools and chemicals, such as

i. Unclogging By Hand

Before moving on to some popular home remedies, you should try the simplest way to fix a clogged drain using your hand. Pull out most of the gunk by hand if there is a visible obstruction in the drain opening. However, you must wear rubber gloves since the blockage may contain harmful bacteria and debris.

ii. Boiling Water

Pour boiling water down shower drains. Hot water helps loosen drain clogs and melt things like soap residue and dirt. Slowly pour the hot water over the drain; pouring too fast will quickly cool down the water, which will not help fix a clogged shower drain. However, this method should only be used with metal pipes since boiling water might melt the plastic.

iii. Baking Soda And Vinegar

Baking soda and distilled white vinegar are common household materials that are highly beneficial in fixing shower drain clogs. The salt in baking soda and the acidic nature of distilled white vinegar combine to form a chemical reaction and loosen most clogs containing protein (for example, human hair).

Rinse the drain cover and drain the opening with hot water after letting the baking soda and white vinegar mixture sit inside the opening for at least three hours.

Other alternatives include baking soda plus salt or water.

iv. Wire Coat Hanger

Straighten a wire hanger and bend one end to form a small hook. Use this coat hanger hook to remove the clogs stuck in the drain until it is comparatively straightforward. However, be careful while doing this since it can cause pipe damage.

2. Fix Shower Drain Clogs With Plungers

A toilet plunger is the most popular tool for unclogging a sink, toilet and shower drainPlace the plunger cup over the drain to create a seal. For a tighter seal, you can use petroleum jelly on the cup’s rim.

When you have a proper seal, pour enough water to cover the rim and push the plunger up and down to create enough suction. Do this several times, and then run hot water down the drain.

3. Plumber’s Snake

Stubborn clogs require advanced tools like a plumbing snake that can penetrate deep into pipes. Put the drain snake into the pipe until it stops going further, and then use the hand crank to rotate it anti-clockwise to loosen the clogged shower drain. Lastly, pour hot or boiling water down the drain.

How To Prevent Clogs in Your Shower

Shower Drain On White Tiles

It is annoying to unclog a shower drain when you’re in a hurry, so it is best to follow some shower drain hygiene to prevent clogs. For example, you can add a water softener to the water supply to reduce the magnesium and calcium content, which often leads to clogs.

In addition, remove unnecessary objects from your shower, such as hair pins, rubber bands, jewellery, etc., since they might get stuck in the drain. You can also place drain catchers on the drain opening to collect most of the solid debris responsible for clogging the drain.

Unblock The Clog – 6 Easy Ways To Unclog Your Shower Drain

Chemicals and plumbing tools required to remove clogs are readily available in most hardware stores, so you need not worry about being ill-equipped. Fixing clogged shower drains is comparatively more accessible than other plumbing issues during home improvement. That way, you can avoid commercial drain cleaners and keep your PVC pipes clean and safe! All you need to do is wear gloves, cover your nose, follow some steps, and be patient!

However, in severe clogs, where none of these tips work, or your bathroom is overflowing with water, it is advisable to hire a professional plumber.

Gold Coast Plumbing Company is a trusted plumbing service specialising in unclogging drains, repairing water leaks, and repairing hot water systems. We have served thousands of families with guaranteed customer satisfaction, a strong work ethic, and fair prices during plumbing emergencies. So, if you need a Gold Coast Plumber, call us today!

We’ll be signing off for now. Goodbye!