Q: I'm a first-time homeowner and will have to do the minor repairs myself. One of the most annoying problems is the shower drain. I've tried using a plumber's plunger and drain cleaners, but nothing seems to work for long. The drain backs up every time I use the shower. Please, how can I fix this messy flooding problem without having to give in and call a plumber?
A: Some of the most common homeowner plumbing complaints are dripping or leaking fixtures, leaky pipes, low water flow and, at the top of the list, clogged drains. Before calling in the pros, there are a few things you can try to unclog the drains. Modern drains have a P-shaped trap that is designed to hold a small amount of water to act as a seal against the release of sewer gases. The shape of the trap may also allow for the accumulation of hair or other debris that are washed down the tub's drain.
Ideally, you would use a plumber's snake (a flexible cable with an auger on one end), which is pushed down the drain in order to clear or collect the blockages. The clog can either be pushed further down the drain past the P-trap, or the debris will become entangled on the auger end of the snake and is pulled back out of the drain. In either case, this is a messy, smelly repair. Use rubber gloves, eye protection and a drop cloth to cover the surfaces of the tub/shower.
In most cases, the snake will not fit inside the drain opening of the tub, so you will have to remove the stopper handle's cover plate on the wall of the tub just above the drain. There are two screws holding the cover plate in place. The screws are usually set tight and are hard to remove, but they will come loose. With the screws removed, pull the plate and the stopper assembly out of pipe opening. There you will see an overflow pipe, which is connected to the tub drain. Place the auger end of the snake inside the opening and as you slowly and gently feed the wire through the drain, you will have to keep turning the snake by using its built-in turning device.
Snakes are hand-powered, motorized or connected to an electric drill. If this is your first attempt, all you need is a 10- to 15-foot hand-powered snake. When the end of the auger meets the P-trap, you will have to be persistent: Keep turning and feeding the snake until the end of the snake passes the trap and into the main drain system. With the snake still in the stopper opening, run a little water to make sure that the clog has been dislodged. If the water backs up in the tub, you need to remove the snake with the clog attached; otherwise, keep the water on until the snake has been removed. This will help to clean the entire length of the snake as it is being removed. Reassemble the stopper and cover plate.
For showers with a center floor-mounted drain, you can simply remove the drain's strainer cover and use a wire coat hanger or other stiff wire to reach in and hook the debris for removal. Use a coat hanger that has been cut and bent to a shape that's a straight piece of wire. Make a small L-shaped hook on one end, and bend the other end of the wire to make a loop-shaped handle. Save the homemade drain cleaner wire, because you will need it again and again.
(Dwight Barnett is a certified master inspector with the American Society of Home Inspectors. Write to him with home improvement questions at C. Dwight Barnett, Evansville Courier & Press, P.O. Box 286, Evansville, Ind. 47702 or e-mail him at d.Barnett(at)insightbb.com.)
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