Why Won’t The Tub Drain?

You are standing in the shower getting ready for the day or winding down for the night and you notice that the water in the bathtub is becoming a bath and a shower at the same time. About the time it reaches your ankles, you begin to hurry up and finish. After leaving the bathroom for a while, you return and see that the level of water has not gone down. Now there’s a problem with the tub drain! What could be causing the blockage?

When discussing the tub, the majority of clogs come from hair. As you are washing, your hair will fall out and go down the drain. As the hair accumulates (if it stops within any of the traps in the pipes), it begins to impede water from draining. The water can also accumulate as soap scum and hard water build-up and choke off the piping. Other types of clogs can come from dirt that is washed off, pipes that are falling apart, sand, and objects that fall down the drain while near the tub.

If the drain seems to slow over time and then stops, it is most likely hair or build-up. Hot water can be poured down the drain, baking soda, and vinegar, a plunger, and drain cleaner. The type of drain cleaner will need to be chosen that will get the job done while causing the least damage to the pipes. You certainly don’t want to clear the pipes only to put a hole in the plumbing!

Another thing you don’t want to do is to try a bunch of things and end up in a situation worse than you started. If you are not having success with the things you tried, then it is time to call a plumber! They will have the knowledge and specialized tools to tackle your problems in an efficient manner. They can also look over other areas of your plumbing/bathroom and offer insight into anything else they see that may be either causing a problem or will be a problem soon.

Your clog may need to be cleared by taking out some of your pipes or by using a high-powered water pressure machine to unclog your blockage. Plumbers will be able to handle this with ease. Ways to help prevent clogs are to regularly clean your tub/shower area to get the soap scum cleared off. You can also put hair traps over the drain so that it doesn’t end up going down the drain in the first place. You can make sure you knock off loose dirt and sand before you shower as well to keep the tub drain clear.