Clearing A Clogged Tub Drain Quickly Easily
From time to time, the water just stops flowing down your drain. You know the situation: you are suddenly standing in an inch of water every time you take a shower, and it takes half an hour after you're done before the tub is dry again. When you have a clogged tub drain, all you want is for it to flow again.
Before you do anything else with your drain, feel around the top part of the drain and make sure that there aren't any piles of hair. Even though they might not be on top of the drain where they would be visible, sometimes hair and soap get caught just under the rim of the drain, and clog it up. If you're lucky, you'll pull out a gross wad of hair, and your tub will drain normally again. If not, there's more to try.
Anytime you have a clogged drain, try pouring hot water down it. Use the tap first, but if that doesn't solve the problem, it may just be that the water doesn't get hot enough. Try water heated to boiling on the stove or in the microwave. Some clogs can be loosened enough this way to be washed away.
A natural method that's worth trying is pouring baking soda and vinegar down the drain. The mixture reacts and bubbles fiercely, and this agitation might be enough to loosen clogs stuck in the pipe. To do this, pour the baking soda down the drain first, then pour in lots of vinegar. Let it bubble itself out, then wash it down with hot water. Repeat if necessary.
Once you've exhausted simpler options, you'll have to make a choice between conventional, caustic drain cleaners and the mechanical drain snake. Caustic cleaners are popular because they are easy to use and often effective. But they are not environmentally friendly, and are dangerous if children or pets get a hold of them.
A drain snake is a metal device that is flexible enough to insert into a pipe. You work it into the pipe by turning a handle, and the bulbous end of the snake clears or grabs and removes any clogs in the drain. It can be purchased at most home supply stores.
If your tub has what looks like a permanent hair trap set into the drain, check and make sure that there's no way to remove it. Sometimes the pieces that look permanent really aren't. If yours is truly built in, you'll have to thread the snake into the pipes by removing the plate that covers the overflow drain, and putting it down that opening.
If none of these things work, you might need a plumber. Unfortunately, some clogs are just too big, too stubborn, or too far down there for people to deal with on their own. Plumbers have special equipment that enables them to deal with even the most stubborn clogged tub drain when other people can't.
When you have a clogged tub drain and you need an expert drain cleaning company in San Francisco.
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