Besides Draino, is there anything else (something more effective) I could use to unclog my shower drain? I think I might have to ask a plumber to come and take a look at it because I go through a bottle a month.

How much do they usually charge?

 

Remove the drain cover, put your finger or a screwdriver in there and manually disimpact the hairball. If it's too far gone, get a plumber's snake to disimpact.

 

Ahh... the joys of home ownership

A cheap substitute for a plumbers snake is a wire coat hanger

<--- likes to improve (but is actually just too lazy to make the trip to the hardware store)

I have to remove the hairballs about once a year... and sometimes that intails removing the trap in the basement (if the coat hanger doesn't do it)...

 

Most plumbers are going to charge $60 an hour or so, you can buy a lot of drano for that.

I run half a bottle a month through mine just to keep it flowing along.

 

Is this a stall shower with a big drain in the middle or a tub shower that you step into and pull the curtain? I never had any problems with our stall shower - but the tub shower we are using at the in-laws while house is being built kept clogging. I finally removed the drain plug thing - big ol' hairball was lodged below that. I was tempted to leave the drain open but worried about sending future hair to a lower clogging location. So instead I bought at HD a thin metal circle disc with holes (forget what they called it) but it is meant for drains. It fit perfectly into the hole and since it has smaller holes - catches most of the hair and we have not been clogged for months now.

Cheapest, most successful fix ever. If you still need the tub for a child etc. you can then buy a rubber stopper.

If you don't want to do that or that won't help you we have always used that draino foaming powder stuff. Sorry, name not coming to me. Been having a hard time finding it tho (when I first had the above problem). It is a powder that you dump down drain then pour a glass of hot water in afterwards. It foams up and expands and leave it there for a while - then flush out. Works awesome. My old house had a sink that would drain slow - this alwyas fixed it.

Anyway - good luck.

 

Be careful with Drano. It can do a number on metal pipes with prolonged use.

Do you tend to "shed" a lot?

Does the Drano solve the problem right after you use it?

 

Our pipes are all PVC (or at least the ones that were impacted) - but good point about prolonged use.

Well, ask a guy if he sheds too much and the answer will always be yes - we hate to lose one single hair down that drain! ha,ha - my hair is short so even if it is shedding a lot, they are very small and usually whisk away....now...the wifey's hair is long and seems to drop out by the second - it must grow to full length over night otherwise she should have no hair by now. Her and her sister - shed like crazy. So it is always her hair messing up things.

Yes it works immediately - when I go to rinse it down - clog or slow drain is gone. Now I did not mention, this stuff is not for clogged solid issue, like standing water - more used for slow draining problem.

 

I was asking Eve as it is her thread.

 

LOL - sorry man!

 

Draino always seem to work for me. I poured about a half bottle down the drain, run water for a couple minutes and then pour about another quarter down and flush again for really bad drains. That usually does it.

If that doesn't work then it's time for "Snakes in a Drain."

(Sorry, I know that's really bad, but I couldn't help it.)

 

That's right, leave my thread alone, haha (j/k)


Anyway... yes, I do "shed". I try to brush my hair before taking a shower but it seems like no matter what I do, I always end up with losing more hair in the shower. I tried to remove the drain cover but it seems to be attached to something in the drain. I'll play with it more tonight.


And yes, the joys of homeownership. This morning I noticed that my sliding door is leaking... It's a never ending story; there's always something to fix.

 

Oh I just saw this reply now as I just got out of the shower - man does the water drain nice! (j/K)
Seriously, hope you get it resolved. Try not to go to a plumber etc. such a waste of money. DIY.

You may have to unscrew it. Depends on age and style of tub...they all connect differently. The one I did was not the kind where you flip the lever and the stopper drops. This one the stopper was threaded into the tubs drain. Unscrewed right out. If you have probs - take a picture and maybe I can offer more advice.

 

Are you sure its hair from your head?

 

Are you sure you want to know?

 

I'm totally into a big bush

 

Yes, I am sure

 

Cool. I'm not too sure if I needed to know that, but hey since we're all sharing....I like big boobs.

 

BOOBS

 

Big boobs are great, but only if they're natural.

My wife has long hair and sheds enough of it to require my unclogging the drain once every 3 months on average. I use an old pair of tweezers to pull the disgusting clump of hair, soap scum, shampoo mess, dead skin, etc. out of the drain and then flush it down the toilet.

 

i just use a plumbers snake to unclog my drains if i have to, i use one of those net catcher things that catch hair before they enter the drain, they save alot of headache.

 

yeah I have to do the same in my guest bathroom shower once or twice a year. Its clogging up again. so time to bring out the old hanger and liquid plumber.

 

you'd be surprised at how well an old style plunger works.

Not only do you push downwards on it hard, but also on he upstroke. Get that vacuum and pull up. Sometimes, you can suck the clog up.

 

I've used that too... between the coat hanger and old style plunger, I have needed to remove and clean the trap in 2 years... I've tried draino, but I like the other methods better.