Home Repair: More Drano Gel Max?

[kap]

I have tried the following methods:
1- baking soda with vinegar and boiling hot water
2- vigorous plunging
3- snake ... couldn't get the 15 feet long darn thing to snake down the drain. At 2 feet deep it stopped at the curve (?) of the pipe.
4- Drano

The current status of the shower drain (no other plumbing problems) is better after method #4. Still, the water drains slowly. Should I pour down another 1 gallon of Drano? I really prefer not to use chemical.in our old galvanized pipes.

[Robert M]

Kap,

My mom had a similar problem and several doses of the strongest off-the-shelf do-it-yourself stuff couldn't cut it. She called in a plumber who took care of it in a manner that we couldn't hope to do ourselves. Definitely worth $150.00.

Robert

[Plumbking]

DO NOT POUR CLEANER DOWN ANY DRAINS

Trust me.

I've seen the inside of piping. Drain cleaners make it worse.

Shower drain, your problem is hair. Snake will go though it but not clear it. Use a wet dry vac and suck it out. If that doesn't work call a professional.

Good Luck

[mattkime]

go to the hardware store and get the professional stuff. it should have a skull and cross bones on it. they should lecture you on obvious safety precautions - don't put your head over the drain and don't inhale the fumes. wipe the drain after pouring - it'll eat the chrome.

this stuff has never failed me. in comparison, draino is meant for housewifes that don't want to get their nails dirty. this stuff gets the job done.

[geon]

I've had good luck with the Zep 10 Minute Hair Desolver at HD. Drano is weak.
My last clog took a while and I had thoughts of crawling under the house, but if finally gave after a dose of hot water. My wife has long, blonde hair.

[Harry in MI]

Go to Lowes and get one of these things for $3/4.00. It works like a charm on the couple of showers I've used them on. Can pull the hair up and out in a few minutes through the drain.

http://www.zipitclean.com/

[Harbourmaster]

You could try pouring a gallon of bleach (won't hurt the pipes) into the drain and letting it sit overnight. In the morning boil a pot of water and pour it down the drain, then turn on the tub water full hot and let it run for at least five minutes. If the clog is just hair/sludge this will usually dissolve it enough to flush it out, if the boiling hot water doesn't flow down the drain quickly then you have a bigger problem and should call a plumber.

[MacManMaz]

I agree that hair is a likely culprit, but do not rule out some kind of an object dropped down the drain.

Years ago, I had completely rebuilt our bathroom and only then discovered the cap to a shampoo bottle in the pipe at a joint. It had been there for years and no amount of drano or even snaking would get rid of it. It kept bouncing around until it accumulated enough soap and hair to make a clog, then I would snake and drano and the whole process would start over again.

Call a plumber, the only way to really get it fixed.

[kap]

Plumbking, Wet Dry vac is it! I knew I had forgotten another method. Need to call up a friend to borrow one. I did pour 1 quartz of Drano this A.M., should that be a concern when I use the vac?

HarbourMaster, as previously mentioned there is a quartz of Drano in the pipe somewhere, I don't think I should use bleach at this point.

Harry in MI, if the vacuum doesn't work, I may try your suggestion. Thanks for the link.

Has anyone ever used a drain cleaning bladder?

[Grateful11]

When we first moved in this house we had a major sink clog and I used Red Devil Lye, that
done the trick but it's pretty dangerous stuff from what I hear. I haven't used it since, I use a
snake or a plunger and if that doesn't work I take as much of a drain apart as I can get to
and then snake it.