Unblocking My Shower

[chrissa1]

I have just tried to make my shower drain quicker by spending £1.25 on a drain cleaner. It helped a bit but is still draining, slowly.

My question: when I removed the swivel hair catcher thing I noticed a flat thing that looks as though it’s is removable. Is it?

I don’t want to pull something out that is not meant to be removed. Thanks.

[Tilly2]

Put some more stuff down it after you've cleared all the gungy hair out.

[zebo]

A few kettles full of boiling water usually help too.

[chrissa1]

I got one of those plastic barbed prongy things and there doesn’t seem to be any hair that I can see. I did run the shower on the hottest setting but it’s still not running really free.

When I put the prongy thing down the hole, it only seems to go down about 4” then is stopped by a solid plate.

I thought that this was what I should be able to remove.

[bookbinder]

This is what we do in our house:
1. Buy a bottle of Buster Plughole Unblocker (Bathroom) from Tesco.
2. After the final shower of the day has been had, pour the whole bottle (300 ml) down the plughole, and leave it for 24 hours.
3. After 24 hours, pour 3 kettlesful of hot water down the plughole.
4. The shower is ready for use as soon as you have poured the hot water down the plughole.

[bookbinder]

By the way, do not attempt to remove the flat thing in the waste pipe. It is part of the plumbing.

[Eleena]

Have you tried sticking a brush up the pipe outside while running the water??

[Eleena]

There could well be gunge blocking the free flow of water.

[Voltage]

We use caustic soda does the trick

[chrissa1]

Thanks bookbinder, that’s the answer I wanted to my question.

I poured the stuff down and left it for 10 minutes like it said on the bottle. I’ll get some more.

Eleena. I’ll have to find the pipe outside. Thanks. :)

[Eleena]

chrissa, when our shower is slow draining, that's what we do. A wire bottle brush and give it a jiggle. Does the trick!

[Eleena]

^^ Should have said .. set aside for that job specifically!

[malagabob]

If the internal plastic thing has a piece running across the top in a position ideal for gripping with thumb and finger, it can be removed. It’s the internal part that forms the U bend trap. Some are just pull straight up and out. Others you twist then pull out.

[chrissa1]

That’s what I bought, malagbob. It wiggled when I sort of tried to remove it. Should I give it another go?

[malagabob]

Didn’t check your recent post Did it pull out.

[rockyracoon]

I used the same product as Bookbinder, earlier this week. The bath wasn't draining properly and my daughter caught all the trapped hair that she could find. Used the Buster overnight and back to normal in the morning. The gunk that ended up getting caught in the drain outside was unbelievable, a great big ball of hair and soap scum. Yuk.

[Garaman]

//When I put the prongy thing down the hole, it only seems to go down about 4” then is stopped by a solid plate.//

Most showers have a shower trap rather than a U-bend, in which case the bottom of the trap would only be about 4" down the hole.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=LgGIWvbHA4WXgAa3iJD4AQ&q=shower+trap+uk&oq=shower+trap+uk&;gs_l=psy-ab.3...72420.73289.0.73872.3.3.0.0.0.0.87.226.3.3.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.2.158...0j0i67k1j0i24k1.0.Nk35crFZ27E#imgrc=AFA_3gBanQOj1M:

[andres]

I have to insert a coin or similar in the groove on top.Twist it and the cylinder comes out. Give it a clean and insert it back into the pipe. No problem. While its out I pour drain cleaner into the pipe.

[dannyk13]

I found that this worked for me.
Amazon.co.uk User Recommendation

[chrissa1]

http://i66.tinypic.com/9izj8p.jpg

This is the vertical plate in my shower. Can I remove it?

[Garaman]

I am not sure, Chrissa, but I can't think of a reason why you would have that plate other than as a means to pull part of the trap out for cleaning.