Bath Tub Drain

A plumber is not always needed when you want to unclog your bath drain. You can also deal with a clogged tub drain on your own, if you learn how.

If you look at the structure of a drain, you will always see the same thing. These structures have a curved area, named trap, usually shaped as an U for sinks, and as a P for bath tubs. The name trap is used, because in this area water can be trapped, preventing nasty smells from pipes to get into the house. In time, the trap gets clogged with all kinds of stuff and that is when the bath drain becomes clogged and needs unclogging.

Unclogging can begin from the surface. If you notice that something is blocking the drain, you can reach it out and take it from there. But, in most cases, problems are a little more severe and you will need a wire coat hanger to dig deeper.

Plunge the drain, if you see that your previous efforts do not work too well. First, let water run in the bath tub so it cover the plunger, then block the overflow with some cloth, and try to plunge the drain. You will do that by putting the plunger over the drain and then pushing it up and down several times. Usually, such procedures will make the blockage move and water will run freely through the pipes again.

If the overflow is protected by a plate, you may want to take it out. Take out the screws and then remove the plate, along with the drain mechanism.

The next step, - if the plunger fails to solve the problem - is to use a snake, which is a steel cable. Place it at the plate opening and push it down about three feet. When you feel resistance, turn the snake in all directions to make it push forward. This will help unclog the drain.

With back and forth movements, use the snake to make the blockage start moving from its place. Let the water run into the tub, as that will help the movements you do with the snake. One time may not be enough, so repeat the procedure more than just once.