Though there are many a plumbing problem that arises in the home, a backed up, clogged shower drain is one of the most common. With that said, the folks here at Steve Mull Plumbing want to offer our valued clients some insight on how to troubleshoot your clogged drain before calling in the professionals. The following are just a few simple but practical plumbing solutions that you can perform yourself at home.
Let’s begin with the good old-fashioned baking soda and vinegar combo. Mixing baking soda and vinegar is one of the oldest, time-tested techniques in the books for unclogging shower drains. You can pour the baking soda down the drain followed by the vinegar directly or else you can mix the two ingredients together first before adding it to your shower drain. This simple mixture produces a unique chemical reaction that rids the build up of grime, hair and grease from your shower drains.
- Next, you can dry the simplest of all methods of unclogging your drain, which is the use of boiling water. Pouring boiling water down your drain will often take care of frustrating clogs since the water, once boiling, can dissolve the materials within the drain that are causing the clog. If, however, you have much tougher shower clogs, you may want to try blending the boiling water with the baking soda and vinegar mix we discussed above. This three-way combination will produce positive results nearly every time. One little important detail, however, is that if your home has PVC pipes, then we recommend you avoid using boiling water at all since the high water temperatures can actually melt the pipes.
- Lastly, the good old-fashioned coat hanger has often proved to be quite effective when dealing with clogged shower drains. Take a wire hanger and fashion it to look like a specialized tool for unclogging drains by shaping one end of the hanger into a small hook and then straightening out the other side. Stick the ‘man-made’ unclogging tool down into your drain as far as it will go and then simply pull it out. Chances are it will grasp balls of hair and other grime that are causing your clogged drain. We suggest you remove the drain cap when engaging this technique, which will make it a whole lot easier to grasp and remove the hair and other particle buildup.
We hope you find these simple plumbing solutions useful. However, if you attempt the techniques above in your efforts to resolve your clogged shower drain issue, and find that your drain is still presenting with clogged indications, then a much bigger issue is possibly at play. If such is the case, professional plumbing repairs are probably in order. With that said, we would suggest you immediately reach out to our expert plumbers and inquire about our affordable drain unclogging and cleaning services we can provide.
Steve Mull Plumbing has provided top-rated, affordable plumbing services to our Lebanon clients and those in the surrounding towns for many years. Our skilled technicians will promptly diagnose, analyze and identify problems and follow up with efficient and effective solutions. We want to ensure that our clients are not having to deal with clogged shower drains and having to stand in a pool of water when enjoying their daily showers.
If you are experiencing a clogged shower drain or are in need of any other plumbing repairs or services, then don’t delay. Contact the professionals here at Steve Mull Plumbing today. We look forward to serving you and to providing you with all your plumbing products and repair services and needs. We are just a phone call away. Contact our team today to schedule your appointment.