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Blocked drain issue - pic!

5 replies

BlackAlys · 01/06/2021 11:09

Apologies for the grime but I need to unblock this shower drain and I'm unsure if I can remove the bit I've pictured.

I've run my hands into it to remove excess hair (which usually works) but it's empty apart from water. There's a lip at the bottom of this basket pictures that allows water into the drain below, so I cannot actually get any hair removal tools in, nor can I squirt drain cleaner in - it'll just stay in this basket.

Can I remove the screws and lift this piece out?

Blocked drain issue - pic!
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PigletJohn · 01/06/2021 14:46

What happened to the mushroom that should fit into the hole?

if you undo the screws, the bottom of the trap might fall off underneath the shower tray. this will be very inconvenient. Do you have any way to reach it from underneath?

BlackAlys · 01/06/2021 17:07

Hi @PigletJohn . Thanks for answering.

I've removed the lid that catches hair (it's not pictured) and what's pictured is the bit that's left. It's totally fixed in and not a basket that I can remove. The light grey surround in the pic is the stone floor of the shower.

I bought a drain cleaner but cannot see a way of getting it into the actual drain below this bit you see in the pic.

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BlackAlys · 01/06/2021 17:08

And no, I cannot get at it from underneath at all.

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PigletJohn · 01/06/2021 21:28

I wouldn't undo the screws then.

Sometimes, especially when a shower is added to a bathroom originally without one, or an extra bathroom is added, the waste pipe run is not very good. e.g. too flat, or too long, bad jointing.

When you tip a bucket of water into the shower tray, how long does it take to drain away?

I'd avoid aggressive chemicals like caustic soda as it can be serious if it splashes onto skin or eyes during later attempts to clear.

if it is soap, detergent and grease sludge (including from the oils in skin creams and hair conditioner), Washing Soda Crystals will break them down. Spoon the crystals into the waste (and overflow if there is one) and when full, add enough very hot water to moisten them, but not to wash them away. Leave overnight and dribble in some more hot water. Don't use a lot of water, and it will stay in any blocked or flat pipes and have a chance at working there too. it is a good idea to do this weekly.

In ceramics like WC pans and basins, don't use boiling water as it may cause cracks.

Soda cleaners will attack aluminium and remove the finish.

If you actually have a blockage already, agitate it with a sink-plunger or, better, sink pump. If there is an overflow, get your assistant to press a damp rag firmly against it to prevent the pressure and suction pulses escaping.

Do this before your soda cleaning, and again afterwards.

In cases where, e.g. someone has been sick in the basin, you may get diced carrots, peas etc coming up. Best to ladle such material into your bucket and tip it down the WC. If there is kitchen roll, sanpro, cotton wool, hairballs, plastic toys, condoms, do not put it down the WC.

this is actually a pump

www.robertdyas.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=sink+plunger

wash your plunger or pump very thoroughly after use.

BlackAlys · 01/06/2021 22:06

Oh my word, @PigletJohn that's an incredible amount of advice - thank you!

I have soda crystals here so will give this a go tonight.

Usually, I'm able to clear away quite a load of hair that's caught in the basket lid - it
Doesn't catch it all but it's clumped together with other strands and various goo, but lately, I've noticed the lid isn't catching hair at all.

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