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Best Ways to Unclog Your Shower Drain

Posted on April 2, 2024 by Melbourne Plumber

It’s a terrible feeling to be taking a shower and have to stand in dirty water that is not draining. In fact, it feels very counter-productive.  You are cleaning your body at the same time you are standing in dirty water.

Shower drains deal with the largest amount of water of any drain in your home. Showers typically last 10 minutes on average and the average shower uses 2 gallons per minute. That’s 20 gallons of water per shower. The average household showers several times per day combined. It is not uncommon for 100 gallons or more of water to pass through your shower drain in a single day.

Naturally, when that much water is flowing through a floor drain, there will inevitably be drain stoppages aka clogs. They occur when the drain is blocked by various materials which include, but are not limited to: hair, soaps, dead skin, shaving cream, dust & various foreign debris.

So, what is the best way to unclog your shower drain? In this article, we will answer this question.

Try Doing it Manually

If you can see that the grate covering the drain is blocked, simply remove the cover and clean it off in the sink with a wire brush. If there is debris blocking the drain cover, you are in luck. That is because the easiest drain blockage to clear is the blocked drain cover. Simply scrape off the debris and re-install the drain cover. Estimated time: 10-15 minutes.

Liquid Drain Cleaners

For relatively light clogs you can use natural drain cleaners that you let sit overnight. These cleaners have enzymes which eat away at the build up. For more stubborn organic clogs, you may need to use a more powerful chemical drain cleaner.

Make sure you read the directions carefully when using any chemical drain cleaner. Make sure you have proper ventilation and face and skin protection. You will be glad you did.

Snake the Drain

For really stubborn clogs, it is not uncommon to see a plumber resort to using a mechanical snake device. This device burrows down into the pipe and pushes and pulls its way through the tough clog.

Some plumbers may use a tiny camera to look down into your drain to see exactly what is going on. It’s not always just a clog. Sometimes, much more serious problems can be occurring such as a broken or caved pipe.

Conclusion

Your plumber may use one or multiple of these approaches to get your drain flowing properly. There will come a time when you will face a tough drain clog. You can attempt to clear it yourself or hire a professional plumber.