Question from michiganbeagle1977: What is the best way to prevent a tub from clogging?
I still have copper piping in my home, and every now and then the tug will clog up. This morning I had to use a toilet plunger to unclog my
tub because the bath water from last night was still in there. I have bought something made to cover the tub’s drain that is supposed to catch hair and stuff. It works. However, I want to be sure that I don’t have another clog again. Thanks!
I was able to get the tub to drain this morning, thank goodness. I appreciate the advice!
Best Answers:
Answer by Fordguy87
Keep using your cover thing, and once in a while, maybe every few months, run a drain auger (or if you don’t have one, a long wire with a hook bent on the end will work) down into the trap and pull out any hair or debris that may be caught in it. This should keep it from getting completely clogged up
Answer by M P
You need to ask a plumber what is a safe drain cleaner for that type of plumbing and use it regularly.
It really sounds like you have a major problem that is not being cleared out by the plunger. You need a cleaner that you can leave in there for quit a while to eat away at the blockage. Then run the water hard for a while to see if you can flush it on down & out. If the water backs up again you need a plumber.
Answer by princess
I agree with one, a pipe snake you can buy at home hardware stores and it will hopefully remove or loosen clog, keep drain strainer in place.
Look for a foam type clog remover . Or a plumber.
Answer by Blunt,to the point &comic satire
You or others have long hair I am assuming. You wash it in the tub. with lots of shampoo, soap and conditioner. Right? You are losing hair. Which is a natural occurrance. And you are draining that all down the drain. Well soap and conditioner and hair make for a nice clump of grunge. which sits in the P trap. You probably got a good build up of crap in there. empty the tub. If you have one of those chrome plugs that stay in the tub and you press onto to close up the drain – they unscrew so you can see directly down the drain. All that should be there is a cross piece of metal like a plus sign and 4 holes (one in each corner) If you cannot see the plus sign, that is because there is hair grunge right there. Take your finger with a good nail and stick it in and scoop out the hair ball as much as you can(it is soap, hair and conditioner above the P trap) Already that is going to help. Put in trash or toilet.
Then go to the stove and boil up some water(finding the biggest pots you can to make as much boiling water as you can. Then take water up in the pots and pour a stream from the pot directly into the drain hole from at least standing height….so the hot water pounds down into the drainhole. This hot water will pound at the soap hair gunge that got past the cross piece and is sitting in the P trap- melting the soap away and forcing it all down the drain into the sewer or septic tank. Once you have used all the boiling water from all the pots, follow it up by pouring hot water out of the taps and having that go directly down the drain to flush the pipes clean.
Should work normally again.
This most often occurs with single long haired males or females who are lenient with water useage….as not enough is being used to to clean the pipes.
No need for plunger or any harsh chemicals(which just eat out the metal pipes..
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