Clean Out Tub Drain

This old house plumbing and heating expert richard trethewey shows how to fix a slow draining tub.

Clean out tub drain.

Buy a chemical drain cleaner from the store. While you can go out and buy chemical cleaning products more likely than not you have everything you need in your kitchen to tackle your mold problem immediately. Start by removing the screws on the drain s overflow escutcheon plate. Using chemical drain cleaners 1.

Deodorizing your bathtub drain. Use pliers if necessary to pull the plate linkage rods and stopper out from behind the tub. A slow running or clogged tub drain can be really annoying and turn your bath or shower into a less than idyllic experience. Pour half a cup of bleach down the drain and let it sit for approximately one hour.

Fortunately it s usually a simple problem to fix. Hit the switch on your tub or unscrew the. Next pull the drain assembly out of the overflow pipe. Tubs have different types of drain stoppers.

According to amarco plumbing when you mix baking soda with salt in a ratio of 2 1 it creates an ideal cleaning agent for unclogging your drain pour the mixture down the drain use a larger ratio like 1 cup baking soda to 1 2 cup of salt for a stronger clean and let the powder sit in the drain for a few hours. Baking soda is a great ingredient to use because it has a lot of hidden power. After you have about five feet into the tub drain pull the drain snake back out. Open your drain stopper.

If you find nothing run some hot water and see if the problem resolved itself. Flushing the drain with boiling water. Feed a drain snake down the overflow hole. Clean the drain opening with a sponge and either a bathroom cleaner or a 50 50 blend of vinegar and baking soda.

Then boil four cups of water and pour half of it down the drain. Remove your drain stopper. Remove any standing. If you plan to reuse the existing drain stopper and drain basket clean those pieces as well.

See below for tools subscribe to this old house. Tighten the thumbscrew to lock the snake in place then crank the handle and push the snake down the drain. Clean any hair and debris from the drain bail. About once or twice a year my bathtub drain gets clogged up with hair and debris and starts draining very slowly.

There should be a main line fairly close to the tub drain very often within the 15 or 25 limit of most small drain snakes. Read the instructions on the back of the cleaner. How to clean a bathtub drain method 1 of 4. Chemical drain cleaners unclog drains with chemicals such as potassium.

If the problem still exists run the snake a bit farther.