# Draining a clogged bathtub **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 15, 2017, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-a-clogged-bathtub/777210 "2017-01-15T05:18:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-a-clogged-bathtub/777210/21 "2017-01-15T19:29:41Z")
**Snnipe70E** ’s story raises an important point. Don’t use corrosive cleaners. But if you ignore this and use them anyway, after they fail to work and you call a plumber, be sure to tell the plumber what you’ve done. He needs to know that he’s working with a drainpipe full of acid rather than water. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-a-clogged-bathtub/777210/22 "2017-01-15T21:11:07Z")
Username/OP combo! ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-a-clogged-bathtub/777210/23 "2017-01-15T21:17:57Z")
If you just use the bathtub for showers and not baths an option is to remove the tub’s plug and put a steel mesh strainer in the hole to catch hairs, etc. It’s far easier to clean that than to get the junk out of the drain. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-a-clogged-bathtub/777210/24 "2017-01-15T21:23:55Z")
[The Tubshroom](http://www.tubshroom.com/). ---
**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-a-clogged-bathtub/777210/25 "2017-01-15T23:58:34Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > [The Tubshroom](http://www.tubshroom.com/). Highly recommended - less gross and easier to clean than mesh strainers. I need to try the Zipit on my kitchen drains - thanks for the recommendation, y’all. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-a-clogged-bathtub/777210/26 "2017-01-16T00:30:10Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > [The Tubshroom](http://www.tubshroom.com/). That thing costs about thirteen bucks. Personally, I use [this thing](http://www.danco.com/product/2-34-in-tub-mesh-strainer-in-stainless-steel/), which only costs a couple of dollars and is quite effective. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-a-clogged-bathtub/777210/27 "2017-01-16T00:37:40Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > **Snnipe70E** ’s story raises an important point. Don’t use corrosive cleaners. But if you ignore this and use them anyway, after they fail to work and you call a plumber, be sure to tell the plumber what you’ve done. He needs to know that he’s working with a drainpipe full of acid rather than water. It’s more likely to be a strong alkali, but I digress. Don’t use chemical drain cleaners unless you know your pipes can handle it. I rent, and the lease says not to use them, so I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-a-clogged-bathtub/777210/28 "2017-01-16T03:46:53Z")
acid based drain cleaner is bad. If it doesn’t dissolve the clog then it sits in the pipe and dissolves the pipe. Not sure if PVC is affected. I had drain cleaner eat a 2"x8" hole in my cast iron pipe. Nothing like cutting the ceiling out of the room below and then cutting/replacing all the drain lines. Use a plunger on it first while there is still water in the tub. That way you’re using the force of water back and forth and not water/air. The air will compress somewhat and be less effective. This is even more important if there is a vent stack between the tub drain and the clog. A vent stack will negate most of the force of a plunger. You’ll have to snake it out. ---
**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2017, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-a-clogged-bathtub/777210/29 "2017-01-17T22:40:04Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > That thing costs about thirteen bucks. Personally, I use [this thing](http://www.danco.com/product/2-34-in-tub-mesh-strainer-in-stainless-steel/), which only costs a couple of dollars and is quite effective. YMMV - I had big issues with rust/general grossness using mesh strainers in my bathtub drain. I’ve been using the shroom for a couple months now, and it’s much more pleasant to look at and to clean. IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-a-clogged-bathtub/777210/30 "2017-01-19T06:13:57Z")
TL;DR, BUT! If there have been multiple stoppages of soapy water sitting in the tub, there is probably soap build-up ABOVE the drain, in the vent. I bought a 1918 house with original plumbing. The sink barely drained. I remodelled the place and took out the drain/vent pipe - the years of greasy water standing in the sink had caused the grease to coat the vent line right above the drain. The drain and sink were fine - the slowness was because the grease had reduced the opening of the vent from 2" to 0.5". In this situation, get on the roof and run a snake down it to the bathtub drain level, No amount of drain acid/base opener will fix a blocked vent line. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-a-clogged-bathtub/777210/31 "2017-01-19T15:15:31Z")
When I worked in rental property management, the first question the plumber would ask about a clogged pipe is “Did you use a drain cleaner?” If no, the charge was $50. If yes, the charge was _$200_!!! We had a clause in our leases that NO drain cleaners were to be used. We’d pay the $50, but the tenant had to pay the $200. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-a-clogged-bathtub/777210/32 "2017-01-20T07:29:59Z")
And: **Annie** has it right. Only fools and beginners use acid/lye (original Drano was lye) on a drain. At best, they simply push back the inevitable dismantling and cleaning/replacing pipes. And: believe it or not, plumbers do NOT enjoy crawling under your sink and getting a face full of acid/lye when they open the pipes. I’m pretty sure there are plumbers who flat out refuse to work on drains with that crap in them. I’d want at least 2 days for the crap to neutralize before I’d open a P trap. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-a-clogged-bathtub/777210/33 "2017-01-20T14:11:28Z")
And remember, lye plus a grease clog makes soap. A huge clog of smelly black soap that will stay in the pipe and require dismantling. I’ve seen this soap, and it’s disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-a-clogged-bathtub/777210/34 "2017-01-20T15:44:36Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **markn+** : > > Snnipe70E’s story raises an important point. Don’t use corrosive cleaners. But if you ignore this and use them anyway, after they fail to work and you call a plumber, be sure to tell the plumber what you’ve done. He needs to know that he’s working with a drainpipe full of acid rather than water. More to the point, if you do use a corrosive cleaner, don’t just tell the plumber that you used a corrosive cleaner. Tell them exactly _which_ corrosive cleaner you used, and show them the bottle. Some of them are acids, and some are bases, and the first step is going to be to add the opposite to neutralize it. If the plumber thinks you used a base and adds acid to neutralize it, but you actually used an acid, then the problem is now worse, not better. As a follow-on to that, if you _can’t_ tell the plumber which one you used, be prepared for the plumber to just say “Nope, no way”, or to charge you the exorbitant rates needed to justify the unmitigatable risk. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-a-clogged-bathtub/777210/35 "2017-01-20T15:53:54Z")
> [@Daylate](#): > > I found a little implement the other day which is really good for fast and easy cleaning of sink type drains. Its sort of a miniature plunger, with a handle 10" long and with a plunger head several inches smaller than a traditional toilet plunger. Haven’t yet found a clog that it won’t clear, with no mess, snakes, or corrosive cleaners. > > It’s manufactured by the Harvey Company, out of Omaha, Nebraska. I’m curious, but you know more about it then I do and are in a better position to google it. Can you link to it? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-a-clogged-bathtub/777210/36 "2017-01-20T17:16:57Z")
This is what he’s talking about: [https://www.amazon.com/PLUNGER-WILLIAM-HARVEY-MfrPartNo-090360/dp/B000UFP5NC](https://www.amazon.com/PLUNGER-WILLIAM-HARVEY-MfrPartNo-090360/dp/B000UFP5NC) It’s exactly like a toilet plunger, just smaller. ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-a-clogged-bathtub/777210/37 "2017-01-20T17:43:05Z")
> [@](#): > > Lemur866 This is what he’s talking about: [Amazon.com: William Harvey 090360 Designer Sink Plunger 4" Blue : Home & Kitchen](https://www.amazon.com/PLUNGER-WILLI.../dp/B000UFP5NC) > > It’s exactly like a toilet plunger, just smaller. Yep - that’s it. Highly recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-a-clogged-bathtub/777210/38 "2017-01-20T18:31:43Z")
> [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](#): > > Look for a plastic drain snake. It’s a disposable plastic stick, with spikes on the side, which you can push into the drain, to ungunk it. Works well with hair, soap-leftovers. That kind of stuff. I keep them around and use them whenever my tub or sink starts draining slow. Yes. You tub is very likely plugged with hair, and those things work a charm. You can also try a needle nosed plier. After you get the hair gunk bits out, the tub will drain, then boiling or very hot water (if you run very hot water in your system, then just let the taps run for a bit). Do not use corrosive chemicals. There are enzymatic drain cleaners, which work well on slow drains or as preventive maintenance. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-a-clogged-bathtub/777210.md?page=1)