Despite their ingenuity, these methods won’t work and especially risk damaging your pipes and plumbing fixtures. Drain snake A simple 25-foot snake will very likely get to the clog, if necessary. If your shower drain doesn't have a cover, install one after you unclog it. While this is bigger than a tub drain, it's still a good idea to use a standard snake with a 1/4- or 5/16-inch cable, so the cable goes through easily. To snake a shower drain, take the cover off the drain and feed the end of the snake into it. How to Make a Snake for Unclogging a Shower Drain 1. Snaking is the process of using a plumber’s snake to clean out all of the old hair and soap residue that collects in a drain. Create a Makeshift Drain Snake with a Wire Coat Hanger. Make sure you keep your grip on the handle. How Hard is it to Snake a Drain? Shower drains can become clogged with minerals from hard water, hair, and soap. A manual snake would not cost a lot and do not end up paying more for damaged pipes. If your shower doesn’t have a drain cover, you can skip this step. How to Snake a Tub Drain Do not snake through the drain! Many of the shallowest clogs can be removed with as little as an unbent metal coat hanger. If you can’t reach it, … James has over 32 years of home service and business plumbing experience and has expanded the Twin Home Experts to Phoenix, Arizona and the Pacific Northwest. Good luck with it. Nowadays, you can find a plunger with an extra rubber ring on the bottom, which is highly helpful in bringing up dirt from the drains. If you're worried about damaging your pipe with a snake, try using a metal coat hanger to unclog the drain instead. Pull the hanger out, and remove the gunk with a paper towel. Unclog a Shower Drain with a Coat Hanger. Drain snakes work for smaller drains like your kitchen or bathroom sink. The snake tool looks like a long zip tie with small thorns and a handle on the end. Have you ever found yourself in the bathroom standing in a pool of water, trying to push the water using your legs? A wire hanger can be used as well. This hair mess along with soap residue attracts all other wastes. For example, pouring chemicals down your shower drain in an attempt to clear it up can pull gunk off the side of the drain before the clog. References. Make Your Own Drain Snake Mycoffeepot Org. Then, insert the other end into the toilet drain. Tub drains are susceptible to clogs from hair, soap residue, and grease. Let's be honest, if you've got 1 toilet and 5 people in your house, getting that toilet unclogged by any means necessary is the goal here. When you start to feel resistance, that means the snake is picking up clogs. Wire hanger: A more rudimentary, yet effective, method, a wire hanger can work similarly to a snake. % of people told us that this article helped them. The head of the auger serves to loosen the clog and/or push the blockage further down the drain, or … When you shower, some of your hair falls out and goes down the drain. Sometimes you can clear these stoppages by using a metal coat hanger or using needle-nose pliers. 1 October 2019. How to snake a shower drain with a hanger . Regards. Here's how to do it yourself and save on plumber costs. Insert a plastic snake tool all the way into the drain pipe. To do this, use needle-nose pliers to take the hanger apart and stretch it into one long piece of wire. Toilets; ... for this project. Keep feeding the snake down into the drain pipe until you begin to feel some resistance. Once the drain auger cable stops, you’ve either hit your clog or the P trap/bend in the pipes It is a mistake that can cause serious damage to your pipes. Pull out 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) of snake cable. You can pick up a hand-crank plumbing snake at most hardware stores for around $20. This means they are effective in pretty much any drain. Pull out the clog; repeat as needed. This article was co-authored by James Schuelke. Clearing a blocked shower or tub drain requires removing the drain assembly and cover plate and using a drain auger to remove the clog. 2. Make your own drain snake mycoffeepot org the 7 best drain snakes of 2020 how to clear a clogged shower drain with snake 5 best drain snakes for clogged sinks showers and toilets bob vila how to snake a drain so you don t have rely on plumber. Last Updated: August 11, 2020 A plumber will also be better equipped to handle serious drain clogs. Thanks! Long hair tends to clog up drains faster than short hair, but even short hair … This tool is a steel cable that is sometimes enclosed in a plastic or metal drum. Unfortunately, these DIY drain fixes most often make the problem worse. A lot of people use unbent hanger, instead of a drain snake. ... Clean Out Plugs With a Coat Hanger. Hold a wet/dry vacuum hose against the drain and turn it on. However, they can help you with shower clogs as well. How To Snake A Drain So You Don T Have Rely On Plumber. If you learn how to use a drain auger, you won’t need to call a professional next time you have a clogged drain. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Although it's not the most efficient way, you can just plug the holes with a rag while you plunge. If taking a shower leaves you standing ankle-deep in water, it's time for an unclogging of your shower drain. Wearing safety goggles isn’t mandatory when snaking a shower drain. I tried pouring boiling water down the drain, with no improvement. Only works with crazy simple and shallow clogs like hair. Ankle-Deep in water, trying to unclog a shower drain is a pretty process. A hand snake 25 USD sink and … feed the drain snake.! Water in your tub tends to drain slowly, you agree to our makes it worse don t have on! 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