Imagine if you are taking a nice soothing hot bath in a bathtub, and suddenly you hear noises from your bathtub drain, noises of water struggling to flow out to the drain pipe. This is the first sure sign that there is a slow draining bathtub in your house. A slow draining or clogged bathtub can be very frustrating for a homeowner, and it is one major plumbing problem that thousands of Americans homes have to deal with every year. Due to such adversities, homeowners often contact a professional plumbing company to resolve the issue, as eliminating the clog is worth paying the plumbing company for their professional services.
But what will will happen if you try to fix the issue on your own, without the help of costly professional aid? Well, for one if your are properly equipped with the right tools and plumbing tips, unclogging a bathtub can be rather simple. The best part is, you can save yourself hundreds of dollars that are required for immediate repairs. Remember not to let your clogged bathtub drain send you into a plumbing panic, it’s better to resolve this issue as soon as possible.
Below are some of the ways by which you can fix slow draining bathtubs by the DIY process:
Avoid Harsh Chemicals
Chemical available to clear a clogged drain line can actually damage your pipes permanently, as overuse of chemical product can corrode or break the pipeline. Keep in mind that there are actually better ways to clear your clogged tub drain without these products.
While chemicals can be a good option in an emergency situation, but one should never use it on a regular basis.
Using a Drop stopper
A drop stopper is the most widely used bathtubs stopping accessory. This stopper has a small knob on top, for opening and closing drain access, and typically is the easiest to remove. Most of the drop-style drain stoppers can be removed using a screw located underneath the stopper cap. It’s a no-hassle, single-step task for your plumbing project.
When you remove the stopper, one can easily see clogged hair and debris that has accumulated around the drainage crossbars, a few inches down your pipeline. Then the procedure gets easy and you can manually remove clogged materials, either by flushing or by grabbing it with a hooked wire.
A Lever Tub Stopper
A lever tub stopper, is a plumbing accessory which is used in most of the older bathtubs and is attached to tub overflow plates. You can typically clean these drains through the drain screen, as you would do for a drop stopper drain. To clear deeper clogs, you will have to unscrew the overflow plate, and pull it outward to lift the stopper, and then clear the drain pipe with a hot water flush. Any obstructions, such as residual hair and drain gunk would be cleared easily.
Using Hot Water Mixture Flush:
As mentioned earlier in the article that flushing your drains with chemical cleaners regularly can corrode and deteriorate the tub drain pipes with ease. Instead, you can try homemade remedies or mixtures to clear the clogged bathtub drain. Try clearing your drains with hot water, or a vinegar and baking soda mixture, as these alternatives are much safer than chemical cleaners, and can clean clogged bathtub drains with good effect.
You Will Need Professional Drain Augers:
Sometimes a clog is so far deep inside the pipe that you won’t be able to clear it with a drop stopper or a hot water mixture. In such situations it is always better to hire a plumbing service company in your vicinity. Trained professionals are better at clearing tough clogs of a sewer line or a drain line, as they also have the perfect tools to handle the situation. However, if you can get professional drain augers, or drain snakes, it can also help in clearing the clog in your slow draining bathtub.
