Dealing with a clogged drain can be overwhelming, especially when you don’t have the right tools, knowledge or experience to do a good job. A buildup of stagnant water while showering or water pushing back into your bathtub is usually your first indication that something’s up – or in your case – not going down. Your shower drain might be blocked – so let’s investigate.

The good news is that you can often sort out your clogged shower drain yourself with the following simple, practical tips. We’ve also done a couple of articles on other blockages if the shower drain is not your concern.  

WHY DO SHOWER DRAINS GET CLOGGED?

Shower drains don’t get clogged in one day. Instead, a shower clog is mostly due to an accumulation of lint, hair and bath product residue over a long period of time. So a good start is to avoid build-up in the first place by regularly removing hair. But if that boat has already sailed, here’s what to do:

STEP 1 – CHECK FOR VISIBLE OBSTRUCTIONS

The first step to unclogging your shower drain is to check for any visible obstructions. Remove the cover if you can and have a good look. The most common obstruction is usually clumps or strings of hair. Yuck. You can usually fish these out with your fingers or a plastic tool. Just take care not to push the obstruction down deeper into the pipe. If nothing is visible from the outside, use a flashlight to check and remove anything blocking the drain.

STEP 2 – UNCLOG YOUR DRAIN

You can unclog your drain using different methods:

• We already mentioned removing the obstruction by hand if you have easy access to it. Before doing this, put on some rubber gloves and avoid the use of a wire coat hanger that can damage your drain.
• If you want to level up your unblocking skills you can purchase a drain snake or plumber’s snake from a hardware store to pull out or break up what is causing the blockage.
• You can also possibly snake your hosepipe into your shower drain and blast some water through your system. This one could get messy – so have some towels at hand and someone at the tap to turn it off on command.
• Boil a kettle of water to dissolve the buildup of soft obstructions like soap and pour it down your drain. Repeat the process 2 to 3 times. how to unclog your shower how to unclog your shower how to unclog your shower
• Use natural drain cleaners like vinegar and baking soda. Before applying natural drain cleaners to your drain, pour a pot of boiling water to loosen the debris. Then, mix equal amounts of vinegar and baking soda and pour into the drain. Rinse after 15 minutes with another pot of boiling water. how to unclog your shower
• Or check out our range of industrial-strength cleaners to get the job done right and hassle-free.

If the steps above did not help solve your clogged shower problem, it’s time to hire a professional. 

WHY DEAL WITH DRAIN SURGEON

If all this seems like a bit of a mission, we get it. We don’t expect everyone to love plumbing as much as we do. So why use us? In a nutshell, because of our service attitude! Our absolute dodged focus on client service is no idle statement. In fact: how to unclog your shower

• We are ultimately geared toward the provision of first-class service, with efficiency, dependability, and customer satisfaction our utmost concerns.
• We offer corporate maintenance contracts, thus enabling you to budget for the unexpected. A state-of-the-art tracking system has been installed in our vehicles, making it possible for us to pinpoint the movement of our vehicles at any given time and respond to queries regarding time spent on the job with accuracy.
• Each one of our highly skilled repair teams consists of one tradesman and one helper. They are in constant touch with the Control Room and their vehicles carry an extensive set of tools and materials. They also have access to our fully-stocked stores at any time of the day or night.
• Staff training is ongoing and includes, in addition to technical refresher courses, training in all aspects of customer service.
• At the Drain Surgeon, we pay more than mere lip service to affirmative action. We offer opportunities for advancement to deserving staff members and our training program helps them reach their full potential.

WE’RE HERE FOR YOU 24/7

We love plumbing. And we love making sure your plumbing stays tip-top. Drain Surgeon is the largest plumbing group in the Southern hemisphere. We will give you quick and professional service no matter what your plumbing and drainage needs may be.

Call us today and our plumbing team will take care of it – any time of the day or night. We’ve been in the business for a long time, and we’ve seen it all, so you can enjoy peace of mind in the knowledge that one of our expert plumbers will be with you soon. 

At Drain Surgeon we only contract security-screened plumbers and electricians, so your home and family are in safe hands when we perform work on your premises. 

Download the app here and save R150 on your first job. And check out our testimonials here to hear what other happy customers have to say. We hope to add your testimonial here soon!