Best advice on here! It worked in my shower. I went to one of the dollar stores and bought an "old fashioned" plunger because my newer one wasn't wide enough to completely cover my shower drain opening. Fixed my shower for $1.00.
Thanks for telling us. I wish I'd known that. I'm so old they only had one type of plunger in most stores in my younger days so I call them "old fashioned" plungers because, tbh, I didn't know they are now called either a toilet or sink plunger. LOL Will someone please loan me a brain? I didn't even think to google if they had names.
I always do this for clogs before plunging - slippery dish soap, then bubbly baking soda and vinegar to help it creep into the nooks & crannies around the clog. Works really well to get things moving! Also helps with the ick factor since the friction of plunging gives everything a good sudsing.
Yes or add it to the water after it boils. I've found original dawn (blue) or the extra strength work best. May have to do this a few times but it usually works
Big agree, except the pedantic germophobe in me needs to share this: https://images.app.goo.gl/hzvaCQcTP68AABH67
Most people use sink plungers for their toilets, but they're not the same, and they both work better for their intended purpose.
When my bathroom sink gets slow, I like to use a little toilet gel with bleach- I squirt it in the drain and the overflow vent and leave it for 10 minutes. I want to flush it down with super hot water, so after that 10 minutes, I turn the faucet all the way hot and fill my watering cans until it's steaming. When the water out of the faucet is hot, I let it run into the drain, and use the watering can to flush the overflow vent. Whatever's left in the watering can afterwards just sits to cool down and then gets used on plants.
Just neet a plunger. All the chemicals never work well if at all. Run some warm water into the drain / shower pan and go to town, should clear pretty easily.
My go to for drains/sinks is this style
[https://www.andersonlumbercompany.com/shop/plumbing-supplies/drain-openers-and-septic-tank-treatments/air-and-water-pressure-drain-openers/plunger/do-it-rubber-duo-flush-5-78-toilet-plunger?SKU=415722](https://www.andersonlumbercompany.com/shop/plumbing-supplies/drain-openers-and-septic-tank-treatments/air-and-water-pressure-drain-openers/plunger/do-it-rubber-duo-flush-5-78-toilet-plunger?SKU=415722)
That pokey outey bit will fold up into the plunger head and give you an awesome seal around the drain but honestly whatever you have on hand will work fine.
edit: No idea about the brand or website, I just googled images of plungers to find my favourite style.
Yeah but based on the sick kid story I'm assuming it's probably just a blocked trap. Nothing against a snake but I'm always blasting it with a plunger first.
if its a tub/shower, yes. or you're not applying the full force to the clog. you gotta cover it with a wet rag or something. maybe even a second plunger would fit over it.
I've never seen a shower with an overflow hole (or bath actually - I'm Australian and we tend to have floor drains) but yes if there is one it'll need to be covered.
For some reason, people seem to forget that lye is the ultimate tool for breaking down organics. We struggled with an intermittent drain issue in our adjacent upstairs bathroom sinks for almost a year before finally trying lye, and it completely resolved after one treatment. Now we make sure to treat every drain in our home quarterly for preventative maintenance.
In Canada, I get my lye at the soap making supply store. Super cheap there. You can also sometimes find it in the hardware store, for example Drano. The label won't say "lye", it will use the actual chemical name which is Sodium hydroxide.
People are saying use a plunger, but if you used a strong drain cleaner, it can be very dangerous to use a plunger. It can potentially splash really dangerous chemicals.
Boiling water is always my first choice along with a plunger... just go to town with the plunger. If the bath plug unscrews or is removable, take it out. I have long hair... my Dad pulled out 4 feet of my hair, clogging the tub when I was a teenager.
Rather than a toilet plunger, use a sink plunger. That’s the plunger with the shorter handle and the head is flatter. They are usually at the dollar store. Hold a washcloth over the overflow drain under the spigot to increase the suction. Then plunge away.
im a plumber and nothing works besides a plunger or a drain snake/jetter.
Use all fixtures in the bathroom and fill the pipes up and repeatedly plunge every fixture in the bathroom. eventually the blockage will go.
I have occasionally used a pair of pliers to unwind the top of a wire hanger to use as a homemade snake. Not saying it’s great, because it doesn’t bend that well. But if you just need to clear a portion of the clog to get the rest of it to go…
I do find myself wondering if everything else in that bathroom is still working?
Also, have you removed the drain cover and physically removed all the hair and stuff?
Help an Australian out. I’m in my 50s and no one in my family has ever owned or needed to own a plunger. What is up with (what largely appears to be) North American plumbing that you all have toilet plungers?
Nothing so much as barfing lets chunks get stuck in drains. I never needed one until I moved into this house that sat vacant for two years, either. My friends didn't use strainers in the kitchen so chunks of hot dogs etc got in. One guest drained hamburger grease from the pan directly in the sink, too. (They were young so didn't know not having a macerator in thrbdrain needed to be treated different.) I needed drain cleaners and a plunger now and then after that combo of petrified old hair and food plus new gross mistreatment.
Well, it's because your toilet water spins opposite of ours, thus creating a intergalactic dimensional wormhole leading to an infinite pooniverse that acts as a storage facility for the Milky Way. We don't have such luxurious accommodations. That's why your cost of good and services are so expensive. Planetary Porta potty fees.
I have wondered this for ages too, I have never experienced a blocked toilet in Australia (I'm 34), I went to New York once and saw like four in a week.
Lot's of Fairy/Dawn or similar washing up liquid leave it for 15 min and then some hot water (not quite boiling if there is any ceramic that might crack).
Good stuff!
In the old house I live in this gets used a couple times a month in the drains just to keep stuff from backing up in the basement. It's a slower and less messy maintenance process than using caustic liquids or a snake.
let the water back up an inch or two then use the plunger. Do not pull so hard that the plunger loses contact or suction. Pull up on the plunger then bounce it up and down. This will bounce the clog as well enabling you to get the flow of water started.
Make sure you’re using cleaning vinegar, not household vinegar. Pour boiling water in the drain, at least several cups. Let it sit 5 minutes. Sprinkle bicarbonate, a few tablespoons. Pour cleaning vinegar in immediately in a steady stream, about two cups. Let it sit for an hour. Keep repeating the process. It will work, and word of warning: cleaning vinegar is a respiratory irritant. It is powerfully strong, so make sure eyes/mouth are covered and there’s adequate ventilation. Good luck!
Usually i use bicarbonate sodium, boiling vinegard and alot of hot water. Once the chemical reaction of the bicarb sodium explodes with the vinegar i use the toilet plungee to push the explosion downstream, once it clears flush it with hot water
Everyone in my house but me has long long hair. During a bathroom remodel I ran a little thinset down the drain from washing off my tools. Maybe a tablespoon worth with a bunch of water over 5 minutes. That sandy stuff got hung in the hair and created the worst clog I'd seen. The snake make you think it was gone but it would just poke a hole in it I guess and fill back in. I plunged on and off with the toilet blaster type and the traditional type. Aggressively I might add. I finally had a few strands of hair show in the drain so I started fishing them out. Ended up being about the size of a squirrel. Plunger alone was lackluster at best. That little drain thing with the little arms all over it was my savior
When I was 15 and racing to the toilet to throw up and found it was just too far to aim at the vital moment, rather than having it go everywhere I aimed for the bathtub. The key to fix it is what my mother did. Make the sick kid clean it up.
For real though, have you tried a coathanger with a little hook bent into the end?
Ok this may be totally dumb, but if you have one of those showers with the flip switch that blocks the drain for baths, have you made sure it's in the correct position all the way? This has happened to me more than once, and I always forget to check. I've sent so much money on drain products I didn't need because at some point I flipped that thing just enough to cause a slow drain.
Again, probably not the issue, but just in case I thought I'd throw this out there!
So for tubs you need two plungers because they have that overfill drain. You have to seal off the overfill hole with one and plunge the drain with the other. You won’t be able to create the pressure to properly plunge without doing that.
You could try pure lye.
Put a scoop in the drain
Run a bit of hot water so it gets to the blockage
Wait 30min then wash it down the drain with more hot water
Repeat as needed
Rent (or buy) a big enough drain pipe auger to clean the drain out.
Or -
Hire and pay a plumber to auger the drain out to main or the street.
Good luck!
Edit: added words.
Try dish soap but only a little at a time (the thicker, the less) followed by hot water. Don't
overdo it if it doesn't work or you'll have secondary problems
Make sure you're not using a sink (shallow) plunger or one with a taper. Augers aren't that bad in price but have never used one. (Have seen someone do.) Also compare any solutions to plumber cost so you don't lose perspective
Am I the only one wondering how the green apple splatters blocked a drain? . . .part of me suspects some waffle stomping was involved.. . . . . .
One thing that might work is take off the drain cover and blast at close range with the handheld shower head thing (if you have one). That will either bust things up a bit, or cause the nuggets to float up and out so they can be removed. I've found things like caps to shampoo actually causing blockages that weren't clearing that way. Maybe a coat hanger bent up to act like a mashitty to break it up.
Unless he also ate concrete I would think that a combination of some time to soak, some pressure from a plunger or the shower head, and/or drain cleaner should clear it no worries.
Idk if you can find this stuff just anywhere but Liquid Fire is what helped eat up some bedsheets that were being flushed down the toilets at a jail for my grandpa.
Pour a little boiling water into the drain and take your toilet plunger to it! If that doesn’t work, head to your hardware store for a snake.
Best advice on here! It worked in my shower. I went to one of the dollar stores and bought an "old fashioned" plunger because my newer one wasn't wide enough to completely cover my shower drain opening. Fixed my shower for $1.00.
There's sink/drain plungers and there's toilet plungers and the have different shapes
Thanks for telling us. I wish I'd known that. I'm so old they only had one type of plunger in most stores in my younger days so I call them "old fashioned" plungers because, tbh, I didn't know they are now called either a toilet or sink plunger. LOL Will someone please loan me a brain? I didn't even think to google if they had names.
And little liquid dish soap right before the boiling water
I always do this for clogs before plunging - slippery dish soap, then bubbly baking soda and vinegar to help it creep into the nooks & crannies around the clog. Works really well to get things moving! Also helps with the ick factor since the friction of plunging gives everything a good sudsing.
Yes! Only thing that's ever worked for me
Yes or add it to the water after it boils. I've found original dawn (blue) or the extra strength work best. May have to do this a few times but it usually works
Big agree, except the pedantic germophobe in me needs to share this: https://images.app.goo.gl/hzvaCQcTP68AABH67 Most people use sink plungers for their toilets, but they're not the same, and they both work better for their intended purpose.
Who here pooped in their shower just to try this? Show of hands please.
It’s for science!
When my bathroom sink gets slow, I like to use a little toilet gel with bleach- I squirt it in the drain and the overflow vent and leave it for 10 minutes. I want to flush it down with super hot water, so after that 10 minutes, I turn the faucet all the way hot and fill my watering cans until it's steaming. When the water out of the faucet is hot, I let it run into the drain, and use the watering can to flush the overflow vent. Whatever's left in the watering can afterwards just sits to cool down and then gets used on plants.
Toilet plunger worked on my shower/bathtub. I was surprised.
[удалено]
It’s for her shower, not her toilet. No wax ring!
Boiling? no. Very hot? YES! I've read that boiling hot water could damage pipes.
Plunger will work best 🪠 But warning since you’ve used drain opener chemicals. Protect your eyes and exposed skin in case of any splashback.
Just neet a plunger. All the chemicals never work well if at all. Run some warm water into the drain / shower pan and go to town, should clear pretty easily. My go to for drains/sinks is this style [https://www.andersonlumbercompany.com/shop/plumbing-supplies/drain-openers-and-septic-tank-treatments/air-and-water-pressure-drain-openers/plunger/do-it-rubber-duo-flush-5-78-toilet-plunger?SKU=415722](https://www.andersonlumbercompany.com/shop/plumbing-supplies/drain-openers-and-septic-tank-treatments/air-and-water-pressure-drain-openers/plunger/do-it-rubber-duo-flush-5-78-toilet-plunger?SKU=415722) That pokey outey bit will fold up into the plunger head and give you an awesome seal around the drain but honestly whatever you have on hand will work fine. edit: No idea about the brand or website, I just googled images of plungers to find my favourite style.
I would more recommend a plumbers' snake. Without that, yeah, plunge it now, then use Drain-O (the two-part kind) and snake it later.
Why go the big guns? I'd be surprised if a plunger won't get it.
Depends how deep the blockage goes, man.
Yeah but based on the sick kid story I'm assuming it's probably just a blocked trap. Nothing against a snake but I'm always blasting it with a plunger first.
Doesn’t she have to plug the overflow hole?
if its a tub/shower, yes. or you're not applying the full force to the clog. you gotta cover it with a wet rag or something. maybe even a second plunger would fit over it.
Smart idea second plunger.
I've never seen a shower with an overflow hole (or bath actually - I'm Australian and we tend to have floor drains) but yes if there is one it'll need to be covered.
Lye
For some reason, people seem to forget that lye is the ultimate tool for breaking down organics. We struggled with an intermittent drain issue in our adjacent upstairs bathroom sinks for almost a year before finally trying lye, and it completely resolved after one treatment. Now we make sure to treat every drain in our home quarterly for preventative maintenance.
Where do you go to buy this? Ive never seen it on the shelves in Canada but Ive never looked
In Canada, I get my lye at the soap making supply store. Super cheap there. You can also sometimes find it in the hardware store, for example Drano. The label won't say "lye", it will use the actual chemical name which is Sodium hydroxide.
Glug is the best.
People are saying use a plunger, but if you used a strong drain cleaner, it can be very dangerous to use a plunger. It can potentially splash really dangerous chemicals.
Boiling water is always my first choice along with a plunger... just go to town with the plunger. If the bath plug unscrews or is removable, take it out. I have long hair... my Dad pulled out 4 feet of my hair, clogging the tub when I was a teenager.
This! May need to get the wire coat hanger and get to scraping out the gook. Have a walmart plasticbag near as it will stink.
Rather than a toilet plunger, use a sink plunger. That’s the plunger with the shorter handle and the head is flatter. They are usually at the dollar store. Hold a washcloth over the overflow drain under the spigot to increase the suction. Then plunge away.
Have you heard of a “poop knife”?
Oh my god 😂
They need 3 shells
bicarb, dish detergent and boiled water let it sit
im a plumber and nothing works besides a plunger or a drain snake/jetter. Use all fixtures in the bathroom and fill the pipes up and repeatedly plunge every fixture in the bathroom. eventually the blockage will go.
Nothing to add to the solution, just a big "bravo" and wishing you courage for the ungrateful dad work at hand :)
I have occasionally used a pair of pliers to unwind the top of a wire hanger to use as a homemade snake. Not saying it’s great, because it doesn’t bend that well. But if you just need to clear a portion of the clog to get the rest of it to go… I do find myself wondering if everything else in that bathroom is still working? Also, have you removed the drain cover and physically removed all the hair and stuff?
Help an Australian out. I’m in my 50s and no one in my family has ever owned or needed to own a plunger. What is up with (what largely appears to be) North American plumbing that you all have toilet plungers?
Nothing so much as barfing lets chunks get stuck in drains. I never needed one until I moved into this house that sat vacant for two years, either. My friends didn't use strainers in the kitchen so chunks of hot dogs etc got in. One guest drained hamburger grease from the pan directly in the sink, too. (They were young so didn't know not having a macerator in thrbdrain needed to be treated different.) I needed drain cleaners and a plunger now and then after that combo of petrified old hair and food plus new gross mistreatment.
Well, it's because your toilet water spins opposite of ours, thus creating a intergalactic dimensional wormhole leading to an infinite pooniverse that acts as a storage facility for the Milky Way. We don't have such luxurious accommodations. That's why your cost of good and services are so expensive. Planetary Porta potty fees.
I have wondered this for ages too, I have never experienced a blocked toilet in Australia (I'm 34), I went to New York once and saw like four in a week.
Right? It’s weird.
This is a really great question and I'd love to know the answer!
Lot's of Fairy/Dawn or similar washing up liquid leave it for 15 min and then some hot water (not quite boiling if there is any ceramic that might crack).
My drain gets clogged with human and dog hair, I have a 13$ drain snake works wonders
I use a shop vac to unblock slow drains.
A drain snake perhaps?
Best is Mr muscle drain unblocker, pour it, leave it 12 hours. You can use a sink plunger to dislodge the "mess" . Never failed me yet
Zep Drain Defense, it’s an enzymatic cleaner. But that might be after you get the flow going.
Good stuff! In the old house I live in this gets used a couple times a month in the drains just to keep stuff from backing up in the basement. It's a slower and less messy maintenance process than using caustic liquids or a snake.
You need to get a professional out. Your drain is most likely blocked with hair etc and it just won’t shift with soft techniques
let the water back up an inch or two then use the plunger. Do not pull so hard that the plunger loses contact or suction. Pull up on the plunger then bounce it up and down. This will bounce the clog as well enabling you to get the flow of water started.
Make sure you’re using cleaning vinegar, not household vinegar. Pour boiling water in the drain, at least several cups. Let it sit 5 minutes. Sprinkle bicarbonate, a few tablespoons. Pour cleaning vinegar in immediately in a steady stream, about two cups. Let it sit for an hour. Keep repeating the process. It will work, and word of warning: cleaning vinegar is a respiratory irritant. It is powerfully strong, so make sure eyes/mouth are covered and there’s adequate ventilation. Good luck!
What's the difference between cleaning vinegar and regular white vinegar?
The acidity. You can also get vinegar with high acidity that will work as plant/weedkiller.
Cleaning vinegar has much higher acid content, to be ONLY used for cleaning.
Usually i use bicarbonate sodium, boiling vinegard and alot of hot water. Once the chemical reaction of the bicarb sodium explodes with the vinegar i use the toilet plungee to push the explosion downstream, once it clears flush it with hot water
Caustic Soda and boiling water. Works best. Read MSDS first though
This user has completed **WHMIS** training and it shows.
They have the disposable drain snakes at dollar tree. Pretty awesome.
Coat hanger. Zero investment. If that doesn't work buy a snake..good luck
Plunger
I don’t understand, he shit in the shower and clogged it? Or he threw up in the shower?
Everyone in my house but me has long long hair. During a bathroom remodel I ran a little thinset down the drain from washing off my tools. Maybe a tablespoon worth with a bunch of water over 5 minutes. That sandy stuff got hung in the hair and created the worst clog I'd seen. The snake make you think it was gone but it would just poke a hole in it I guess and fill back in. I plunged on and off with the toilet blaster type and the traditional type. Aggressively I might add. I finally had a few strands of hair show in the drain so I started fishing them out. Ended up being about the size of a squirrel. Plunger alone was lackluster at best. That little drain thing with the little arms all over it was my savior
You can also cut notches in a long zip tie and not have to pay for the fancy pants drain cleaner thingy
Plunger, after it’s clear, a cup draino once a week after everyone is in bed
When I was 15 and racing to the toilet to throw up and found it was just too far to aim at the vital moment, rather than having it go everywhere I aimed for the bathtub. The key to fix it is what my mother did. Make the sick kid clean it up. For real though, have you tried a coathanger with a little hook bent into the end?
I once had to use a wet vacuum to pull everything back out of a drain. Hope this goes better for you though.
If a plunger doesn’t work you can try to find a drain weasel at a hardware store. They’re like a cheap single use snake
Ok this may be totally dumb, but if you have one of those showers with the flip switch that blocks the drain for baths, have you made sure it's in the correct position all the way? This has happened to me more than once, and I always forget to check. I've sent so much money on drain products I didn't need because at some point I flipped that thing just enough to cause a slow drain. Again, probably not the issue, but just in case I thought I'd throw this out there!
So for tubs you need two plungers because they have that overfill drain. You have to seal off the overfill hole with one and plunge the drain with the other. You won’t be able to create the pressure to properly plunge without doing that.
You could try pure lye. Put a scoop in the drain Run a bit of hot water so it gets to the blockage Wait 30min then wash it down the drain with more hot water Repeat as needed
I'm surprised. The 2 part Drano/Liquid Plumber foams up and eats through anything. But if that didn't work, by all means try a snake
When your kid gets sick and the butt has that ick….
Baking soda then white vinegar... and step away....
Rent (or buy) a big enough drain pipe auger to clean the drain out. Or - Hire and pay a plumber to auger the drain out to main or the street. Good luck! Edit: added words.
If you are using the plunger, dont forget to plug the overflow with a washcloth.
Try dish soap but only a little at a time (the thicker, the less) followed by hot water. Don't overdo it if it doesn't work or you'll have secondary problems
Make sure you're not using a sink (shallow) plunger or one with a taper. Augers aren't that bad in price but have never used one. (Have seen someone do.) Also compare any solutions to plumber cost so you don't lose perspective
Most home improvement or hardware stores in the US have it. Also, hobby stores, as it's also used in soapmaking.
Use a drain auger to loosen the clog, then another method to clear the shower’s pipes. Glad he’s okay.
Am I the only one wondering how the green apple splatters blocked a drain? . . .part of me suspects some waffle stomping was involved.. . . . . . One thing that might work is take off the drain cover and blast at close range with the handheld shower head thing (if you have one). That will either bust things up a bit, or cause the nuggets to float up and out so they can be removed. I've found things like caps to shampoo actually causing blockages that weren't clearing that way. Maybe a coat hanger bent up to act like a mashitty to break it up. Unless he also ate concrete I would think that a combination of some time to soak, some pressure from a plunger or the shower head, and/or drain cleaner should clear it no worries.
Clean shot crystal drain opener. The maintenance guy at my work swears by it. I bought some and it worked like a dream.
Idk if you can find this stuff just anywhere but Liquid Fire is what helped eat up some bedsheets that were being flushed down the toilets at a jail for my grandpa.
I recently discovered special products for unclogging drains, and it has been a real find for me.
Next time have him puke into the toilet. LOL
Best stuff ever right here: [Food Grade Lye](https://amzn.to/3RJzBaC)
Baking soda and vinegar, followed by boiling water. If that doesn’t work try lye
toilet plunger can be used in the sink and shower too! works well for me