Can one of you people help out there?

My bath is blocking up. I have tried a commercial sink unblocker substance that I bought from the supermarket (Mr Muscle) but that has not worked. I have tried a plunger which seems to unblock the problem for a short while. I have also put down a whole packet of soda crystals to see if that would shift the problem, but to no avail.

Can anybody suggest anything else for me to do?

Thank you for your help. I'm sorry I am a bit hopeless at these type of things. My ex-husband used to sort these sort of problems out for me.

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Originally Posted by Hypericum

Can one of you people help out there?

My bath is blocking up. I have tried a commercial sink unblocker substance that I bought from the supermarket (Mr Muscle) but that has not worked. I have tried a plunger which seems to unblock the problem for a short while. I have also put down a whole packet of soda crystals to see if that would shift the problem, but to no avail.

Can anybody suggest anything else for me to do?

Thank you for your help. I'm sorry I am a bit hopeless at these type of things. My ex-husband used to sort these sort of problems out for me.

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As a repair plumber I have never recommended using harsh chemicals.in your drainage system. Besides they only seem to work in TV commercials and when you try to remove the water you could burn your hands or damage your eyes.First you must purchase a drain snake from your local hardware store. Now unscrew and remove the overflow plate,( See image It's the one with the drain lever) and pull out the tub stopper. You now have a clear shot at the trap. Now feed the cable( 1/4" best or 3/3" with a small tip. About 2' down you will run into the bend of the trap. Crank and push at the same time to work around it. Your blockage will be found in the lateral pipe going to the stack. You shouln't have to put out more then 10 or 12 feet. I have found tub and shower clogs to be mostly hair and the worm should auger into it and pull it back. Hope this helps and thank you for rating my reply. TOM

Hi guys:

Just wanted to offer up a visual for hypericum... see below.

This is what Tom is talking about... it is a bit hard to see and you probably have a ptrap (not a drum trap like in picture)... but you get the idea... ;)

You can also PLUG the overflow off with a wet rag and try to plunge again... but will not work as good as good old snaking of the drain!

Let us know if you need anything else!

MARK

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Originally Posted by speedball1

Now unscrew and remove the overflow plate,( See image It's the one with the drain lever) and pull out the tub stopper. You now have a clear shot at the trap.

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HOW?? This is the most complicated part and everyone always glosses over it. The assembly behind the overflow plate that goes down to the drain doesn't just "pull out". It is two long flat metal pieces with a long threaded rod between them. If you pull on it, there is a little play before you hear the "clink" noise of whatever it's attatched to down there. :confused:

The rest of the process from removing the face plate to augering the drain is apparent just from looking at it. Getting the assembly out is the only thing that isn't intuitive.

Here is another pic as Tom and Mark says, good luck.

John

Plumbing can frustrate a person for sure... ;) Let's see if we can help some...

What kind of trip lever do you have Chris?

There is the older model (see pic. On left) and the newer model (right pic.). Sometimes, the older model will require you to pull the stopper OUT from the drain assembly before you can pull the trip lever mechanism out. The newer type simply pulls out... period! Sometimes the newer kind get stuck and need to be wiggled aggressively to be removed.

Sometimes, when you pull the mechanism itself you will find the problem is gunk hung up on the coil or plunger. I don't mean to joke, but it is really all about jiggling the mechanism until it lines up just right and then you pull it. You want to try this with the trip lever in the UP position and in the DOWN position (actually screw faceplate back to overflow and trip the lever each time... then pull out and lining up plunger again)... that make sense?

You are correct that snaking from this area will be only choice.

Let me know...

MARK Attached Images https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/attach...letubwaste.bmp https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/attach...tub_drain1.jpg https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/attach...l-overflow.bmp