HELP! Drain blocked nothing seems to clear it!

BobProperty

I'd go with Penrhyn's answer in that the plunger won't work without you blocking off the overflow. BUT, given that you have put Washing Soda (? not Caustic Soda) and drain clearer in there, I'd proceed with the upmost caution whether you plunge it or end up removing the trap. I would be thinking of eye protection, rubber gloves and old clothes for a start. Please let us know what you find if you dis-assemble the trap - be very careful not to lose any rubber sealing rings and make sure you get them back in the right place.

mindyourlanguage

I use Mr Muscle, works a treat.......pour in and leave over night, have a look at the link.

http://www.mrmuscleonline.co.uk/page3.html

Tim_L

Could well be hair and general dreck - you really do need to undo the u bend and clear it properly - any other means of clearing it will leave the blockage. It is a smelly job, but not difficult.

seletar

I had exactly the same problem.So, set up the pressure washer, pointed into sink, switched on for 30 seconds and problem solved.A friend had a blocked toilet and the pressure washer also cleared this.
Hope this helps.If you can`t use this method then unscrewing the U bend
seems the best option.

HOLsale

mindyourlanguage wrote:

I use Mr Muscle, works a treat.......pour in and leave over night, have a look at the link.

http://www.mrmuscleonline.co.uk/page3.html

actually, that's exactly the one i used... didn't work though :-(

however, thanks to everyone's help on here and a bit of brute force we were able to very carefully open the u bend up and out came an enormous plug of hair _pale_ (yuck!)

now it's running very smoothly!

i've also dumped 2 cups of soda crystals then hot water down the kitchen sink and will do the bathtub the same... as preventative measures. i think those two might be a bit more trouble to unclog!

thanks again everyone... i love this site :happyhear

HOLsale

thanks to everyone's help on here and a bit of brute force we were able to very carefully open the u bend up and out came an enormous plug of hair (yuck!)

now it's running very smoothly!

i've also dumped 2 cups of soda crystals then hot water down the kitchen sink and will do the bathtub the same... as preventative measures. i think those two might be a bit more trouble to unclog!

thanks again everyone... i love this site

Chipps

Glad its ungunked - I hate the slimy load of hair that comes out of plugholes - our shower needs doing regularly.
If you pour a kettleful of boiling water down the sink with the soda crystals its a bit more effective than just hot tap water.

ladygrey_2

my bathroom sink and the shower seem to be emptying slower than normal as if they are a little gunged up
I don't like strong chemicals so what oldstyle method should I use to clear them

Pink.

Hi Ladygrey,

Here are a couple of threads with tips on cleaning drains:

Drain cleaner?

HELP! Drain blocked nothing seems to clear it!

I will merge your thread into the most recent one later as it helps other readers to find all the replys in one place.

Pink

Edinburghlass_2

pour a bag of soda crytals down the drain and then pour hot water over the top to disolve