Bath not emptying

PJM68

Hi all,

I'm hoping someone can maybe offer some advice or guidance on what may be wrong with our bath!

All of a sudden it stopped emptying and now drains really slowly. I can take all night to empty a quarter full bath. The sink and toilet both drain fine.

So far we have tried;
Pipe snake - managed to get around 4-5ft down the pipe then I think it hit an angle that it wouldn't go around, but no obvious blockages.
Mr Muscle - no effect
Caustic soda - no effect
We've taken the side of the bath off and checked the trap - no blockages.
I've visually inspected the vent on the roof and the cover is still in place.

Is there anything else I can try before I call someone out?

Is there any way for the vent to become blocked without the cover on the roof coming off?

Any help gratefully received!!

Kind regards, Peter

bridgedino

Does the bath drain to the same outlet as the sink and loo?

Try a good old fashioned plunging

PJM68

Hi,

Thanks for replying. I'm not entirely sure whether the bath drains to the same outlet as the toilet and sink. I think it does as there is only one pipe exit point that is outside the house. We've also had the manhole cover up and flushed the toilet and emptied the sink - both flow through.

Forgot to mention we've also tried plunging :-)

Kind regards, Peter

flashg67

If it is blocked somewhere, and it sounds possible it is, I have had good success with the devices that expel a blast of compressed air down the pipes - don't 'overpump' the device if you try one though - it varies depending on the pipe diameter. Example here

wallbash

Quick question , have the females in your house have long hair?

Have wife and two daughters, all with long hair, and its the combination of soap and longhair that causes our blockages. If you can reach and pull it out.....looks like a dead mouse.

But if its many feet away, my trick is to wait until you have drained as much as possible away. Will take hours , then poor boiling water down the pipe. Not a lot, just a kettle, wait an hour and then repeat. You are just trying to soften the soap mass.

Prothet_of_Doom

I pour a litre of bleach down the sink every now and then, and leave it overnight.

daveyjp

One shot drain cleaner. Pour third of a bottle and leave it to work. You will need to ensure there is no caustic soda in the drain, so even though it is draining slowly use plenty of water to flush the drain through.

PJM68

Thanks for all your replies!

Yes, females in the house and a small boy that likes to squish the soap, so could very well be that!

I might try and leave it for a few days to let it drain as much as possible and then try the drain cleaner and boiling water.

Will also look at the 'air blast' option.

A quite reluctant to call out a plumber as it's bound to be something that I can fix once I've worked out where it is

Kind regards, Peter

27col

First point of call should be the bath waste and trap. Take the side panel off remove the trap and have a look. There are blockages that no amount of chemicals will shift.

robotrobo

27col wrote: »

First point of call should be the bath waste and trap. Take the side panel off remove the trap and have a look. There are blockages that no amount of chemicals will shift.

Just unblocked my b/room only this week , i tried all the usual ways without much success , then i opened the window & passed my karcher through the window with the variable lance on the end, point it down the plug all , wrap the flannel around it , slowly open the pressure, JOB DONE:D

PJM68

Took the side off the bath and checked the trap - all clear. I disconnected a further pipe (there are multiple bends!) and put caustic soda directly down it. Cleared within 10 minutes! Still can't understand why the 'snake' went down as far as it did, but either way, it's all sorted

Thanks for all of your replies, it's been much appreciated.

Kind regards, Peter