Plumbing Help

[TexasSprinter]

I have a shower drain that has gotten pretty slow. I cleaned out what I could reach, but it's going to need more. Any special advice on what to use (and not use) to clean it? I checked underneath and it is pure PVC pipe, no flex hose, but I don't want to screw up anything in the holding tank. It drains to the gray water.

Also, the seal around the drain is leaking just a bit, so I'm getting a bit of water under the shower stall. i know that means removing the drain and resetting to do it right, but does anyone have any experience with just running some silicon caulk around it as a temp fix?

[sleggio]

If the Shower has a P-trap I would start there first. As far as silicon I have never had any luck using silicon on any plumbing issue. Good luck

[falconman]

We have had luck clearing drains using a flexible barbed drain tool from one of the large box stores. I think one is called "zip it. Aprox two feet long they can grab a lot of stuff, very handy. As far as the leak goes have you tried just tightening the drain collar nut?


Zip-It - The easiest way to clean your drains

[Tom3205]

Before you tighten the drain collar, loosen it and force plumbers putty all around [under] the collar, then tighten it. The excess putty will squeeze out, so just use a wet rag to wipe it flush with the floor. This will fix the leak. The flexible drain tool will do the job of cleaning the obstructions..

[Czar Of Poop]

Hi folks,


With our mobile rv service this is what we do to clear a slow shower drain. First try the plunger with a little water in the shower. If that does not clear it, then snake it with a very flexible hand crank drain cleaner from Lowes or Home Depot $19.95. The snake will go right thru the p-trap to the hair blockage and remove it.

[BFlinn181]

Originally Posted by Tom3205

Before you tighten the drain collar, loosen it and force plumbers putty all around [under] the collar, then tighten it. The excess putty will squeeze out, so just use a wet rag to wipe it flush with the floor. This will fix the leak. The flexible drain tool will do the job of cleaning the obstructions..

I agree with Tom, use plumber's putty. Silicon caulk will fail and also will cause future attempts to fix it fail because the silicon residue will not allow a proper bond. With smooth plastic drain lines, a plunger can blast a lot of clogs right down the pipe if the Zip It tool doesn't reach it.