Shower Drain

[Webster]

My shower drain is a bit clogged and the water goes down very slowly. I've asked, but have been told that you shouldn't use Liquid Plumber or other stuff. We've taken out some hair, but it still runs slow. Suggestions?

[Webster]

My shower drain is a bit clogged and the water goes down very slowly. I've asked, but have been told that you shouldn't use Liquid Plumber or other stuff. We've taken out some hair, but it still runs slow. Suggestions?

[Lorna]

Look for something that says safe for PVC or Plastic pipes. Other than that, you might try a "sneaky snake". You can buy one in the plumbing section of the hardware/lumber yard (like Lowes/Home Depot). Keep the hair out of your drains! Use a "hair catcher" thingy like found in plumbing section.

["007"]

George, check to see if your drain pipe is sloped enough towards your holding tank. I have a metal lovered screen at bottom of shower to access drain pipe connectors and trap. "007"

[Webster]

Thanks Lorna. This clog is from before we purchased it. We're going down to the National RV Rally in Temecula in March and plan to direct some questions about it at that time as well. My wife knows about the hair catcher and plans on using that once we get it clean.

Also, thanks 007 even though I'm not sure what you're talking about. This is out first motorhome and the shower looks just like a normal shower. My wife was able to pull some gunk out with tweezers.

[Lorna]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Webster:
...This clog is from before we purchased it... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You may want to use the snake rather than the drain opener. There is no telling what may be down inside the drain. It may not be a hair clog but something else (bobby pin, etc).

["007"]

I meant to say sloped, not slopped must have been senior moment , if you can see your drain out of the shower there maybe a trap that will come apart to clean out the drain pipe. "007"

[Mac and Chris]

Our drain will occasionally slow. There's a fairly new and inexpensive plastic drain opener on the market. It's about 18" or 2' long and has a sawtooth appearance, with one tooth about every 2 inches. You shove it down the drain and it snakes around through the trap, then pull it back out and repeat. You'd be amazed how much gunk and hair it pulls out.

Mac

[Tom N]

I would use one of the regular drain cleaner/openers such as Liquid Plumber. I would flush and dump my gray tank after treating with a drain cleaner.

Do you know why someone suggest NOT using Liquid Plumber???

[bdpreece]

The run is so short that you might just try water pressure. Take the drain cover off, place a hose in the drain and pack rags around it. While holding everything in place have someone turn the hose on full blast. Chances are that will drive anything in there down to the tank.

[JB Texas]

Hey Chief,
If you have one of the spring loaded built in drain stoppers you may not need all the snakes and cleaners. When mine gets slow, I unscrew the stopper and clean it out with a finger. There is usually quite a build-up just under the stopper.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Don't worry - any drain opener that is safe for septic systems and pvc pipes (and that's just about all of them on the supermarket shelf) will work fine. A plain old degreasing detergent might be sufficient too.

But there's a good chance that removing the screen from the shower drain and scooping with your finger or a bent piece of wire will clean out the crud, which is usually just hair and congealed soap.

[Webster]

Wow...lots of advice here and I sincerely thank all who responded. We're concerned about it because I'm diabetic and I have a diabetic ulcer on my foot and it's highly susceptable to infection. We haven't had a chance yet to get a snake and I'm still a little leary of using a substance which might harm the seals. But, I'm going to read the labels closely.

Thanks all.

[Canuck]

Here's a link that outlines how vinegar and baking soda can be mixed to make a non-toxic drain cleaner.
Canuck