It’s not hard to spot a blocked bathtub drain. After a bath, you pull the plug, and not a lot happens at all! But maybe a blocked bath is simply looming. Perhaps you can hear weird gurgling, or something smells off. Discovering a bath drain blocked can really ruin your day, but before calling a Sydney plumber, there are a few things you might like to try first:
6 ways to unblock a bath drain
So let’s give this a go! Make sure you’re at least a little bit handy with some do-it-yourself plumbing, and now let’s get stuck in.
1. Use your hand
If your first reaction is ‘ew’, move further down the list. But all too often, it’s just a giant lump of gross scum, hair and soap, so pop on rubber gloves and pull it out! If a drain cleaner has already gone down, skip straight to number 6.
2. Use a plastic hair removal tool
Your local blocked drain plumber has all the right tools and equipment, but occasionally all you need is a plastic barbed drain strip, often sold as a hair removal tool at the hardware store. Feed it gently down the plughole, give it a twist and see how much gunk you can fish out. Skip wire coat hangers and other sharp metal tools in the drain.
3. Use a plunger
You might actually like to try this at #2, but we assume that maybe you’d done it before you tried anything else. Ensure it’s a ‘cup’ plunger that is appropriate for any standard bathroom drain blocked by gunk, and:
- Make sure the cup is submerged in water
- Block any other nearby drain openings if possible
- Keep the plunger handle vertical for a perfect seal
- Don’t give up at least for a few minutes of hard work!
4. Use a drain snake
Again, your trusty plumber will have much better gear than this. But you can grab a hand-held, non-motorised plumber’s snake (or auger) from the hardware store very cheaply, and it’s actually designed precisely for this purpose.
5. Use baking soda
Actually, mix it up with white vinegar and the fizzy result can loosen the gross bathroom drainage blockage just enough for it to work its way down the pipes. Follow up with a good flush of hot tap water, not boiling water from the kettle.
6. Skip the chemicals and call a plumber
Many chemical drain cleaners contain strong acids or alkalis and can cause serious burns, so we’d rather you left them on the shelf. Never mix a drain cleaner or bleach with another product, or pour one in after the other, as some combinations give off dangerous gases. If a cleaner has already gone down the drain, stop there: don’t plunge, keep children and pets away, and tell the plumber exactly what you used.
Bathroom drain blocked? We can help!
Have you saved yourself a few bucks by not having to call the plumber? No? Well, there’s still no reason to worry, because the friendly, fully-licensed and highly experienced team at Rapid Service Plumbing is only ever just around the corner. We service the entire Sydney metropolitan region and beyond including Canterbury-Bankstown, City of Sydney, Inner West, Eastern Suburbs, Hills District and Sutherland Shire. We provide upfront pricing, and we guarantee the quality of our workmanship.
So don’t throw that plunger across the room when a blocked bath is giving you grief, and instead call the talented team of fully-licensed Sydney plumbers right here at Rapid Service Plumbing. Give us a shout today!
