The Thing in the Bathtub

By Billy Aldridge

It’s ugly, it’s hairy and it lives in your bathroom.  It likes nothing better than to hunker down and slow the water flowing out of your tub to a crawl.  It will stop up the flow altogether if you give it half a chance.  You know what I’m talking about…the Thing in the Bathtub!

Or, the bathtub drain to be more precise.  Due to the architecture of the typical bathroom drain, it has a propensity to gather up hair and lint and other forms of yuck into a ball that slowly but surely impedes the flow of water.  If you notice that your tub has begun to drain slowly and you don’t see the familiar little waterspout when the plug has been pulled, do not panic.  Most likely the trap just needs to be cleaned. 

To accomplish this, you will need a pair of needle nosed pliers.  Start by removing the drain cover.  (See the video below for more details.)  You will need the pliers to unscrew this item.  Be sure you clean the underside of the cover itself since it tends to collect gunk.  Then set the cover aside.  Next you can then use the needle nose pliers to fish out the hair that is usually a couple of inches down the drain.  Throw the hairball away and with the cover removed, run the water.  Nine times out of ten, this is all it takes to subdue the Thing in the Bathtub.  If the water runs freely, replace the drain cover and you’re good to go.

However, it the water does not drain quickly, this means there is yet another clog further down the pipe.  If you own a drain claw, you can snake the cable down the pipe.  (If not, you can try a wire hanger with a bent hook at the end.)  When you meet resistance you have in all likelihood located the clog.  To dislodge it you need to twist the claw so that it grabs the hairball and then slowly pull it out.  Do NOT attempt to push the clog down the pipe or you will only result in lodging the hairball even more firmly.  Hopefully the clog isn’t so deep that you can’t fish it out. 

If the water still runs slowly down the drain, you can try pouring a pot of hot (not boiling) water down the drain.  Let it stand twenty minutes and then try using a plunger.  Be careful to avoid splashing the hot water on yourself.  Also if the water is too hot you may accidentally melt the sealant used to connect the pipes, causing a new plumbing problem. 

I strongly advise against the use of caustic drain cleaners, since they pose a danger to yourself and your pipes.  The trick to avoiding harsher measures is to clean out the drain on a regular basis.  I recommend cleaning the drain once every three months. This will keep the pipes from creating a monster that only a professional can deal with and keep the Thing in the Bathroom at bay.

Billy Aldridge is one of the Doctors of Plumbology at Aldridge and Sons Plumbing in Jacksonville, Florida.  For even more helpful tips and how-to videos, visit their site at http:/./plumbing-jacksonville-fl.com