How to Fix a Slow Draining Tub?
If you’re looking for easy ways to fix a Slow Draining Tub, you’re in the right place!
You took a shower and then you see that the standing bathtub water takes forever to drain.
So irritating and frustrating!! Yeah, I get that feeling too.
What happens is that the draining system of your bathtub gets clogged after a while with hair, dirt and soap fragments, restricting natural water flow, and thus you experience the Slow Draining tub. It gets worse if not fixed.
However, to fix this problem, it is not always necessary to call in a plumber. Fixing the slow Draining Tub isn’t as hard as you think and if you follow my detailed guide, you should be able to do it in some quick, easy, and inexpensive ways using some affordable tools.
But remember, fixing is one thing, and preventing it from happening again is something you need to keep in mind so that you won’t have to do this gross task of getting rid of gross buildups ever again.
Below I’ve outlined several ways for how to fix a slow draining tub and some preventive methods.
Methods to Fix a Slow Draining Tub
- 1. Natural remedy
- 2. Using chemical drain cleaners
- 3. Using a plunger
- 4. Check and inspect the drain plug
- 5. Plumber’s snake
- 6. Seek professional help
1. Natural Remedy
This should be the most inexpensive and easy natural remedy for clogged bathtub and slow draining issues. But remember it only works for minor and weak blockages and clogs.
- Begin by pouring a ½ cup of baking soda down the gutter.
- Next, pour a cup of vinegar down the gutter.
- Cover the drain plug and wait for five to ten minutes and you should see bubbling reaction of the two ingredients.
- Pour boiling water down the drain.
- Re-test the drain system but letting the water flow
This should clear out any weak clogging and blockage. If not, then try out method #2.
Note: Benefit of this natural remedy is that it is, well you guessed it right; it’s natural! And it is non-corrosive to the plastic pipes down the tub.
2. Using Chemical Drain Cleaners
This method is probably the easiest method of all but it requires you to purchase the chemical clog remover from any hardware store or the supermarket.
Chemical clog removers are manufactured for unclogging your tub drainage system from tough-to-remove buildups and clogs. All you need to do is to get the chemical clog remover and read the instruction on the tag or the package cautiously.
- Read the instruction to use on the label or the package and follow. Pay special attention to the amount of chemicals to use.
- It is of immense importance to use hand gloves and protective goggles for your hand and eye protection.
- Never mix chemicals if you have more than one such chemical product as this may lead to unexpected chemical reactions and fume poisonous gases.
- Pour the right amount of chemical down through the drain hole.
Note: Even though this might be the easiest solution, this method is a bit dangerous if proper care is not taken while using it. Also, repeated use may harm the draining piping system as these chemicals are corrosive.
Using commercially available chemical clog removers is fast, effortless, and easy and it is one of the most effective and widely used methods as well.
Read More: How to Fix a Leaky Hose Spigot (DIY)
3. Using a Plunger
You may prompt to use this method without even thinking about it too much. However, this solution is dependent on the severity of the blockage, how deep into the piping system the block occurred.
A plunger works utilizing suction. Therefore, if the blockage is deep beneath the tub stopper, this method might be ineffective.
- Let the plunger be submerged under water totally, so add the necessary amount of water (if needed)
- Finally, plunge the tub drain opening repeatedly.
Note: This method is one of the least expensive methods but it is physically a bit challenging.
4. Check and inspect the drain plug
If the above methods didn’t work for you, then this might be the least expected way to try and remove the clog.
Why is it the least expected?
Well, this might be gross!
- Open up your drain stopper. (There are various kinds of it, usually, it can be opened by simply unscrewing it by hand in a counterclockwise direction)
- Use hand gloves (thin) and then pick out any soap fragments and then use a needle-nose plier to pull out any hair/dirt clog.
- Then plug the drain stopper back and check to make sure it is positioned correctly as semi-closed or incorrectly positioned stopper might restrict water flow
- Let the hot water run for a couple of minutes
If the above method solves the problem, you’re done. If not, then try method #5.
5. Plumbers’ Snake
After trying out method number 4 and still unsuccessful with slow draining tub, try using a plumber’s snake which is readily available in hardware stores or supermarkets.
- Find the overflow access. Unscrew the cover plate using a Phillip head screwdriver and it should give you access to the pipes that you are going to snake.
- Push the plumber’s snake down in until you reach the blockage or clog.
- Repeatedly and vigorously push in and out the snake to clear out any hard blockage (you may feel it)
- Let the water flow and check to see if it improved the condition
Note: If none of the above methods worked in clearing out the clog and fixing the slow draining tub issue, then the last and the most expensive but the easiest resort is to call in a plumber to do the work for you.
6. Seek a Professional Help
If you’re grossed out to do it yourself or simply don’t have the time, or if you’ve tried all of the above methods and failed, then the problem may be something more serious down in the piping system where it isn’t easy to reach; in this case, you may seek a plumber’s help.
How to Fix a Slow Draining Bathtub Drain
Conclusion of How to Fix a Slow Draining Tub
The above methods should help you unclog your bathtub and fix the slow draining issue. But it is better to use preventive methods so that you can minimize the chance of getting the tub clogged again. Get a good drain protector to prevent hair and other small debris clogging the drain and also a locked soap case to prevent soap fragments to fall into the drain hole.
Why?
Because soap fragments itself get stuck in the drain stopper preventing water flow and also soap is good at combining dirt and hair to create a bigger lump of debris.
