Trying to unblock a shower

Sunamd

Hi,

Recently my shower has blocked up and the tray is nearly full. Previously the tray has been slow to empty but a shot of Mr Muscle Drain Cleaner normally sorted it out.
The drain had been getting slow again during the freezing weather and my wife put a mix of water and caustic soda down the plug hole but didn't wash it through with boiling water as per instructions. Next day the tray filled and wouldn't empty. I have removed the grid of the plug hole and have found a flat plastic bar in the centre of the pipe. It's like some sort of built-in trap? I think I need to remove it to get a rod down the pipe and clear the blockage but can't manage to get this trap (or filter) out. If anyone had any suggestions I'd be glad to hear them!

Thanks

Sunamd

Davy

It will come out of the trap with half a turn

lyencoli

you could try a plunger.
i would try to get caustic out of the pipe, as it will eat it over a period of time

items

You can lift off shower trap grating and remove some of the shower trap internals, hairs and all kinds build up inside shower trap, inside shower trap their should be a plastic object design to catch any hairs that have entered trap, if you can lift off grating you might see a build up, lift out anything that can be lifted out and clean it off.

Joey the lips

Never use caustic soda in a shower. It is not necessary and extreamly dangerous. Many of the shower trays are actually acrylic capped and it will corrode or disscolour if washed up.

Now having said that if your easy and careful you will get away with it.

What you usually do with the traps is pop the top off and clean whay you can see, This is usually sufficent. If you need to go further you quarter turn that peice of plastic that looks like a bar and it comes out.

It never looks nice in the shower but a family member with lots of girls got one of these big rubber stoppers that sits over the waste hole. The name eludes me now but you know the one. It is usually red.

This has reduced the amount of cleaning in the trap that has to be done. But around the waste needs to be cleaned.


You will not get any rod down that trap the best you will get is the flexiable wire HOWEVER. as most shower tray wastes are heading off in directions we will never visit I would avoid the wire as well becuase if there is a blockage and the head of the wire gets stuck the only method of removal is brut force...and we always loose on that one.

yoshytoshy

I use this stuff a lot and it's great for clearing drains.
Power plumber drain cleaner

FarmerGreen

So is this stuff :-
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9271678

One Shot drain cleaner.