How does this shower trap work and how to unblock/increase flow?

[outeredge]

Hi Forum,

Can anyone explain how the below shower trap works, I can't get my head around the pipe like appearance with the water running down the right hand side of it, I assume the water goes under the 'pipe'?

More importantly though, I'm looking for some advice on how best to clear a blockage that is causing it to drain slowly recently.

I know from the previous owners that they have had problems with it blocking before we moved in (around three months ago), as I understand the outlet pipes have been fitted at too shallow and angle - unfortunately it's not really an option to remove the tray/surrounds at the moment.

I was told that just before we moved in they managed (after lots of different attempts) to clear a previous blockage with some form of industrial drain unblocker. I've just been to the local merchants today who gave me a bottle of Bullitt (97% Sulphuric Acid), having read about it I'm not sure that I want to go anywhere near it.

Any recommendations for a cheap fix?



Thanks!

David

 

[Paulus]

Hi outeredge,

What kind of merchant did you go to? A merchant of death (97% sulphuric acid).

In a shower trap and waste pipe the blockage is usually caused by hair, try a specific hair dissolving cleaner available from most big supermarkets. Alternatively your local B&Q will stock a Power plumb which is a can of compressed air with an adapter. This is used to push the blockage through the waste pipe until it finds a larger diameter pipe and can get away.

I hope this helps.

 

[TGor]

Unfortunately some of these shower tray manufacturers need their bumps read along with the absent regulators that allow these things to be installed.. the waste outlet shown does not provide a sufficient waterway to drain properly .. I have seen several of these with different configuration that attempt provide a water seal in the limited space allowed by a shower tray, without having to cut into the floor to fit a conventional trap (which is imho the best method, that or a self sealing device like HepVo). This type of product will almost always cause blocking problems.

 

[MattWeth]

I've never used a HepVo but they look like a good solution where space is tight. I've got a shower replacement to do next month which looks like it'll be a right pain space wise - I might give a HepVo a go. Any problems with them? (Sorry about the hijack!)

 

[mickj]

Dont know what type of trap you got but mine has a removable center, pull it out remove the hair put it back, common thing with showers, have to do mine once a mounth, if you dont have one of them i sujest you change it for one, all this stuff they say to put down to clear it is only a quick fix and the problem will continue, plus the cost of this stuff not cheap.

 

[stevetheplumber]

looks like removing the two screw will allow the center to be remove id loosen them both gently see whay happens

 

[jtsplumbing]

Ive used these chemical cleaners (Dambuster) from city plumbing works very well, will remove hair and all sticky muck from inside pipe work, As for Hep2o traps work very well , a bit pricey but do`s the job as long as you fit them right !!

 

[Osp]

The acid will indeed dissolve anything organic in the shower waste. It will also dissolve anything organic it touches outside the shower waste, including your fingers. I'm surprised the shop sold it to you. It will get hot, fizz and splutter as it does its work in the trap and can splash out. So wear good PPE - industrial strength rubber gloves, mask and goggles as a bare minimum - and exclude kids, pets, nagging wives etc. from the area. Make sure you don't leave the part-used bottle lying around afterwards - it's not the kind of stuff you'd want found and sniffed or tested by young or old.

The acid won't solve the problem in the long term, although it may give you a clean start. The only way you can stop hair and soap getting in there is to stop people with hair or soap from using the shower. So in practice you need a trap that comes apart easily for regular cleaning, and pipework that flows freely after that.

Most shower traps have some sort of twist-out or lift-out centre accessible from above for cleaning. As stevetheplumber says, yours might need those screws to be removed, which is a PITA. If so, put some kind of plug in while you work, otherwise you can be sure that special plumber's gravity will pull the screws from your fingers and toss them down the drain.

 

[outeredge]

Thanks guys, horror stories on the acid scared me off, besides our second child is due in the next few days - i'll be returning that stuff tomorrow!

I took @Paulus advice and grabbed some £3 Mr Muscle Foaming Drain Unblocker from B&Q :O, seems like it has done the job with a bit of plunging afterwords too.

Thanks for the advice @TGor, i'll try and find an opportunity to get a HepVo fitted in the future.

@Osp I did take the screws out the other day but all that did was allowed the trap to fall from the shower tray :O! so had to put (bodge?) some silicon around the seal and put back together, there doesn't seem to be any way to remove the cover and get at the gunk below.

 

[outeredge]

Thanks guys, horror stories on the acid scared me off, besides our second child is due in the next few days - i'll be returning that stuff tomorrow!

I took @Paulus advice and grabbed some £3 Mr Muscle Foaming Drain Unblocker from B&Q :O, seems like it has done the job with a bit of plunging afterwords too.

Thanks for the advice @TGor, i'll try and find an opportunity to get a HepVo fitted in the future.

@Osp I did take the screws out the other day but all that did was allowed the trap to fall from the shower tray :O! so had to put (bodge?) some silicon around the seal and put back together, there doesn't seem to be any way to remove the cover and get at the gunk below.