What clogs a shower or tub
Mostly hair. It catches on the drain's crossbars and stopper, soap and conditioner bind it together, and the mat grows until water cannot pass. In older homes mineral scale and rust inside the pipe give it more to cling to.
Signs, from mild to serious
- Water pools around your feet and drains away slowly afterward.
- The tub takes minutes to empty.
- The drain gurgles as it empties.
- A smell comes up from the drain.
- Water comes up into the tub or shower when a toilet is flushed or the washer drains. This one is different. It is not a shower clog. It means the main sewer line is blocked, and the shower is simply the lowest opening in the house.
How we clear it
For a hair clog near the top, we remove the stopper and pull the blockage out. For one further along, we run a cable through the drain to the branch line. Bathtubs have an overflow and a trip-lever assembly behind the tub wall that often holds part of the clog, so we clear that too. Then we run water and make sure it drains at full speed.
When it keeps coming back
A shower that clogs again soon after being cleared has a reason. The usual ones:
- The clog was only partly removed and the rest is deeper in the line.
- The pipe is old cast iron or galvanized steel, rough inside, and catches everything.
- The drain line has too little slope, or has sagged.
- The vent is blocked, so the drain cannot breathe.
We can put a small camera into the line to see which it is. Then you know whether a good cleaning is enough or the pipe needs work.
Leaks and valves
If the trouble is water coming out where it should not, such as a dripping shower head or a stain on the ceiling below, that is a valve or supply problem and not a drain. See faucet and shower valve repair or leak detection.
Where we work
We are based in Hayward and work in all Hayward ZIP codes (94541, 94542, 94544, 94545) and across the East Bay.
About Friendly Services
Family-owned, with over 20 years in Hayward. License CSLB #1156315 (C-36 plumbing). $1M general liability cover and workers' comp. Five-year workmanship warranty on our own work. 100+ five-star reviews online. Se habla español.