Slow shower drain

[Jim Chambers]

Is there a DIY method for clearing a slow tub/shower drain? Water has begun to stand for a while before draining (gray tank is only half full and sink drains work ok). I see a removable wooden panel on the bedroom wall near the drain. Is that access to the trap? All suggestions appreciated.

[George H. Wall]

That door is the access to the trap, but you might want to probe the drain with a small wire, ie cloths hanger, etc. first. The blockage is probable a hair buildup problem, when removed the problem is solved.

[Bill Johnson]

Jim,
If your drain is anything like ours (2002 Patriot), the line from the shower to the grey tank is almost horizontal and hair/soap, etc.  tends to build up.  Ours also had a metal "cross-hairs" under the shower drain cover (the metal covering with the holes that is located on the shower floor).  Given that configuration here is what I did, for I was having to "rootor-rooter" the drain line about once a month.  I made a "cleaning tool", using some braided electral wire (the "business end" of the tool was simply bending the braided wire to form a series of hooks).  Pushing this down into the drain, twisting and pulling it out snagged all the residue and the drain worked fine for another month or so.  Most recently I removed that metal "cross-hair" and since then I have had virtually no buildup.
bill

[Richard And Babs Ames]

We have had excellent luck with a rubber drain plunger for forty years. Some of the hair and gunk it pulls out is not pretty though. Uses no chemicals and does not harm seals.

[Bill Sprague]

There is a realatively new and cheap tool called a "Zip-It".  You can get it at any of the favorite hardware stores.  It is a 17 inch plastic probe with barbs cut into it.  The barbs catch the hair balls and other yuk.  It may be a one use item because some of the barbs will bend backwards.  For reference you can see a picture at Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Cobra-Products-400-Drain-Cleaning/dp/B000BO9204/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1287082297&sr=8-1.  Click the enlarge option to see the barbs.  

[Edward Buker]

Jim,

If your shower is like mine the raised cap that sits over the drain unscrews. Once off we use a pointed bamboo kabob stick to pull up what is mostly hair from showering. The blockage is usually below the cap but above the trap. Hope this helps.

Later Ed

[Jim Chambers]

Thanks all. I have the "pop up" stopper which I hope is what Ed is referring to. Couldn't figure out how to get a probe down there. If the cap unscrews, I can then try some of the tools suggested.

[LarryNCarolynShirk]

After you unscrew the pop-up stopper, you could try forceps to pull up the gunk.  If you drop them, they will not go down the drain, because the handles are too big.

Larry

[Jim Chambers]

Bought a "Zip It", unscrewed the pop up stopper and got enough stuff out to improve things, but I think there is more to be found. Question for Bill Johnson: How did you remove the "cross hairs"? With them out of the way the Zip It would work much better. They catch the barbs on the tool going in and coming out. The metal cross must have some purpose but I can't figure out what it is. They don't act as much of a trap for hair. Think I may remove the pop-up stopper since it only functions when the tub is used and we only use the shower. I think one of the flat rubber hair traps could then be used over the drain.

[Bill Johnson]

Jim,
I also had trouble getting the "Zip-it" by the "cross-hairs."  That is when I decided to remove then.  I used needle nose pliers to "gently" wiggle each "hair" where it attaches to the drain.  I think the whole drain assembly is generic and the "cross hairs" serve no purpose in the RV.  For example, we have a couple of the same cross hair drains in our wet bar sinks in our house.  For that purpose they are fine -- we usually do not have hair in our drinks so there is no hair to muck up the assembly!
Final note:  the metal that is used is quite bendable, so you should not have much trouble getting it to fatigue when wiggling it.
Hope this works as well for you as it did for us.
bill

[Jim Chambers]

Thanks Bill. I will remove them. Thinking maybe they exist to stop any large objects from going down the drain. I once had my wedding ring come off in the shower and I suppose the "iron cross" would have prevented it from going away.

[Ron Johnson]

I use a 9" or 12" plastic ziptie which is both firm and flexible enough to go around everything and loosen the 'stuff' enough to flush it down.

[LarryNCarolynShirk]

In our shower, the cross hairs hold the threaded nut in the center into which the stopper screws.  If you are not going to use the stopper, removing the cross hairs is OK.  If you want to close the drain in the future, you could get a rubber plug for that size hole.  Closing the stopper helps reduce evaporation from the trap during storage, thereby keeping the tank odor in the tank, not in your coach.

Larry

[Jim Chambers]

Thanks Larry. I am rethinking. I do want to keep the pop-up functional. I will try more probing with a long zip tie as suggested by bcthunder. Wish I had thought of that before spending $3.50 on the Zip-It. While the barbs help snag debris, they hang up too much on the "cross". I think a hose and zip tie might just flush the remaining obstruction.

[Bill Johnson]

One other option is a flexible wire with barbs on the end that Walgreens sells.  The package comes with two different styles of drain cleaner "probes".