Shower problems

VThornheart

Oy, I hate to ask so many H&A questions in such a short period of time, but it seems when it rains it pours.

THE PROBLEM:

Over the last few days, our shower began to drain very slowly.

Last night, I tried one of those Draino foam things (we've had this problem before, it's usually due to hair, and usually the foam stuff fixes it).

Not only did it not fix it, but now the shower won't drain at all. And there's some nasty kind of grey goo, which I've read on the internet is either grease or the byproduct of the Draino foam stuff (depending on the site... so I guess it's up for grabs as to what it truly is).

Today, I followed up by trying the Draino Max Gel (which the foam bottle said to try if you have a completely clogged drain). Nothing. Fail. Now the gel stuff is mixed in with water and free standing in the tub.

I then went back to Home Depot for the third time, and found one of those pronged devices that you stick into the drain to pull out hair. Got it all the way in, pulled it out, and at the very ends of the prongs there was a pitch black substance. Other than that, nothing (no hair, no anything).

I then read on the internet that I should try pouring boiling water into the drain to try and dissolve the goo that the foam made. That failed, leaving me with basically just more liquid free standing in the tub.

It's officially been 24 hours since I've showered, since I'm pretty sure it's not safe to actually step in a liquid that is an amalgamation of draino foam residue/grease, draino max gel, and water. I cannot find any further advice on the internet as far as what can be done that doesn't require some sort of advanced plumbing knowledge (using, and acquiring, an "auger" for example)

TL;DR Our shower is completely clogged (not draining at all) and filled with chemicals and nasty gunk.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:

I live in a duplex, where an old lady who lives next door is my landlady. I'd rather not bother her about it, ESPECIALLY since I'm fairly sure it's our own hair that has brought this about (which means, I presume, that it's not even her responsibility to take care of it).

I'm suffering for want of a shower.

Any help/advice that can be given is greatly appreciated.

Sir Red of the Manti

Try hitting it really hard with a plunger.

VThornheart

Ah! I hadn't thought to try a plunger yet. I can give it a shot.

Is it risky to do given the chemical amalgamation floating around in the tub? I suppose if I just make sure to wear some gloves and cover my face a bit just in case it should be fine.

I'll give that a shot in the morning, as I have to go buy a plunger in order to try it. I don't own one... yet.

Sir Red of the Manti

I would imagine it'd be somewhat beneficial to drain out some of that chemical bath if you're worried about splash-back. Perhaps scooping it out a bit with a bucket first might not be a bad plan.

VThornheart

Hmm... aye, I'll have to see what I can do. I'll report back after I get to home depot in the morning.

God, they must love me. I think at this point I've spent enough there that I might as well have called a plumber. At do it yourself, I am made of fail.

Peter Principle

If you're going to do anything in that water wear chemically resistant gloves and eye protection. If you get any on yourself wash it off right away. Remove any contaminated clothes.

Those drain unclogging chemicals are corrosive, and they're usually the type that you can be exposed to but you won't necessarily know it right away.

ApexMirage

I dont think it matters what the cause is as far as having her fix it - what could possibly happen to a drain that would have it clog and not be because of something you (inadvertently) did? You'll probably end up needing a plumber, but I'd let your landlady know either way.

Hedgethorn

Perhaps this is too late at this point, but when our shower starts getting clogged, I just unscrew the drain cap and use Q-tips and tweezers to pull out all my wife's hair that has gotten caught. A lot of the drain cleaners don't do a good job of destroying hair that is knotted around the drain's grate.

If you manage to get some of the chemical water out of the tub, you could put on some rubber gloves and try to attack the clog yourself.

Mojo the Avenger

If push comes to shove, a drain auger (snake), isn't "advanced" plumbing knowledge. Don't be afraid to try it if you really don't want to hire a plumber.

Toxin01

I had this problem and Drain-o worked fine.

KyleWPeterson

Seriously, plungers work wonders.

VThornheart

Peter, I'll definitely make sure to do so. I definitely don't want corrosive materials on me. =(

ApexMirage, I totally agree with you... what I wonder at this point is if it's usual practice for the landlady to handle the actual acquisition and hiring of a plumber for these kinds of situations, since it's her house... Or if that's not how it's done. I'm not certain. I get the feeling that I shouldn't even bother her about it, but then again that's my default response for most things. =(

I'm definitely going to start taking the preventative measures Hedgethorn prescribes after this event. I should've been doing that all along, but it was a firm case of "see no evil".

Toxin01, the problem is that two different types of Draino both failed me.

Mojo, do you have to remove that actual crossbar-type thing that's in the drain? I removed the drain cover, but there seems to be a piece of metal that's almost like a crossbar further down... but it appears to be in there pretty firmly, I don't see a way to get it out. As it was, the hook-laden device I tried to shove in there was really small and thin, and I could just barely wedge it in with that crossbar in the way.

Also, there is a new problem. I went back over there, and the rim of the drain (where it connects to the shower) seems to have a blue pasty kind of liquid on it now. I'm... well, I'm a bit worried that this is like some kind of caulking that was sealing the drain. There's not a lot of it... it's like a paper-thin layer of the substance around the rim, spread out probably no more than 1/16" away from the rim, but it definitely isn't something that was there (or at least visible) before. The fact that it is now visible worries me greatly.

Would such a thing be blue? Should I be worried? I don't think there's anything I can do about it at the moment... I have neither a bucket at the moment to get water into, nor any practical way to remove the water so that it can go into a bucket. These are things I must acquire tomorrow, as nothing's open around here this evening.

tardcore

I typically use Draino, let it sit for about 20 to 30 minutes, then rinse it down with EXTREMELY hot water.

locomotiveman

Do you have a mixing bowl that you don't use often? Or some Tupperware type stuff that should be replaced soon anyway? If so just use those to remove the water.

VThornheart

Tardcore: Aye, I tried that with two different draino products... it failed on me each time, and ended up turning my shower into a standing soup of chemicals mixed with formerly hot water.

locomotiveman: Sadly, when I moved I got rid of pretty much everything that we didn't immediately use or were not worth bringing with us in our car (hence why I'm also without things like plungers and such =( ). I don't think I've got one that my wife would let me use... but if this blue stuff having come out of the drain is a bad thing, I think I can use one in an emergency. Like if it's the difference between losing tupperware and having to pay to replace the shower.

ManonvonSuperock

A plunger is what you need for this.

EDIT: just read the rest of the thread. Do not remove the crossbar. One, it would be a total bitch to remove. Two, by doing so you would separate the tub from the drain causing the water to drain, but not into the sewer pipe but on top of your foundation under the tub.

VThornheart

Aye, in the morning I will be using a plunger post-haste, as soon as I acquire it.

Anyone have any info on whether I should be worried about the blue paste? Since the water's at the same level it was at earlier today, I guess it's probably not done anything horrible... but it does make me nervous.

fuelish

You might try removing the panel below the spigot that covers the overflow and has the stopper lever on it. These things usually consist of a long arm with a spring and trapped ball at the end. The spring and ball can trap all kinds of stuff and might have your clog wrapped around it. You will also need to remove this to use a drain snake properly.
That said...
The black tar looking stuff sounds like you may have a big clog that has been building for some time well into the system. If you are on a septic system, then it is backed up. If you are lucky it can be cleaned and will start working again. If the field is old your landlady might be getting a new field put in. If you are on city sewer, it is snake time. You can get a 50 footer for $20. Be sure to get an auger style so you can rout out the clog good.
A plunger works good for a solid clog like you get in a toilet, but this kind of slow build up clog does not respond as well, or as permanently, to plunging as it does to snaking.

VThornheart

Ah, interesting! Thank you fuelish! I didn't realize any of that (neither the significance of the black tar nor the need to access that other area (I didn't even realize there was anything there ). This is definitely good to know.

In that case, I definitely should tell the landlady. My wife says she thought it was clogging since we first got here. I don't remember that, but I don't usually pay attention to water in the tub unless it gets to my ankles... so if my wife is right, then that backs up your claim... and it's really not something we should necessarily have to (or even would be able to) do.

With this 50 foot auger... is there anything I should know? Like something to watch out for/some kind of procaution that I need to be aware of?

We are on a city sewer, so at least it's not a septic system backup (eww ).

Delzhand

Too late, I know, but most plumbers (or at least the honest ones) will tell you not to use drain cleaning chemicals for that very reason - if they fail to work you now have a tub full of potentially caustic stuff.

LewieP's Mummy

Don't try it yourself, tell your landlady, you need a plumber.

JaysonFour

If you wreck the plumbing, you pay for it and have to call a plumber anyways. Put your auger back in your pants and call your landlady tomorrow.

VThornheart

Aye, I agree. I'm going to let her know now that I tried my best to fix it myself, but I couldn't.

VThornheart

Okay, I told my landlady, she said to give it a try with the plunger first... so with her okay, I went at it.

It worked! Everything's good now. Thanks again everyone!

Willeth

Most likely you still have problems if it was as bad as that, though. I'd still get a plumber out.

Everywhereasign

Glad it cleared it. Hit the drain with a few buckets of really really hot water. A kettle would really be best. Make sure it's not running slowly at all. If you still have a partial blockage, you don't want to encounter it when it's 7:00am and you're showering for work.

If it seems kinda sluggish, talk to your landlady and consider getting it snaked out.

VThornheart

Aye, the blockage appears to be completely gone, it's running better than it was when we got the place.

Thanks again guys, you rock. I was having quite the panic day yesterday, especially when it got to the point where I hadn't showered in 24 hours. Eww.