A blocked or clogged drainage system is a big nuisance. It is nasty and unpleasant when you are taking shower and the water is not emptying to the drain. This will make your bathroom look like a little sea in the house. The effect of such stagnant water is the formation of bacteria and the rearing of mosquitoes. It makes the air to be contaminated too amongst many more health hazards. A drainage system can be blocked easily when you let the solid matter to flow through it.
Amongst the solid matter which is notorious for blocking the drainage is hair. This substance should be gotten rid of to allow for a smooth flow of wastewater. So how do you do it? Read through the article for more information.
What is the source of hair in the drainage system?
Regular bathing in the bathroom, coupled with shaving off hair in there is the main source of hair in the drain. Loose hair which also falls off when we are taking routine showers is washed off the drain by running water. To complicate the problem is a soap scup. This substance is produced all the time we use soap to clean our bodies. The soap scum causes the hair to stick to the walls of the drain.
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Eventually, when a lot of hair has been trapped, it blocks the drain entirely. If soap was not to be used in the shower, then hair could not be trapped easily on the walls of the drain.
How to get the hair out of shower drain/ how to unclog hair from the shower drain, shower drain clogged with hair.
To unclog the shower drain, you have to perform some few operations. The main aim is to dissolve the soap scum which is the main cause of hair trapping. What is the procedure therefore of dissolving the hair in the shower draining? Here are the steps.
Run some boiling water down the drain.
Unlike cold water, hot water dissolves soap scum and other fats in the drain within minutes of coming in to contact. Hot water burns down the ionic components which hold together the scum, hence letting the hair loose. This allows it to flow freely to the skeptic tank or a collection point.
You will need to boil water and pour it through the drain. Do not pour it over other shower materials so as to avoid damaging them. You can use something which can constrict the hot water to the shower hole only. A funnel would serve you better.
In case the drain had a serious blockage, it would become so difficult to clear it using hot water alone to clear it. It would, therefore, require you to use hot water in conjunction with other cleaning methods. Hot water will just dissolve what it can but it may not be able to push hard solid through the drainage. More advanced methods of clearing it would be needed.
By the use of a plunger.
This cupped head tool is very useful in clearing the clogged shower drain. Bring the plunger covering the shower drain hole and push it hard down. It pushes in hair which may cause the blockage to be unclogged or it may suck the matter out. This tool is more effective when the blockage is close to the surface as compared to when it is deep in the drainage system.
When the blockage is deep into the system, you will need to put more effort so as to have the hair sucked out. In this case, you have to apply force, but keeping in mind that the plunger may break and even harm the user. For effective function, follow the following procedure>
- If you have some oil, apply it to the edges of the plumber. This is to provide it with a seal and a grip so as not to let air escape from sides.
- To ensure that it gives you maximum work, let the water run until the head of the plunger can be submerged. This will prevent air from escaping when pushing in the plunger. Water that will be pushed in the shower drain too will exert pressure on the blockage hence opening it up.
- Get a firm grip of the plunger handle and plunge vigorously. Push it down and let it rise up as many times as possible until the drain unclogs. When water begins to run freely down the drain, you will know that you have successfully unclogged the shower drain.
By the use of baking soda and vinegar.
This is a good alternative to natural cleaning chemicals. They have a great capability to dissolve soap scum and in releasing the hair off the drainage. By using this method, you have to follow the following procedure:
- Fill one cup with baking soda and pour it down the drain and give it a few minutes to produce an impact.
- Take a cup of vinegar and pour it down the drain too and let it settle for a few hours too.
- Wait for the solution to work on the blockage. Come for a checkup after and ascertain whether the blockage was dissolved. If you notice that the water which had been blocked has all gone down the drain, then you would have succeeded in unclogging the shower drain.
- To clean the remaining hair still blocking the drain, boil hot water and pour it down the drain. Hot water will dissolve what the vinegar and baking soda would not clear.
Using vinegar and baking soda is healthy because it will not corrode the walls of the drainage.
There are several other methods that can be used to unclog a clogged shower drain. They are:
- Call the assistance of the plumber.
- Put on some gloves and take off the drain cover. Insert your hand the drain and pull off the clog manually.
- By use of a toilet jerk.
- Make use of a hook.
- Deploy some chemicals.
Conclusion.
Prevent your shower drain from frequent unclogging. You can do it by doing some cleaning of the drain once in a while. You can, for example, run hot water frequently. The above-explained methods are so handy when it comes to clearing clogged drainages. When in such a mess, try any of the above methods. It won’t fail you.