How to Clean Out a Bathtub Pipe
- 1). Unscrew the screws on the bathtub drain's strainer with a screwdriver. Set the screws aside, and remove the strainer. If the strainer does not readily lift out of place, pry it upward with the screwdriver.
- 2). Remove all hair and other debris from the strainer. The debris could cause a clog. Rinse the strainer with water.
- 3). Raise a pop-up drain with its lever. Not all bathtubs have a pop-up drain. Lift the drain's stopper, and remove the collected debris.
- 4). Wipe the top of the drain with a paper towel to remove hair and gunk. Turn on the bathtub faucet. If the water drains slowly or not at all, then the pipe still contains debris or a clog.
- 5). Press a wet rag to the overflow plate underneath the bathtub faucet. With your other hand, place a plunger over the drain, and push it forcefully down and up repeatedly. Turn on the faucet to check how the water drains.
- 6). Unscrew the overflow plate if the water still drains slowly or not at all. Gently push about 30 inches of a cable auger's cable into the overflow tube, which the overflow plate covered. As you insert the cable, turn the auger's hand crank.
- 7). Turn the hand crank in the opposite direction to pull the cable out of the overflow tube. You may need to insert and remove the auger cable several times to clear the drain.
- 8). Turn on the bathtub's hot water faucet, and allow several gallons of hot water to flush the drain. Replace the overflow plate, pop-up drain and strainer.
- 9). Pour a chemical drain cleaner down the bathtub pipe if the water still drains slowly. The exact amount of cleaner to use depends on the product. Follow all the directions on the cleaner's label. Many chemical drain cleaners require flushing the drain with hot water after the cleaner is used.
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