Omgawwk THANK YOUUU! I just clicked on your video while my husband was trying to unclog the tub with a hanger that he saw from another TH-camr and I saw yours, so when he stepped away to go outside, I tried the plunger method and IT TOTALLY WORKED!! Imagine his face when he walked back in!! 🤣 Thanks again I'm totally subscribing!!
So I know this video is 3 years old. But I've been waiting on a plumber to come fix my tub drain for a month now. After this it gave me the basic knowledge I needed to get my tub draining again on my own. Thank you!
Like others have said, I also did not know that the overflow granted large enough access for a snake. I pulled out a 2 foot long blob of hair. Drain is draining great now. Thank you. Liked and subscribed, you've earned it!
Spent 20 minutes looking around for something that could be used as a stopper for the overflow pipe, and it never occurred to me to used a plastic bag. Good tip - it really helped out.
Another happy viewer, I tried getting hair out with a hanger via another you tuber, but nothing was there, I tried baking soda and vinegar, nothing, used the rest of my drano, I was gone for 10 hours, came back and water was still there. Tried plunging by taking out the overflow piece and taping it up, not realizing at the time it wasn’t blocking anything! Then I found and watched your video, got to the part about using the bag, tried it, after a couple pushes, up comes a gob of hair! Had to keep plunging, eventually the clog was gone and ALL the water drained! Thank you so much, I was going to go buy chemicals or something tomorrow if this hadn’t worked! Thank you so much ☺️ And I want to add that I used a grocery bag for the tub, and my sink was slow draining, I pulled out a lot of hair, still slow, shoved a bag that you get newspaper in into the hole using a screwdriver to push it in as far as it would go, plunged a few times and it worked as well!
Home Depot has an 18in. Flexible Plastic piece with reverse teeth. It would look like the blue rod he used but the teeth make it work better than a hook. For $2.49. Works great on tubs, showers and sinks. I have used it for years.
You did a fairly good job ! Myself, being a plumber for more than 50, I would have bent the tip of the cable to scrap the drain better as you auger. Pushing the cable in w/o turning does scrap the drain. If you do it that way crank the auger as you pull it out. Another great thing to do is run water as you auger out flushing the debris down the drain and your cable comes back clean. Most minor drains are 8' or less other than kitchen drains. Tub drns normally aren't vented. Lav and kitchen drains could be and you could hit the tee wrong and go up the vent. Most cases you can hear the cable slapping in the vent as it goes up. The bend at the cable talked about earlier and turning the drum counterclockwise til you pass the tee will give you a better chance of going down the drain. If you keep track of how much cable you pull out you'll know when you've gone 8' then run a little more to be sure If you have a really old home, you might have a drum trap. The cable won't go thru that trap. Those traps had plugs or caps to remove to auger. Some times a chrome cover in the floor next to the tub or in the basement.
Thank you for suggesting getting at a clog via overflow....I was going to try to get my drain assembly out so I could get snake to clog. You got me going down the right hole! Very comprehensive and concisely explained.
Thank you so much for your video, as yours was the only one I saw who showed me how to get to the clog when nothing would fit down the drain. I had one of the plastic tools, with the barbs on the edges, and couldn't figure out how to get it down the drain. By removing the top overflow piece, I was able to get the plastic tool inside the drain and pulled up tons of hair. You saved me a big plumbers bill. Thank you so much.
Thank you!! I was in and out in less than half an hour and found a deep clog of hair pretty easily with the drum snake. The women of my house will proclaim me their hero!
Very helpful. It worked! Came home to a bathtub full of water, son had just got done with football and needed to shower. Snaked it for about 10 minutes. Bathtub drained. Thank you sir if you ever in Salt Lake City I owe you lunch!
This worked excellent! We stuffed a towel inside the ziplock back and stuffed it in the top hole under the facet. Plunged the tub and all clear! Thank you Thank you!
Thank you so much. I used one of those plastic tools to get some hair out, then thought I'd try the baking soda and vinegar method to clean the drain because it was so smelly. It was highly recommended on a bunch of cleaning websites. Ended up with a worse clog than before, probably because of the baking soda. An entire gallon of vinegar and three kettles of boiling water didn't do anything. I used the plunger and the baggies and cleared the clog within minutes. I was dreading having to call my dad or landlord and explain what I'd done. Thank you!
Yeah I tried the baking soda, vinegar and peroxide, then that didn't do crap, looked on a website while at the store rating the chemicals got one after reading the labels and potential adverse effects, got the Drano max gel. It didn't do crap, then started to help all of a sudden for about 2 weeks then back to ankle water again. So might have to do the pliers approach and buy the tool. Glad it's only $20. Plumbers prolly don't wanna do this nasty stuff. They want the big money jobs! Glad they are open to teaching us!
Mike, you rock!! My mom and I have tried covering the hole before in a similar way while straining to hold it down and plunging with decent success. The problem kept happening and it was frustrating to “fix.” This time we did your method. Disgusting black dirt came up while the baggie plug held itself strong. Plunged for a while more and several hair clumps came up until it was going down freely. You’re the best! Never gonna let it get bad like this again but if it does we know how to fix it!
Tried everything here until the final idea with the plunger and it worked like a charm. Thank you very much for making this video your a lifesaver my guy
Great video! Added bonus is that I chuckled several times. “Looks like somebody got a hair cut in here”, “ looks like a rat”, and the cereal bowl comment at the end was hilarious. Thanks for your help! Definitely will follow and purchasing that snake gadget.
Thank you SO MUCH!!! All I needed was the cool trick on how to plug that hole with the rag in the freezer bag. What a hack!!! You’re the best. And your guarantee was right on the money. Before your help I’d be standing at the tail end of my shower with water practically up to my knees. You rule
My plumber was called to fix the toilet then messed with my bath tub trap I moved it back in place and water drained out with the plunger and drano It works now
I'm so happy I found your video. I attempted to use my auger/drum snake several times to unclog my bathtub drain but it sounded like it was hitting metal so I kept giving up. I was confident the clog wasn't hair as I have a small, metal strainer basket to catch my hair when I shower. I began to read the comments and @Delona Partridge said she plunged it so I plunged the heck out of it and bits of black yuck came up each time I plunged and only a few strands of hair. The tip to clog the big hole was very helpful. Thank you Mike and Delona. I would not have thought to use a plunger. I was very determined to not pay anyone to unclog it as I knew it had to be an easy fix especially after looking at a diagram of the drain and pipe. Oh, the simple pleasures in life such as having an unclogged drain/pipe. Thanks!
Thanks for the video Mike. Tried everything you showed and nothing worked. Your idea to plug the overflow and plunge was genius. That's what ended up working after everything else!
I just saw this video and I bought a similar tool at harbor freight’s for $16 and it worked thank you for the video I followed the steps you did and the water went right down the drain.
I couldn’t get my snake to get down past the first corner. Saw this video and plunged it with a plunger as suggested. Water went down after plunging. Great, comprehensive video. Thank you.
That overflow seems to provide a vent path which is necessary for the tub to drain effectivly. I made a clearing tool out of a forcing cup, ball valve and air pig. I blow air down the overflow first. I then put a couple of inches of water in the tub and while draining blow air through the drain which comes up the overflow. It's amazing how much pipe snot is ejected.
Another video said to use painters tape on the drain surrounding the screws if there is a screw version, so the screws don't go down the drain. And to screw back the overflow screw so you don't lose the gasket behind the tub. And to pour hot water down the drain after using the wire brush. If chemical is used, to let the plumber know so it's less risk of burns to the hands or face. Thanks for explaining some things that were missing, as why to wear gloves and the price of the wire brush. Thanks.
I snaked my bathtub drain about 10 feet through the drain as the overflow/flipper was seized and couldn't use that route. Got the wonderful gob of hair more than once. A cup of baking soda, pour in a bunch of vinegar and let it do its thing every month or two helps keep it clean +++ Pour two or three teapots of boiling water down once a month since many soaps are fat based. If you have iron pipe plumbing, you will be doing this snake procedure every now and then and not always on the same drain pipe; rust at the couplers and elbows are usually the culprit. Bathroom sink plugged up; snaked it clean and 6 month later it was even worse. went into the basement and cut the ABS (Black plastic) pipe removed the first 30° coupler and had to chisel (bent half round and sharp) rust out of the next 30° coupler till smooth. I then reinstalled the line with new ABS from the second coupler and added a 45° cleanout. House is 90 years old and plumbing is a mix of iron, cast iron, copper and plastic (ABS,PVC) pipe. Cleanout came in handy a year later when iron coupler further down drain was plugging Clothes lint and chiseled metal pieces that i thought were flushed down drain from previous job. NEVER pour and flush any grease down kitchen sink drain. I refurbed a 1945 house 10 years ago and cut all the metal pipe out; kitchen drain was 2" pipe with about 1/2 " drain left.
Want to thank you so much for your video. I got hair out of the drain but still took hours to drain after a shower. I had a hand snake like you showed unscrewing the overflow, but was still unsure if I could do it or if it would work. OMG to my suprise I pulled out a foot long 2 inch wide gob of gross out of there and drain all clear now. No more slow drain!
Wow thank you so much this helped me out I was struggling with getting it through the drain and I didn't even think to go through the over flow. 😅 my bathtub is actually draining now all thanks to this video!!
wow Thank you so much ! I am an Apprentice trained Plumber ,but was struggling to get the stopper out , now the bigger job to unlodge the block ,thanks again
Yea i been putting up with the drain and finally it stopped working..i had a plummer snake but i did not realize you went through the top ..Sure enough i used it and apparently it had a bunch of hair ..Drain working now . I appreciate your advice
You rock!!!! My tub has been clogged for 2 weeks. I was just about to call a plumber. The ziplock bag worked in less than a minute!!!!!! Thank you so much
Awesome vid as I was struggling with my tub this week. Pain in keester to deal with chemicals as I have cats do it’s a worry. Good to know on plugging up the stopper before plunging.
The ziploc bag trick worked like a charm. Tried a whole bottle of draino and nothing. Took a few tries to get it wedged in there correctly but after, that it unstopped like a charm 🥺❤
One time my Sister was alone ,she tried 6 cans of draino, did not work ,nada, a snake with a Plumber would have saved her 60.00 spent on Draino for nothing
I had a hard time with our bathtub. The landlord caulked the overflow assembly onto the bathtub wall and the screws to get it off were sealed with some rubber crap. I managed to stuff some bags into the little drain slots and use a plunger and that got it draining significantly faster! It's still not where it should be, but I can get lottle tiny baggies to stick in there for a better seal and go at it some more until the clog is pushed all the way through.
This little th-cam.com/users/postUgkxVoi3B4CB6Oygq1-vo4OTL1M_M5JkrXif tub works perfect in our 6 x 6 shower and is easy to get in and out. Also easy to drain.
THANKS!! I learned a lot. It is late night but I am ready to apply what I have learned to the clogged tub drain in the bathroom. I will head to harbor freight in the morning to pick up a plumbers snake.
Thank you! My tub is draining very slowly and your video was timely and answered my question: How can I get a snake in the drain hole? Never thought about using the overflow!
Most of the blockages in a tub/shower is hair. Being it has no grease and all that goes down the drain is hair I have used plain old clorox. Clorox will eat the hair up quickly. In an hour or so your drain will be clear.
I use tweezers usually the hair is caught in the little grate right under so I'll grab some tweezers and pull it up and a bunch of hair would come out good as new
@@tanayzeFairyQueen As long as you get the hair out anyway that works is fine . The problem comes when the hair is in the "Goose neck. I don't know of a way to reach it?
I bought several drain brushes,, about 10" length that will pull wads of hair out. I run the brushes through bleach water after. Use a screen to drop in the drain as the tub empties, it'll catch hair & sludge
I came home one day am I overflow cap was completely off and I can see Gunk and hair coming out of the overflow pipe. Somehow everything got stuck up there and now the shower drains slowly so I don't know if I still have a clog in the trap as well.
I have the same snake and I can't get it past the first bend, no matter how many times I try. I use the same technique you are implementing. Professional drain tech had the same issue I did
@@MikeKlimek I can't get the snake past the p trap. I don't know what's going on, I have used a snake many times and I know I'm not hitting the clog. It kind of feels like the snake won't bend in the p trap to start going up again
@@spodee55 i had go under my house and gain access right at the p trap. You might want to try a smaller snake. I jave heard from a couple plumbers now that some older plumbing can have difficult angles to get a snake thriugh. My clog was a nightmare to deal with even after i gained access at the trap. I hope you are able to get it figured out
I can't unscrew the cap on the tub drain to see what might be there. I have tried to get it off at least a dozen times. I have plunged, stuck a snake down the overflow hole but nothing works I can't call a plumber because that would mean no money for food. I am so frustrated and mad it just makes me cry. I am afraid to use any more chemicals. I have two bathrooms that are side by side and they obviously share drains because if you get one clear the other is stuck. Now neither will drain. What now???
it's 2023, so take all the information that's given and eliminate any information you don't need. Theres never Too Much Info. TMI is better than NEI Never Enough Information, which is most of the content you get these days. The amount of time a person spends, i mean wastes watching little short snippets is f*cking ridiculous. I remember the days when they use to say watching too much T.V. was bad, now that I look back at those days, watching a lot of television isn't so bad, not bad at all compared to the amount of nonsense people watch now.
Oh my God I have been freaking out because my rent in my tub is clogged and I don’t wanna bug the owner because just because and I’ve tried jowls and everything and watching your video. I feel that I am going to be able to handle this by myself. Thank you oh my God thank you. Maybe I’ll come back and let you know and I’ve been using the wrong plunger, the one with the bulb, and then I get skinnier, so I’m gonna go get me a snake because of the little plastic things haven’t worked and one of the regular plungers thank you thank you thank you
I unclogged mine the other day with a small snake that has sharp thorns like a rose stem.I also used sharp salon hair scissors to cut out the hair which made it easier to remove.My tub would take 10 mins to drain.Now it takes 3 or 4 mins.
If you have water in the tub, I would try to plunge it or snake it through the overflow. If you choose to plunge, cover the overflow so you don't lose pressure out of the overflow
That's a good point-sorry about that. The stopper is just a mushroom type head with a gasket underneath. You can remove it by either unscrewing it, or in my case, loosening the screw underneath it that holds it to the post.
I’m not sure this will work. I tried the auger a few times. Vinegar and baking soda. Went to the trap under the drain and it was empty. Stuck the auger into the pipe after the trap. A little black gunk came out. Assembled it back. Still slow drainage. So, there is obviously a clog after the trap. Will this still work? I just noticed that I left a comment 7 months ago that it worked. This time it is almost as good but a little slow when the last bit of water is going down. Overall a bit better.
Is there any hope for a tub a plumber wasn’t able to fix? I moved into a old house and I’m beyond frustrated as the professional wasn’t able to make any sort of difference after 3.5 hours. He ended up throwing in the towel and giving up. Is there anything I can do at home to make my tub/shower useable?
@@nadja6962 Lots of people call themselves plumbers. If you called a reputable company and they sent out a "plumber", it may have been a new hire that last week was selling insurance! Who knows...anyway, call them back and ask for a supervisor (if they charged you), or call a different company. Everything is fixable, it's only a matter of what it will cost.
You could either use an EZ Out to back out the damaged screws and then remove the cover, or cover the overflow with a wet towel and try to plunge the tub drain
One tip before using the snake is to make sure no-one is using the toilet in the house because you could end up winding it up their ass and pulling their insides out.
Haha! That made me smile. I'm watching this video and am very grateful for it but I'm also just dreading having to do it and trying not to barf at the same time. It was nice to snort and giggle in the middle of my clenched jaw and revulsion thing I got going on right now. Thx. 😊
Omgawwk THANK YOUUU!
I just clicked on your video while my husband was trying to unclog the tub with a hanger that he saw from another TH-camr and I saw yours, so when he stepped away to go outside, I tried the plunger method and IT TOTALLY WORKED!!
Imagine his face when he walked back in!! 🤣
Thanks again I'm totally subscribing!!
LOL So funny! Glad you taught him a few things!
Thanks so much 😉
@@maryhohman4617 Welcome!
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@@MikeKlimek t
Worked like a charm in 2024! 👍 Thanks so very much. So glad I came across your video. No longer need a plumber. 😊 God bless you and yours.
Awesome Michelle-glad it helped you!
So I know this video is 3 years old. But I've been waiting on a plumber to come fix my tub drain for a month now. After this it gave me the basic knowledge I needed to get my tub draining again on my own. Thank you!
Awesome! Glad to hear it!
A month?? They make you wait a month?
Another happy Snaker here. The sound of standing water going down is euphoric. Thank you
LOL Way to go Christopher!
Like others have said, I also did not know that the overflow granted large enough access for a snake. I pulled out a 2 foot long blob of hair. Drain is draining great now. Thank you. Liked and subscribed, you've earned it!
Thank you-glad to help!
Spent 20 minutes looking around for something that could be used as a stopper for the overflow pipe, and it never occurred to me to used a plastic bag. Good tip - it really helped out.
Awesome David-great to hear!
But I never saw a plastic bag.
Another happy viewer, I tried getting hair out with a hanger via another you tuber, but nothing was there, I tried baking soda and vinegar, nothing, used the rest of my drano, I was gone for 10 hours, came back and water was still there. Tried plunging by taking out the overflow piece and taping it up, not realizing at the time it wasn’t blocking anything! Then I found and watched your video, got to the part about using the bag, tried it, after a couple pushes, up comes a gob of hair! Had to keep plunging, eventually the clog was gone and ALL the water drained! Thank you so much, I was going to go buy chemicals or something tomorrow if this hadn’t worked! Thank you so much ☺️
And I want to add that I used a grocery bag for the tub, and my sink was slow draining, I pulled out a lot of hair, still slow, shoved a bag that you get newspaper in into the hole using a screwdriver to push it in as far as it would go, plunged a few times and it worked as well!
Home Depot has an 18in. Flexible Plastic piece with reverse teeth. It would look like the blue rod he used but the teeth make it work better than a hook. For $2.49. Works great on tubs, showers and sinks. I have used it for years.
You did a fairly good job ! Myself, being a plumber for more than 50, I would have bent the tip of the cable to scrap the drain better as you auger.
Pushing the cable in w/o turning does scrap the drain.
If you do it that way crank the auger as you pull it out. Another great thing to do is run water as you auger out flushing the debris down the drain and your cable comes back clean.
Most minor drains are 8' or less other than kitchen drains. Tub drns normally aren't vented. Lav and kitchen drains could be and you could hit the tee wrong and go up the vent. Most cases you can hear the cable slapping in the vent as it goes up.
The bend at the cable talked about earlier and turning the drum counterclockwise til you pass the tee will give you a better chance of going down the drain.
If you keep track of how much cable you pull out you'll know when you've gone 8' then run a little more to be sure
If you have a really old home, you might have a drum trap. The cable won't go thru that trap. Those traps had plugs or caps to remove to auger.
Some times a chrome cover in the floor next to the tub or in the basement.
Great comment Bob!
Thanks also to you Bob.
Helpful video info that I’ll be trying in the morning.
Thx. thinking sme, Nice to hve confirmtion.
What do you do if your tub doesn't have the overflow built-in. How would you get a snake past the cross in the tub drain
Thank you for suggesting getting at a clog via overflow....I was going to try to get my drain assembly out so I could get snake to clog. You got me going down the right hole! Very comprehensive and concisely explained.
Thank you -glad it helped you!
I had been dealing with a slow reaccuring drain clog for years. Your tips handeled the job in 10 mins. Much appreciated.👍
Awesome! Glad it helped you!
Thank you so much for your video, as yours was the only one I saw who showed me how to get to the clog when nothing would fit down the drain. I had one of the plastic tools, with the barbs on the edges, and couldn't figure out how to get it down the drain. By removing the top overflow piece, I was able to get the plastic tool inside the drain and pulled up tons of hair. You saved me a big plumbers bill. Thank you so much.
Awesome! You're very welcome!
Thank you!! I was in and out in less than half an hour and found a deep clog of hair pretty easily with the drum snake. The women of my house will proclaim me their hero!
LOL! Way to go King!
Sir, I thank you soooo much for the plunger and freezer bag idea, that was my last resort after unsuccessful snaking and it worked!!! God bless you 🙏🏾
Very helpful. It worked! Came home to a bathtub full of water, son had just got done with football and needed to shower. Snaked it for about 10 minutes. Bathtub drained. Thank you sir if you ever in Salt Lake City I owe you lunch!
Glad it helped you-I'll hit you up for lunch!
This worked excellent! We stuffed a towel inside the ziplock back and stuffed it in the top hole under the facet. Plunged the tub and all clear! Thank you Thank you!
Awesome Nancy! Glad it helped you!
Thank you so much. I used one of those plastic tools to get some hair out, then thought I'd try the baking soda and vinegar method to clean the drain because it was so smelly. It was highly recommended on a bunch of cleaning websites. Ended up with a worse clog than before, probably because of the baking soda. An entire gallon of vinegar and three kettles of boiling water didn't do anything. I used the plunger and the baggies and cleared the clog within minutes. I was dreading having to call my dad or landlord and explain what I'd done. Thank you!
Awesome-glad to help!
Yeah I tried the baking soda, vinegar and peroxide, then that didn't do crap, looked on a website while at the store rating the chemicals got one after reading the labels and potential adverse effects, got the Drano max gel. It didn't do crap, then started to help all of a sudden for about 2 weeks then back to ankle water again. So might have to do the pliers approach and buy the tool. Glad it's only $20. Plumbers prolly don't wanna do this nasty stuff. They want the big money jobs! Glad they are open to teaching us!
Mike, you rock!! My mom and I have tried covering the hole before in a similar way while straining to hold it down and plunging with decent success. The problem kept happening and it was frustrating to “fix.” This time we did your method. Disgusting black dirt came up while the baggie plug held itself strong. Plunged for a while more and several hair clumps came up until it was going down freely. You’re the best! Never gonna let it get bad like this again but if it does we know how to fix it!
LOL Awesome!
Tried everything here until the final idea with the plunger and it worked like a charm. Thank you very much for making this video your a lifesaver my guy
You're welcome!
Great video! Added bonus is that I chuckled several times. “Looks like somebody got a hair cut in here”, “ looks like a rat”, and the cereal bowl comment at the end was hilarious. Thanks for your help! Definitely will follow and purchasing that snake gadget.
LOL! ....some of these jobs are pretty gross!
Riiiight ‼️ I was thinking someone is definitely bald after showering 😂😂😂
Thank you SO MUCH!!! All I needed was the cool trick on how to plug that hole with the rag in the freezer bag. What a hack!!! You’re the best. And your guarantee was right on the money. Before your help I’d be standing at the tail end of my shower with water practically up to my knees. You rule
Awesome! Love to hear it!
My plumber was called to fix the toilet then messed with my bath tub trap I moved it back in place and water drained out with the plunger and drano It works now
Thank you so much for much Mister for showing a layman how to fix his clog himself, this actually worked. You rule!
Glad to help you Austin!
I'm so happy I found your video. I attempted to use my auger/drum snake several times to unclog my bathtub drain but it sounded like it was hitting metal so I kept giving up. I was confident the clog wasn't hair as I have a small, metal strainer basket to catch my hair when I shower. I began to read the comments and @Delona Partridge said she plunged it so I plunged the heck out of it and bits of black yuck came up each time I plunged and only a few strands of hair. The tip to clog the big hole was very helpful. Thank you Mike and Delona. I would not have thought to use a plunger. I was very determined to not pay anyone to unclog it as I knew it had to be an easy fix especially after looking at a diagram of the drain and pipe. Oh, the simple pleasures in life such as having an unclogged drain/pipe. Thanks!
LOL Glad to help you!
Thanks for the video Mike. Tried everything you showed and nothing worked. Your idea to plug the overflow and plunge was genius. That's what ended up working after everything else!
Great to hear Tommylee-glad it helped you!
After watching this video I was able to play plumber and cleared out the bath tub drain!! Thanks for the simple and clear video. Amanda Swiderek
You’re welcome, Amanda!
Thank you soo much sir! I was able to unclog my tub this morning because of your video-have a great weekend!
Great to hear Paul thank you!
I just saw this video and I bought a similar tool at harbor freight’s for $16 and it worked thank you for the video I followed the steps you did and the water went right down the drain.
Awesome Anthony glad it helped you!
If it says "guaranteed" I'm trying it, so I did, worked like a charm, thanks for the great tip brother, have a great weekend! 👍👍👍👍
Thanks-you too!
I couldn’t get my snake to get down past the first corner. Saw this video and plunged it with a plunger as suggested. Water went down after plunging. Great, comprehensive video. Thank you.
Glad it helped you Nick!
You are a genius! Pressurizing with the bag worked! Thank you!!
Very helpful; added value suggestion, a good hair screen and a good product to "wash off" soap/shampoo/conditioner residue...cheers
Yes-great suggestion!
Oooo yes i need to buy a hair screen again
This clip was way better than most!!
Glad you found it helpful!
That overflow seems to provide a vent path which is necessary for the tub to drain effectivly. I made a clearing tool out of a forcing cup, ball valve and air pig. I blow air down the overflow first. I then put a couple of inches of water in the tub and while draining blow air through the drain which comes up the overflow. It's amazing how much pipe snot is ejected.
LOL Pipe snot!
Another video said to use painters tape on the drain surrounding the screws if there is a screw version, so the screws don't go down the drain. And to screw back the overflow screw so you don't lose the gasket behind the tub. And to pour hot water down the drain after using the wire brush. If chemical is used, to let the plumber know so it's less risk of burns to the hands or face. Thanks for explaining some things that were missing, as why to wear gloves and the price of the wire brush. Thanks.
I snaked my bathtub drain about 10 feet through the drain as the overflow/flipper was seized and couldn't use that route. Got the wonderful gob of hair more than once. A cup of baking soda, pour in a bunch of vinegar and let it do its thing every month or two helps keep it clean +++ Pour two or three teapots of boiling water down once a month since many soaps are fat based.
If you have iron pipe plumbing, you will be doing this snake procedure every now and then and not always on the same drain pipe; rust at the couplers and elbows are usually the culprit. Bathroom sink plugged up; snaked it clean and 6 month later it was even worse. went into the basement and cut the ABS (Black plastic) pipe removed the first 30° coupler and had to chisel (bent half round and sharp) rust out of the next 30° coupler till smooth. I then reinstalled the line with new ABS from the second coupler and added a 45° cleanout. House is 90 years old and plumbing is a mix of iron, cast iron, copper and plastic (ABS,PVC) pipe. Cleanout came in handy a year later when iron coupler further down drain was plugging Clothes lint and chiseled metal pieces that i thought were flushed down drain from previous job.
NEVER pour and flush any grease down kitchen sink drain. I refurbed a 1945 house 10 years ago and cut all the metal pipe out; kitchen drain was 2" pipe with about 1/2 " drain left.
Thank you. Nothing worked, tried everything except the plunger. WALA! that worked like a charm. Thank you!!!!!
Tried & True!
Voíla!
Want to thank you so much for your video. I got hair out of the drain but still took hours to drain after a shower. I had a hand snake like you showed unscrewing the overflow, but was still unsure if I could do it or if it would work. OMG to my suprise I pulled out a foot long 2 inch wide gob of gross out of there and drain all clear now. No more slow drain!
OK I'm seriously laughing out loud right now! Glad you got it cleared and I'm sure it smells as bad as it looks!
The method with stuffing the over flow and plunger works. Great tip! Thanks very much.
Awesome Ernest-glad it helped you!
@@MikeKlimekwhat if your bath doesn’t have that overflow hole at the top. Do you use the same technique without the freezer bag
Yes do what you can with the plunger, but you may need to go with a snake.@@val728
Wow thank you so much this helped me out I was struggling with getting it through the drain and I didn't even think to go through the over flow. 😅 my bathtub is actually draining now all thanks to this video!!
Sweet! Glad to help!
wow Thank you so much ! I am an Apprentice trained Plumber ,but was struggling to get the stopper out , now the bigger job to unlodge the block ,thanks again
@@philipreed6893 Awesome Philip! Great choice in careers BTW!
I have this exact issue right now and hope your ideas work. Thnx!
Yes good luck!
Educational AND funny all at the same time. Awesome.
LOL Glad it helped you Eileen!
I really appreciate for such a best video, it really worked, five minutes all clear😊😊
That's great! Glad it helped you!
Plunger trick is awesome. Thanks for the tip!
Welcome Jeff!
Mike, thanks a lot for you explanation, going through the overflow pipe with the snake worked great.
Sweet! Glad it helped you Mark!
Your method worked perfectly,thanks
You're welcome Winston!
Yea i been putting up with the drain and finally it stopped working..i had a plummer snake but i did not realize you went through the top ..Sure enough i used it and apparently it had a bunch of hair ..Drain working now . I appreciate your advice
Glad it helped you Jim!
You rock!!!! My tub has been clogged for 2 weeks. I was just about to call a plumber. The ziplock bag worked in less than a minute!!!!!! Thank you so much
Your video saved the day....Thank you! I'd like to see what a "vent clog" is
My Drain is unclogged!!! Thank you!
You're Welcome Zoe!
Thank You it worked I had no idea how to use the snake till I watched your video
Awesome Rich-glad it helped you!
Thx a million...Happy showering everyone!! 😀
LOL You're welcome Mari!
Thank you man i was giving up already but then i click on your video got it done 😊 appreciate
Awesome Jesse!
This is great. Thank you!! I had no idea how to do any of this stuff.
Glad to help you!
Gracias gracias gracias!!!!! Su video me ayudó un montón!
de nada!
This was very helpful! Can u show how to take push stopper out ?
It just unscrews!
The plunger process was successful. Thank you.
I got a slow draining tub, but found a dripping pipe in my basement when the tub is being used. Is my problem more complicated?
Awesome vid as I was struggling with my tub this week. Pain in keester to deal with chemicals as I have cats do it’s a worry. Good to know on plugging up the stopper before plunging.
A real time no BS very helpful video 👍
Thanks for sharing 🙏
Lol You're Welcome!
The ziploc bag trick worked like a charm. Tried a whole bottle of draino and nothing. Took a few tries to get it wedged in there correctly but after, that it unstopped like a charm 🥺❤
I missed the part about ziplock bag,what do you do?
One time my Sister was alone ,she tried 6 cans of draino, did not work ,nada, a snake with a Plumber would have saved her 60.00 spent on Draino for nothing
Where is the overhead hola to cover to use the plunger?
Thank you so much Mike for this!!! Really saved some money. The drained snake did for me.
You're welcome Tharaka!
Thanks for sharing! This really works!!!😊
Welcome!
I had a hard time with our bathtub. The landlord caulked the overflow assembly onto the bathtub wall and the screws to get it off were sealed with some rubber crap. I managed to stuff some bags into the little drain slots and use a plunger and that got it draining significantly faster! It's still not where it should be, but I can get lottle tiny baggies to stick in there for a better seal and go at it some more until the clog is pushed all the way through.
Kudo's to you! That is being creative!
This little th-cam.com/users/postUgkxVoi3B4CB6Oygq1-vo4OTL1M_M5JkrXif tub works perfect in our 6 x 6 shower and is easy to get in and out. Also easy to drain.
THANKS!! I learned a lot. It is late night but I am ready to apply what I have learned to the clogged tub drain in the bathroom. I will head to harbor freight in the morning to pick up a plumbers snake.
Thank you! My tub is draining very slowly and your video was timely and answered my question: How can I get a snake in the drain hole? Never thought about using the overflow!
Glad to help you Joy!
Most of the blockages in a tub/shower is hair. Being it has no grease and all that goes down the drain is hair I have used plain old clorox. Clorox will eat the hair up quickly. In an hour or so your drain will be clear.
thanks so much!
Will do this now. Thanks
I use tweezers usually the hair is caught in the little grate right under so I'll grab some tweezers and pull it up and a bunch of hair would come out good as new
@@tanayzeFairyQueen As long as you get the hair out anyway that works is fine . The problem comes when the hair is in the "Goose neck. I don't know of a way to reach it?
@@mattedwards4533clorox bleach powder or liquid?
Thanks, very well explained and demonstrated!
Thank you !
@@MikeKlimek After viewing your video, I repaired a plugged tub quickly and with minimal frustration, and actually enjoyed it. Thanks again!
@@minert12345able Awesome! Glad it helped you!
I bought several drain brushes,, about 10" length that will pull wads of hair out. I run the brushes through bleach water after. Use a screen to drop in the drain as the tub empties, it'll catch hair & sludge
Excellent! Subscribed & Sharing. TYSM☺
Thank you!
Great you made this vedio I wouldn't know where to start
Drain cover keeps the hair out
Glad to help!
Just bought new house & tub drains this way. Tried bottle of green gobbler..did nothing. So now I’ll try this
Just used a beehive plunger & cleared it in 3 plunges
Excellent video! Thank You
You're welcome Ruth!
The drain snake worked perfectly for my tub!!! Thank you so much!!!!
Welcome!
Helpful video ❤ thanks you so much
Welcome!
I came home one day am I overflow cap was completely off and I can see Gunk and hair coming out of the overflow pipe. Somehow everything got stuck up there and now the shower drains slowly so I don't know if I still have a clog in the trap as well.
I would probably use a snake and remove everything you can
I have the same snake and I can't get it past the first bend, no matter how many times I try. I use the same technique you are implementing. Professional drain tech had the same issue I did
1/4" cable? The drain tech couldn't clear it?
@@MikeKlimek I can't get the snake past the p trap. I don't know what's going on, I have used a snake many times and I know I'm not hitting the clog. It kind of feels like the snake won't bend in the p trap to start going up again
@@darlhuntsman5725 did anything work? Having the same issue wont go past the first bend
@@spodee55 i had go under my house and gain access right at the p trap. You might want to try a smaller snake. I jave heard from a couple plumbers now that some older plumbing can have difficult angles to get a snake thriugh. My clog was a nightmare to deal with even after i gained access at the trap. I hope you are able to get it figured out
I can't unscrew the cap on the tub drain to see what might be there. I have tried to get it off at least a dozen times. I have plunged, stuck a snake down the overflow hole but nothing works
I can't call a plumber because that would mean no money for food. I am so frustrated and mad it just makes me cry. I am afraid to use any more chemicals. I have two bathrooms that are side by side and they obviously share drains because if you get one clear the other is stuck. Now neither will drain. What now???
Thank you so much for this video!! It’s 12:54am 40 mins later plunging An now I can wash my ass. 🙌🏾🙌🏾 I followed every step.
LOL! Glad to hear everything's nice & clean!
😆 same!
Hilarious!
Perhaps TMI but understood
it's 2023, so take all the information that's given and eliminate any information you don't need. Theres never Too Much Info. TMI is better than NEI Never Enough Information, which is most of the content you get these days. The amount of time a person spends, i mean wastes watching little short snippets is f*cking ridiculous. I remember the days when they use to say watching too much T.V. was bad, now that I look back at those days, watching a lot of television isn't so bad, not bad at all compared to the amount of nonsense people watch now.
Great video Mike. Now I know what to do. About the snake you use. It is called something I need to know to go buy one?
It's a closet auger (or toilet auger). It has a plastic sheath where it contacts the toilet so it won't scratch it.
Oh my God I have been freaking out because my rent in my tub is clogged and I don’t wanna bug the owner because just because and I’ve tried jowls and everything and watching your video. I feel that I am going to be able to handle this by myself. Thank you oh my God thank you. Maybe I’ll come back and let you know and I’ve been using the wrong plunger, the one with the bulb, and then I get skinnier, so I’m gonna go get me a snake because of the little plastic things haven’t worked and one of the regular plungers thank you thank you thank you
You're welcome, hope it helped you!
Run hot water to loosen things up. Pick out the big chunks of hair. Baking soda and vinegar for about 5 minutes, then rinse with hot water.
That Is excellent advice. I appreciate that.
Good tip, but before you pull the coil out, run the water.
This will let you check your work and also clean off your wire.
I unclogged mine the other day with a small snake that has sharp thorns like a rose stem.I also used sharp salon hair scissors to cut out the hair which made it easier to remove.My tub would take 10 mins to drain.Now it takes 3 or 4 mins.
NIce! Cutting the hair first-brilliant!
I have water coming in but not draining in my bathtub. Sounds like I need to scoop water out before doing these methods?
If you have water in the tub, I would try to plunge it or snake it through the overflow. If you choose to plunge, cover the overflow so you don't lose pressure out of the overflow
How do you remove the plug? I cannot get mine to budge.
Mine is a "trip-it" style, where you push once to close the drain and push again to open it. It just unscrews. Do you have a lever style?
Great video mike! This helped me a ton! New subr!
Awesome thank you!
What chance is there when you have a new tub put over old one?
The drain and overflow should be working correctly though
I just have one question why would you remove the stopper before you started the video? I’m already lost before you started.
That's a good point-sorry about that. The stopper is just a mushroom type head with a gasket underneath. You can remove it by either unscrewing it, or in my case, loosening the screw underneath it that holds it to the post.
U the man!! 🪠🪠
Thanks, well explained
Welcome!
Thanks Had to watch with sub titles because I don't know how to put speakers on my tower.
"Looks like somebody got a haircut in here" - Mike 😂😂
LOL!
I’m not sure this will work. I tried the auger a few times. Vinegar and baking soda. Went to the trap under the drain and it was empty. Stuck the auger into the pipe after the trap. A little black gunk came out. Assembled it back. Still slow drainage. So, there is obviously a clog after the trap. Will this still work?
I just noticed that I left a comment 7 months ago that it worked. This time it is almost as good but a little slow when the last bit of water is going down. Overall a bit better.
It depends how far down and where it is, but it should work
Thank you so much ❤️
Welcome Carren!
Thanks for watching! Leave any questions or comments below:
I never understood why nowadays they don't just make the drains fatter. If chances are its gonna get clogged in a few years, use thicker pipes.
@@KNByam So True!
Is there any hope for a tub a plumber wasn’t able to fix? I moved into a old house and I’m beyond frustrated as the professional wasn’t able to make any sort of difference after 3.5 hours. He ended up throwing in the towel and giving up. Is there anything I can do at home to make my tub/shower useable?
@@nadja6962 Lots of people call themselves plumbers. If you called a reputable company and they sent out a "plumber", it may have been a new hire that last week was selling insurance! Who knows...anyway, call them back and ask for a supervisor (if they charged you), or call a different company. Everything is fixable, it's only a matter of what it will cost.
Very good video, Mike. Thanks!
You're Welcome!
what do I do if no hair just soap scum going to septic tank? PVC piping.
You would likely need to either jet the line or use an auger with a grease bit on it
What do I do when I’m unable to unscrew the nails of the overflow cover while trying to unclog a tub drain
You could either use an EZ Out to back out the damaged screws and then remove the cover, or cover the overflow with a wet towel and try to plunge the tub drain
Can the toilet and tub be connected? My tub is super clogged and noticed that when the toilet is flushed , it comes out to the bathtub.
Yes they are they are both connected to the drain
One tip before using the snake is to make sure no-one is using the toilet in the house because you could end up winding it up their ass and pulling their insides out.
LOL!
Lol
🤣😂🤣
Haha! That made me smile. I'm watching this video and am very grateful for it but I'm also just dreading having to do it and trying not to barf at the same time. It was nice to snort and giggle in the middle of my clenched jaw and revulsion thing I got going on right now. Thx. 😊
Lmfao😂😂😂😂😂