A blocked bath or shower leaves standing water that makes it unusable, and it can lead to water damage if you ignore it. Hair and soap scum usually combine to form a dense plug in the trap or waste pipe. Shower trays with shallow traps clog most easily, since the pipe is narrow. We use flexible drain snakes that follow the tight bends in bath waste pipes. We also use micro-jetting nozzles made for the smaller pipes in bathrooms. For floor-level shower trays, we have low-profile tools that reach the trap without lifting tiles. We always inspect the pipe beyond the trap, because a second blockage or damaged pipe may also slow the drain. A visit takes between 30 minutes and one hour, and we protect your bathroom surfaces throughout.
We remove the drain cover or waste fitting to reach the trap. If we can see hair and debris, we take it out straight away, since that is the quickest fix.
We feed a flexible drain snake through the waste pipe to break up and pull out the blockage. However, for stubborn clogs, a rotating cutting head removes packed hair and soap.
We flush the pipe with water after clearing it. While the pipe is clean, where needed, we use a micro-jetting nozzle to remove build-up from the pipe walls, which restores full flow.
We fill the bath or run the shower at full flow. Then we check the water drains at the right speed, because gurgling or slow flow would show a hidden problem.
The cost of bath and shower drain unblocking in the Reading area depends on access to the shower tray and how far along the pipe the blockage sits. Restricted access, or a blockage further downstream, means extra work. Request a fixed-price quote online, because we always confirm the price before we start. No call-out fee applies.
A simple hair catcher over the plughole is the best way to prevent blockages, because it stops the main cause. These cheap mesh or silicone guards catch hair before it enters the waste pipe. Clean the guard after each use, and flush the drain with hot water each week to keep the pipe clear.
Usually, yes, because slow drainage almost always means a partial blockage forming in the trap or waste pipe. Sometimes the cause is a venting problem. If air cannot enter the pipe behind the draining water, it creates a vacuum that slows the flow. We check for both causes.
If the bath shares a waste pipe with other fixtures, as many Reading properties do, a blockage in the shared part can affect the bath, the basin and sometimes the toilet. While one slow fixture points to its own waste pipe, several slow fixtures mean the blockage is likely in the underground drain rather than in one waste pipe.
These guides explain the basics, because knowing the cause helps you pick the right fix.