Blocked Shower Drain? How to Clear It for Good
By Emergency Plumb,
A shower tray that fills up while you stand in it is nearly always blocked within a few centimetres of the plughole. Most of these you can clear yourself in ten minutes with no chemicals.
Short answer: Lift the waste cover, pull out the hair catcher and clean it. Then clear the trap underneath with a hair grabber or a small plunger. If the water still sits in the tray, or the bath and basin are slow too, the blockage is further down the pipe.
Step 1: the cover and hair catcher
Most modern shower wastes have a chrome or plastic cover that pulls or unscrews off. Underneath is a removable cup or comb that catches hair. Lift it out, clean it in a bag, and put it back. This alone fixes most slow showers.
Step 2: the trap
Below the catcher is the trap, the bend that holds water to stop drain smells. A long plastic hair grabber pushed down and twisted pulls out the plug of hair and soap that sits there. On some wastes the trap’s inner section lifts out completely for cleaning. A small cup plunger over the waste, with the overflow covered if there is one, helps shift what is left.
Step 3: if the water still will not go
When the trap is clear and the tray still drains slowly, the problem is in the waste pipe beyond. Common causes are a run with too little slope, a pipe that sagged when the tray was fitted, or a shared waste that also takes the basin. Gurgling from the shower when the bath empties is a clue that it is further down. That is the point to stop and call a plumber, because forcing rods into a shower waste can split the joints under the tray.
Leaks after unblocking
If you notice water below the bathroom after clearing the trap, the trap seal may not have been reseated. Turn off the shower, check the seal and refit it. If the ceiling below is wet, read our bathroom and shower leak repair page.
Need a hand
Call 07861 933265. We clear shower, bath and basin blockages at £110 for the first hour and £45 per half hour after, plus parts, with no call-out fee. For a whole-house blockage see blocked drains, and for other bathroom faults see bathroom repairs and fault finding.
Questions people ask
What usually blocks a shower drain?
Hair bound together with soap and conditioner. It builds up on the hair catcher and in the trap just under the waste, so most shower blockages are within a hand's reach of the plughole.
Should I use drain unblocker chemicals in a shower?
We would avoid them. They rarely shift a hair plug, they can damage plastic traps and seals, and they make the job hazardous for whoever has to open the trap afterwards. A hair grabber tool or a plunger is safer and works better.
Why does my shower drain gurgle when the bath or toilet is used?
Gurgling when another fitting drains means air is being pulled through the shower trap. That points to a blockage or a venting problem further down the waste pipe or stack, not just in the shower.
How do I stop the shower drain blocking again?
Clean the hair catcher every week or two, run hot water for a minute after each shower, and have the trap cleaned out once a year. If it still blocks often, the waste pipe may have too little fall.