How to unclog a blocked bathtub

If your bathtub is clogged with water, that probably means there’s a blockage in your drains. It’s incredibly frustrating to have the usage of your bathroom restricted like that, so you’ll want to try to address the problem quickly.

Whether you have a freestanding bathtub or a recessed tub, the ways of dealing with it shouldn’t differ too much as the plumbing for both types of bath works in the same way. Here are a few things you should try before calling a plumber.

Use a plunger on the plughole  

The old DIY technique of unblocking the bath is to use a sink plunger, which consists of a rubber sucker attached to the end of a wooden pole. It may not seem like the most sophisticated piece of equipment but it can be incredibly effective.

You put the plunger over the bathtub’s plug hole and repeatedly press it up and down. This pulls the water in the drain upwards, which loosens the blockage. Then, when you push back down on the plunger, the water is forced downward, pushing the blockage down the drain.

Chemical drain unblocker

Draining a pool of water from the bottom of a blocked bath can be tricky and a plunger won’t always do the trick. In this case, you might want to empty the tub using a more aggressive chemical unblocker.

There are different types of drain unblocking liquids and powder formulas. Some are man-made and others are natural and eco-friendly.

Popular chemicals you can use to unclog your tub include hydrogen peroxide and sodium hydroxide (also known as lye or caustic soda), though these are both abrasive and should be used with care and not frequently as they could cause damage to the pipes over time.

Try a bent coathanger 

Unfold a wire hanger and push it carefully down the plughole of the bathtub. You may find that it hooks onto whatever is blocking the tub or maybe it will help to dislodge it and send it on its way down the drain.

It might be something as easy to remove as a ball of hair or part of a broken plug chain. Whatever it is that’s clogging the bath, sometimes it’s just a case of loosening it enough for water to begin to pass through again. When that happens, the pressure of the draining water will help to send the blockage on its way.

Buy a drain snake

It’s important to try the other methods of unblocking your bathtub before opting for a drain auger (or drain snake as they’re also known), as they can be quite expensive.

Around 0.5cm thick and with a handle on the end that allows you to spool the snake into the bends of the bathtub’s pipes, a drain snake can help to dislodge more troublesome items, such as toys your children might have pushed down the plughole or the lids of bathroom products that have accidentally fallen down it.

Are drain snakes better than plungers? Well, the thing is, they reach deep into the pipes, so any blockage that’s a little further down will be much easier to remove with a snake. If that doesn’t empty your bathtub, it’s time to get onto your local plumber.

Looking for something else to read? Find out How to Find a Good Local Plumber in 4 Steps.