Clogged Tub Drain & Auger Elbow Pipe

Blockages

• Raising your bathtub drain trip lever gains water access to the drain. The entrance to the drain lies beneath a stopper or strainer at the head of the bathtub. Water flows past the stopper or strainer and into an elbow-shaped pipe, before exiting down into the main drain line. Blockages at the elbow pipe occur when hair, soap and other waste gather along the passageway, preventing the flow of water.

Elbow Pipe Access

• Your bathtub stopper or strainer partly conceals the entrance to the elbow pipe. Access to the pipe requires removal of either part. To remove a strainer, first remove the screw securing the strainer in place, then pry or lift the strainer free of the tub. To remove a stopper, first raise the stopper to the open position. Grab the stopper and pull it away from the tub, removing both the stopper and the attached toggle arm.

Plunger Use

• The standard plunger proves an adequate opponent to less severe blockages. With the drain stopper or cover plate removed, fit the plunger's rubber cup over the entrance to the elbow pipe. Run enough water to cover approximately 1 inch of the bottom of the rubber cup. To prevent loosing valuable pressure jam the corner of rag into hole in the overflow plate, just above the spigot. Pump the plunger up and down repeatedly. If successful, suction created by the plunger dislodges the blockage.

Auger Use

• The auger consists of a length of cable that descends into the drain. The tip of the auger either pushes the blockage down the drain or grabs hold of it for extraction. To operate an auger, use the handle to gradually feed the tip into the elbow pipe. Continue forcing the cable down as far as it will go. When entering through the elbow pipe, the tip of the cable eventually strikes the side of the tee fitting. Retract the cable, then run hot water from the spigot into the drain to flush any remnants of the blockage.