Slow draining shower

[RVRAC]

Our shower is taking much more time to drain than ever before.  Anything you will suggest to make it work better?  Would something like drano help or hurt?  Please help, my DW is not happy.

 

[Back2PA]

Our shower is taking much more time to drain than ever before.  Anything you will suggest to make it work better?  Would something like drano help or hurt?  Please help, my DW is not happy.

First guess is hair. Best idea before Drano would be one one the inexpensive hair removal tools available at Home Depot etc

 

[ksbowman]

Have you cleaned the hair out of the drain? The same as home hair can build up in the drain below the surface. I take a piece of wire and bend a tight hook on it and stick it down the drain, twist it several times and pull it out. Usually you will find quite a bit of hair. Do this until you no longer get any out. It will drain a lot better. You may have to run it clear down into the gooseneck in the drain so use a longer piece of wire.

 

[Rene T]

Have you cleaned the hair out of the drain? The same as home hair can build up in the drain below the surface. I take a piece of wire and bend a tight hook on it and stick it down the drain, twist it several times and pull it out. Usually you will find quite a bit of hair. Do this until you no longer get any out. It will drain a lot better. You may have to run it clear down into the gooseneck in the drain so use a longer piece of wire.

DO NOT stick a long wire down in the drain until you know what you have for a trap. If you have this style, you could ruin it with a wire with a bent tip.  Investigate 1st.

https://www.amazon.com/All-Season-Marketing-BV1B-UA/dp/B004A2YFG4/ref=sr_1_5

 

[ArdraF]

I use very long tweezers (maybe 8-10 inches?) and pull out balls of hair every few months.  Even being careful, my long hair tends to disappear down the drain, especially when I wash it.  Even a guy with short hair loses some and it adds to the clog.

ArdraF

 

[ChasA]

Good advice from Rene. I have that type of trap. I use Liquid Plum'r.

 

[Arch Hoagland]

https://www.walmart.com/ip/TheWorks-ZIP-IT-Drain-Cleaning-Tool-1-Pack-of-2/159845159

Zip-it. 

Will pull all the hair out.

 

[SargeW]

If you have a waterless trap, IE "Hepvo" They recommend NOT using any kind of instrument to "rod" out the drain. If so you must remove the Hepvo valve to prevent damage.  This is an excerpt from the Maintenance and Care section from the Hepvo site: 

"Cleaning
No routine or seasonal maintenance is required for the HepvO sanitary waste valve, however, should you blow-out your drainage lines do not exceed 80-100 psi.

HepvO is resistant to standard caustic-based drain cleaners. It is also resistant to acid-based cleaners with concentrations up to 10%. When flushing with higher concentrations of acid based cleaner, the valve must be removed before the operation.

If mechanical drain cleaning devices are to be used it is necessary to first remove HepvO from the waste system. This provides a useful access point for servicing downstream pipework.
It is good practice to rinse the HepvO valve with clean water after any maintenance procedure.

Blockages
If a pipe blockage occurs downstream of HepvO we recommend temporarily removing the HepvO valve before rodding the pipeline. If the HepvO is rodded there is the possibility that damage to the internal components will occur."

Here is a link to the full text at the Hepvo site.  https://hepvo.com/installation-maintenance/

If you have a standard drain with a "P" trap, then it doesn't matter much.  Shower drains often utilize a waterless trap type of drain as it allows the shower to be set much closer to the floor level without a  high step to get in.

I have always used a small amount of Drain-O gel to keep the traps clean and flowing smoothly. I always wait until I am hooked up to sewer, have the gray tank open, and flush afterwards with a copious amount of hot water.  This has caused no problems with drains, traps, or rubber seals of any kind in the last 20 years or so.

 

[Arch Hoagland]

SargeW do you have a Hepvo valve in your coach?

How can you tell if an RV has the Hepvo valve installed? 

I've used a Zip-it several times over the years on mine and never had a problem.

 

[Isaac-1]

Another vote for zip it, or similar style clog removers

 

[jackiemac]

I has a similar problem and was told to pour boiling water down shower. I think it helped, you could try that to start with.

 

[SargeW]

SargeW do you have a Hepvo valve in your coach?
How can you tell if an RV has the Hepvo valve installed? 
I've used a Zip-it several times over the years on mine and never had a problem.

Yes I do Arch.  Many newer rigs do use them as they give the RV builder more design options when putting the rigs together. But the coach builders usually will put a obvious warning in the form of a sticker prominently displayed in the area where the plumbing is accessed. 

In my coach there is a sticker right in the wet bay that reads "Hepvo valve must be removed prior to using any drain clearing device" .  The Hepvo devices are just "duckbill" rubber pieces inside the PVC valve that allow water to flow one way into the tank and then close to prevent water or sewer gasses from coming back up the pipe.

The use of a wire, or any sharp instrument can cut, tear, or even turn the rubber flap inside out rendering it useless. However the membrane can also get "sludge" built up on the end as well, not allowing it to open all  the way, or not at all.  That's where the liquid cleaners  help to dissolve the crud without tearing the rubber.

 

[ELeland]

One thing I do to keep the shower drain flowing is use a small plunger I keep in the corner of the shower.  I got it at a home show where a plumbing company had them as hand outs with his name on the handle.  I don't think I've ever seen one that small (maybe 5" with a 12" handle).  A couple of plunges every 6 or so showers is all it takes.

 

[Arch Hoagland]

Yes I do Arch.  Many newer rigs do use them as they give the RV builder more design options when putting the rigs together. But the coach builders usually will put a obvious warning in the form of a sticker prominently displayed in the area where the plumbing is accessed. 

In my coach there is a sticker right in the wet bay that reads "Hepvo valve must be removed prior to using any drain clearing device" .  The Hepvo devices are just "duckbill" rubber pieces inside the PVC valve that allow water to flow one way into the tank and then close to prevent water or sewer gasses from coming back up the pipe.

The use of a wire, or any sharp instrument can cut, tear, or even turn the rubber flap inside out rendering it useless. However the membrane can also get "sludge" built up on the end as well, not allowing it to open all  the way, or not at all.  That's where the liquid cleaners  help to dissolve the crud without tearing the rubber.

Good information...thanks.

 

[JudyJB]

I have used the boiling water technique and it did help.  Need to do it again.  I think body oils and other gunk builds up.

 

[Henry J Fate]

Water jetting the drains on regular intervals is very successful in keeping the drains clear of accumulating hair and scum. I don't have a built in tank sprayer in my 2001 Winnebago so I fabricated a tool that attaches on the end of a garden hose with its own shut off valve and custom made spray nozzle. I use that during each black tank dump and in the grey tank when needed. When I have that out and ready to go I take the time to water jet the sinks and tub drain. It works extremely well. No chemicals needed and never any odors from scummed up traps.

This would be a very good method for the hepvo devices which are sensitive to traditional methods and products.

You can buy water jetting bladders specifically designed for drain cleaning. Most of the big maintenance catalog houses have them or you could stop into a plumbing supply store. Home depot may have them too.

 

[RVRAC]

Thanks folks.  I'll try all the suggestions. Hopefully, it will work.