Hair in the shower waste

Introduction

A shower that will not empty, with a knot on the grille, clears just under the plug. You pull it by hand. You do not force a waste that will not unscrew. A tray that wets the floor underneath is not a plug of hair.

How to tell it apart

Hair on the grille or hanging from the plug: it is there, just underneath. You do not need a long cable.

A clean grille and water that is still slow: the blockage may be further down. After one pull by hand, open a slow drain.

Water outside the tray, or a mark on the ceiling below: not the grille. It is a leak, and a plumber looks at it.

Mould on the silicone, especially in a bathroom with no window: not the waste. The track is IgroCasa.

Likely causes

• Hair sitting on the grille and just under the plug.
• Soap binding it and holding it there.
• A hair catcher that is full, if you fitted one on the grille.
• A crusted waste that will not unscrew: not a reason to lever it.
• A blockage past the trap: pulling the knot on the surface does not reach it.

What to do now (€0)

1. Put gloves on. Lift the grille or the plug if they come by hand.
2. Pull the hair with your fingers, tweezers or a flexible stick. Do not push it further down.
3. Rinse and see if the water runs.
4. If the waste will not unscrew, stop. No screwdriver as a lever.
5. If water leaves the tray, stop. It is not a blockage to pull.

A small DIY step

1. If the water is still slow after the pull and the waste has opened, a short snake. Not a stack cable. No caustic soda.
2. A catcher on the grille is emptied when you see it full. It does not replace the pull.
3. An accessible trap: a bowl and unions by hand. If you replace the part, measure the outlet first.
4. The cards stay only if the tray is not leaking. If it leaks, do not add products.

Mistakes to avoid

• Forcing a waste that will not turn.
• Pushing the hair down the pipe with a stick.
• Caustic soda as a first move.
• A chemical and, straight after, the plunger.
• Treating a leaking tray as a blockage.

When to call a professional

A plumber if the tray leaks underneath, if the waste will not move and the water will not run, or if the slowness returns as soon as the visible hair is out.

If the basin or the WC fills as well, it is the stack: not another pull on the grille.

Safety

If a product is already in the tray, do not pour a second and do not pump: the splash comes out. Do not mix bleach with ammonia or with acids and descalers. Gloves, air, the label, stop if you smell fumes.

Mould on the silicone that is widespread, that returns, or someone in the house with breathing trouble or who is frail: a technician and, for health, a doctor. Emptying the waste does not fix it.

Questions people ask