Clogged upstairs shower drain, finding pea gravel

[ghopebham]

We have a mystery. The upstairs shower is not draining, and is completely clogged. The house is 8 years old, connected to city sewer, with no known problems downstream. All other drains in the house, including the downstairs shower, show no signs of problems. When I plunged this drain, it brought up some pea gravel. I cannot guess how pea gravel reaches a second-story drain. This shower does not get "beach feet" or other outdoor dirt - just regular daily use. To add to the mystery, moments before this clog appeared, I successfully poured about 4 gallons of boiling water down this drain when it was draining slowly.

Many thanks for any ideas or guidance.
Greg

 

[TomFOhio]

Not sure how the gravel got there unless its been laying in there for 8 years with no problems from being built. I would
get a snake ran through that drain If this is a shower only then you'll have to go through the drain itself. But if its a
tub and shower try going through the overflow.

 

[ghopebham]

Not sure how the gravel got there unless its been laying in there for 8 years with no problems from being built. I would
get a snake ran through that drain If this is a shower only then you'll have to go through the drain itself. But if its a
tub and shower try going through the overflow.

Many thanks for your reply, TomFOhio. It's a walk-in shower, so no tub overflow. I have tried to snake it, but my toilet snake (with a pretty thick cable) does not seem to get past the bend in the pipe, wherever that is. It just hits the bottom, about 12 inches down, then stops. Perhaps I need to try a cheapo snake with a very thin cable?

 

[TomFOhio]

Yes, a toilet auger will only work on a toilet. You can buy those drum snakes for a drill. Might work for what
you need it for.

 

[Richard Gavle]

Just to add a touch of humor. I had a clogged shower drain in my second story bathroom after a new tenant moved in.....I went to clean it with zero success and found that the previous tenant who left had poured cement down the drain....completely filling the trap!
Fortunately there was no one renting the space below so it was not a big deal to cut the ceiling and replace the trap.

 

[TomFOhio]

Talk about dirty tricks!!!!!!!

 

[Richard Gavle]

Yeah same guy made friends with one of my neighbors and stole his camera and some other stuff right before he moved out.....also ran up a 2500 dollar bill with the gas company....he had told them he had his elderly father or some such crap living with him to get them to keep extending the service prior to cut off.

 

[Geofd]

a 1/4 by 25 or 50' cable is what I use....just for the heck of it try a wet vac......put a wet rag around the hose to get maximum vaccum …..

 

[ghopebham]

Many thanks to all for advice and humor. I used our wet vac and drew out about a gallon of water, enough to dry the ABS and see which way the trap was aiming. I was able to run all 3 feet of our toilet auger in, and brought back nothing when I pulled it out. I ran the shower wand directly into the drain to test the flow and it promptly filled back up. I can see the water in the drain and it's standing - no movement at all - and at a level above the trap, about an inch below the grate. I checked the water for debris as I emptied the wet vac, and found nothing suspicious in it. I'll be grateful for any ideas or advice, but I'm about ready to call in a pro... or a witch doctor.

 

[Richard Gavle]

As said already get a small section of cable (small drain auger as sold at home depot or a hardware store) and run it down the drain cranking and pushing as you advance the handle on the cable. If the end with the small auger on the end will not go down then simply reverse it and use the small end to pierce the clog (probably hair).

One quick note: If you do succeed in getting 8 or more feet down, then it will be moving from the horizontal section of pipe and into the vertical stack...... so be careful not to let the cable fall down the drain.....otherwise you have a whole new problem to deal with.

 

[ghopebham]

In case anyone is still following this thread... I just got about 9 feet of 1/4 inch snake into the drain before it stopped. Nothing substantial came back on the hook, and the mystery remains. If no one has any additional advice here, I'll concede defeat and call in the pros. Many thanks for the help!

 

[Geofd]

In case anyone is still following this thread... I just got about 9 feet of 1/4 inch snake into the drain before it stopped. Nothing substantial came back on the hook, and the mystery remains. If no one has any additional advice here, I'll concede defeat and call in the pros. Many thanks for the help!

when you get to the stoppage don't force it just stay there and move until you here the motor slow down then pull back slightly until the motor starts spinning normally again
a lot of snaking drains is patience.....I just had a janitors sink today and tried a small snake for a while...and it would go....I had to break the brass cleanout on the trap because it had never been taken off in 60 years...than ran a bigger snake in very slowly and finally got it.....patience...and you will get it....whe you do clear it go past the stoppage the run lots of hot water

 

[Rossando]

Rigid makes a good little hand held snake. K-45 drain cleaner. I got the 50ft cable and this thing has an auto feed so you don’t always have to use heavy duty gloves but I would really insist you do.

 

[Jamesplumbing06]

It’s a shower drain. Vent is tied in a few feet away. Have you tried a GOOD plunger ?