Plumbing Help ASAP

Also called a 'Drain King'. Its basically a rubber bladder that when deflated looks like a hot dog with a hook up for a hose on one end with a hole on the other, you hook up a hose, shove it down the pipe and turn the hose on, the water fillers the rubber bladder forcing it to completly block the pipe so nothing can come back out and then the water, that is now pressurized is forced down the pipe.
First used it years and years ago when we used them at KFC for clearing grease clogged drains. Added one to my toolbox when I bought my first house - wouldn't be without it.

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Try a Zip-It Strip. These 3-foot plastic "snakes" cost less than $2.

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This is the government the Founding Fathers warned us about.....

That is why I insisted DH put a drain that has a screen on top and the stopper part works in the pipe (not on top).

Every time I wash my hair (have not cut it in almost three years) I get a handful of hair off the screen - I imagine that would take no time at all to develop a major clog like the one in Cabin Fever's picture.

YUCK!!!

Cathy

Not really enough info. Do the bathroom sink and toilet drain? Do they drain well or slow? If they don't you have a bigger problem, but still handable (if that's a word) by the average handyman.

I'm going on the assumption it is ONLY the tub. If so then the problem is most likely either at the P-trap (the S curve pieces of pipe) or at the fitting (a T, Y or elbow) where the tub drain connects to another drain line.

Eaisest to fix it a clog in a screw on or screw together P-trap. Find it, take it a part. If there is water in the 'down stream' line then the clog is farther down the line. If not then all you need to do is clean the clog out of the trap.

If the problem is farther down the line you can try a snake from there. If you can't or that doesn't work it becomes a bigger job. If needed msg again and we'll see what we can talk you though doing.

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Thanks for all the advice.

We decided to try the Drano after all, because to get into the pipes was a major ordeal in a tiny muddy freezing cold crawlspace.

Thankfully the Drano worked, we are also going to install some kind of screen filter.

If this happens again, we will resort to redoing the plumbing... we already have plans for that anyway... the house was built in 1873, and the plumbing is pretty old too...

Mrs.Logan