Blocked plugholes

[Fred]

Hello,

I noticed that water was draining slowly from our bath and cured the problem by removing hair from the trap. The problem is that access to the trap is difficult: I put sealant all around the edges of the bath panel! Is removing the hair as and when required the best method or is there any preventative action I can take to prevent this happening again? Someone told me dosing with bleach will dissolve the hair. I'm not so sure about this; surely I would need something stronger like caustic soda? But would caustic soda attack the bath enamel or the metal finish on the plughole?

Thanks.

[Slider]

Get some bocked pipe clearer. I had a similar experience where our shower tray was draining very slowly and would fill up like a mini bath. We got some plug hole clearwe which you pour down the waste and leave it. It disolves all the trapped hair and crap in the waste.

[Frank Erskine]

The caustic soda needn't come into contact with the bath enamel (not that it should attack it anyway) - just carefully pour the NaOH solution through a funnel into the trap.

[sm_jamieson]

You can get most of the hair up with a pair of fine-nosed pliers through the plughole (done it recently). Better to do this regularly, but I found no need to remove the trap (yep, sealant all round !). Simon.

[Bob Mannix]

Fill the bath to a few inches with hot water and give the plughole a good plunging every couple of months followed by some more ineffective (but less liable to cause splash damage) drain cleaner will probably be all the preventative maintenance required. Hopefully more extreme measures then won't be necessary. If they are, NaOH through a funnel is best, as he says.

[John]

At risk of being a bore on this - but I have not had such a problem since using only liquid soaps (Gels, etc) as they don't leave a scum that binds hairs together. Have 2 daughters with long hair and have never had a problem. If you do dismantle the trap then check for rough edges where the pipes were cut.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Caustic is good. Get a funnel and fill up the trap with the crystals.

Leave overnight, flush with hot water.

[Dave Liquorice]

Remove any hair caught on the plug grid before it gets washed into the trap. Basic good housekeeping...

[Slider]

Get some protective gloves or be very very careful with caustic soda. My dad got some on his fingers whilst clearing a drain years ago and it made a right mess of his fingers!

[PeterMcC]

Dave Liquorice wrote in

...and, once it's clear, fit "hair traps" - that's how hairdressers avoid the problem with their basins.

Have a Google for hair trap bath - around £3

[Steven Campbell]

Get a hair trap similar to

'm sure "Better wear" do them cheaper!!

5 in our house take a shower every day and my 2 daughters have long hair. Never once had problems with the trap filling up. Just clean the trap on a regular basis.