A blocked bath or shower leaves a pool of dirty water around your feet. Hair and soap scum cause most of these blocks, because together they form a sticky plug in the trap or the waste pipe. The plug grows a little with every wash.
Slow drainage is the early warning. If the water takes longer each week to go down, a partial block is forming, while clearing it early is easier than waiting for a full block. A hair catcher over the plughole stops much of the trouble.
Wet rooms and walk-in showers can block in the same way. Their floor drains collect hair and soap just like a bath plughole. However, if a toilet or sink also drains badly, read about blocked drains in general.
Prevention costs less than a clearance. A hair catcher stops most hair before it reaches the trap, while a quick rinse after each use moves soap along. Clean the catcher often, since a full one slows the water as well.
Avoid pouring cooking fat or paint water into a bathroom drain. Strong chemicals rarely help, because they cannot shift a plug of hair. If the bath keeps slowing, however, ask for the pipe to be checked.
Many jobs start at the plughole. Lifting the cover often brings out a clump of hair and soap, while gloves and a small tool make this quick. If the water drops afterwards, the job may end there.
If the plughole is clean, the trap below it may hold the block. A plunger or a small auger can reach it, although some baths need an access panel opened first. Ask whether the panel needs to come off.
Once the block moves, hot water helps carry loose soap along. A water jet can help where build-up is heavy, since hot water alone will not shift it. Ask which method the engineer plans to use.
If the basin or toilet also slows, the shared pipe needs a look. That points to the underground drain, not only the bath, since a shared pipe serves them all. Tell the engineer about every slow fixture.
The engineer who takes your job runs a separate business, so the engineer sets the price, the arrival time and any guarantee. Use these questions to compare quotes, since answers differ from one engineer to the next. Write the answers down, because a written note helps if the job changes.
The guides checked for this page do not price baths and showers on their own. However, general drain clearing guides give a rough idea. MyJobQuote lists drain cleaning at £80 to £100, and Book A Builder gives £80 to £150 for basic unblocking.
These are not Dundee quotes. Access under a fitted bath can add time, and a shared pipe can still change the job. Ask for the price in writing before work starts.
A hair catcher over the plughole is the simplest fix. Empty it after each use, while a weekly flush with hot water helps move soap along. These small habits cost little and slow the build-up.
Usually, yes. A partial block in the trap or waste pipe is the most common cause. If the bath is still slow after the trap is clear, ask for a closer look at the pipe. A camera can show what a rod cannot.
It can. If the bath shares a waste pipe with a basin or toilet, a block in the shared part affects them all, while several slow fixtures point to the underground drain. Tell the engineer which fixtures are slow. That detail saves time on site.