Plumbers waste hours diagnosing slow-draining tubs
11 posts across 2 communities in the last 90 days; 91% from r/Plumbing.
“We noticed a sewage smell from our tub drain a couple days ago. It was used a week ago - not sure if the smell was present then or not. My wife poured bleach down it yesterday and we’ve ran warm water from the faucet through it for probably 1-2min in total so far. No indications…”
“Take a pic of the plumbing for us to see if their is a problem there”
“P-traps evaporate over time with no use. Their design is as such that it stops the sewer smells from entering the home. Run your tub for 10 seconds and it should solve your problem.”
Homeowners and plumbers report spending excessive time diagnosing why upstairs tubs won’t drain, often requiring multiple tools or professional intervention. The issue is tied to clogged pipes or improper venting, leading to costly and time-consuming repairs.
SOURCES (12)
“We noticed a sewage smell from our tub drain a couple days ago. It was used a week ago - not sure if the smell was present then or not. My wife poured bleach down it yesterday and we’ve ran warm water from the faucet…”
“Hey, I recently bought the house and noticed the upstairs bathtub is draining very slowly. I was wondering if that’s normal or if there’s something wrong with the drain that needs to be redone or fixed? submitted by /u/Murky-Lunch-3785 [link] [comments]”
“Hi all, I’m not too familiar with plumbing so apologies if this is a basic question or seems silly. I’ve recently moved into new apartment, and this is what the tub’s drain looks like. I’ve never had a tub with this type of drain before, nor am I familiar with them. I’ve noticed that when showering, the water tends to pool at the bottom and drains quite slowly. Because of this, the tub tends to get pretty gross everytime I shower. Does anyone know what the best solution to quicker draining would”
“Drain is PVC. I hear all the time to not use chemicals. Appears to be buildup on pipe of hard rock like stuff I would assume is mix of soap and hard water. What are the recommendations to clear the drain without chemicals? submitted by /u/woodworkerForLyfe [link] [comments]”
“So our bath tub isn’t draining very well. Everything else seems to do fine. I’ve taken the P Trap off under the tub and ran a snake everywhere I could and it still hasn’t helped. Is there a vent or something simple I am missing submitted by /u/JimmyKeelen [link] [comments]”
“We’re experiencing an on and off sewage like smell coming from our bathroom. We thought it might have been the toilet because it was able to move around so easily so we replaced the wax seal. We thought we were in the clear but then a couple weeks later we started to smell it again. It’s mainly in our bathroom but I’ve noticed the smell a handful of times in our guest bath as well. I used the 2000 flushes tablets which seemed to have helped for about 2 weeks but I’m not sure if that was a coinci”
“If hw used an air admitance valve, the cheap black ones are junk and will let in sewer gas. You need a oatey or studor brand.”
“I moved into this place about 2 months ago and about 2 weeks after moving in the toilet started draining slowly after being flushed. It stops at the level shown in the picture. If water is put in then it lowers again. Also, right after this the place started smelling at night. Only at night. It smelled like a dead rodent and was so potent. I was waiting out for it to decompose, but then put in a maintenance request for it because it was so bad I felt sick. One of my cats was crying and clawing a”
“Run the tub once a week for 20 seconds. This actually applies to all sinks and tubs and such.”