Blocked Shower & Bath Chatham | Fast Drainage Clearance

Name: Chatham Plumbing Services
Address: Chatham, Kent, ME4 4TR, GB
Telephone: 01634 123456

Blocked showers and baths are almost always caused by hair. It catches in the trap, combines with soap scum and limescale, and forms a solid blockage that stops water draining. In older Chatham properties around Military Road and Railway Street, you've sometimes got galvanised steel waste pipes that have corroded and roughened inside, which makes blockages worse.

We'll remove the trap (if accessible) and clear it out, or use a flexible drain snake to break through the blockage. Most shower and bath blockages are cleared in under an hour.

No call-out fee when you book with us. We'll give you a fixed price before we start, and our 12-month guarantee is included with our membership plan.

Signs Your Shower or Bath is Blocked

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Water pooling around your feet in the shower

If water rises around your ankles while you're showering instead of draining away, there's a blockage in the trap or waste pipe. It'll get worse over time as more hair accumulates.

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Bath taking ages to empty

A bath should empty in a couple of minutes. If it's taking five or ten minutes or more, there's a partial blockage. Usually hair and soap scum in the trap.

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Gurgling sound when draining

Gurgling means air is being pulled through the trap because water can't flow freely. Often happens when there's a hair blockage catching debris and restricting flow.

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Bad smell from the plughole

A musty or sewage smell coming from the shower or bath plughole usually means there's organic matter decomposing in the trap. Hair, soap scum, body oils, all rotting in a warm, damp environment. Needs clearing properly.

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Water backing up from the toilet when you shower

If the toilet bubbles or water backs up into it when you run the shower or bath, there's a blockage in the shared waste pipe or stack. This is more serious and needs sorting quickly before sewage backs up into the house.

What to Do Before We Arrive

1

Stop using the shower or bath

Don't keep using a shower or bath that won't drain properly. The standing water has nowhere to go and might overflow or back up into another drain. Just leave it for us.

2

Try removing visible hair

If you can see hair around the plughole, pull it out with your fingers or tweezers. Sometimes there's a clump just sitting in the trap grate that's causing the blockage. Wear gloves, it's grim.

3

Don't use chemical unblockers

Drain unblockers don't work on hair blockages. They make the water caustic, which is dangerous for us when we work on it, and they can damage plastic waste pipes. Leave it for us to clear mechanically.

4

Bail out standing water if needed

If there's a lot of standing water in the bath or shower tray, bail it out into a bucket so we can access the trap more easily. Makes the job quicker and less messy.

5

Clear access to the waste pipe

If the shower or bath has an access panel underneath (common in upstairs bathrooms), clear any storage away so we can get to the trap if needed. Makes the job faster.

How We Clear Blocked Showers and Baths

1

Remove the trap grate

Most modern showers have a removable trap grate. We'll unscrew it or pop it out and pull out any hair and debris sitting in the trap. Often that's all that's needed.

2

Use a drain snake if needed

If the blockage is deeper in the trap or waste pipe, we'll feed a flexible drain snake down to break it up or hook it out. The snake is a coiled wire with a grabber or corkscrew end that pulls hair out.

3

Access the trap from below

If the trap isn't accessible from above (common in older baths with no access panel), we might need to access it from below if there's a panel or from the room below. If there's no access, we'll snake it from above.

4

Flush through and test

Once we've cleared the blockage, we'll run water through to make sure it's draining fast and smooth. If it's still slow, we'll check the fall on the waste pipe and advise if there's an underlying issue.

Common Causes of Blocked Showers and Baths in Chatham

Hair is the main culprit. Long hair especially catches in the trap and combines with soap, shower gel, and limescale to form a solid mass.

Hair accumulation

Every shower or bath sheds hair down the plughole. Over weeks and months it builds up in the trap. Long hair is worse than short hair because it tangles and forms a mesh. Use a hair trap over the plughole to catch it before it goes down.

Soap scum and limescale

Chatham water is moderately hard, so limescale builds up in traps and waste pipes. Combined with soap scum from shower gel and shampoo, it forms a sticky residue that catches hair and other debris. Hot water helps dissolve it, but eventually you need to clear the trap manually.

Old galvanised waste pipes

Older properties around Rochester High Street and Gillingham High Street sometimes have galvanised steel waste pipes that have corroded and roughened inside. The rough surface catches hair and soap scum more easily than smooth plastic. The only fix is replacing the waste pipe with plastic.

Insufficient fall on waste pipe

If the waste pipe doesn't slope down enough (needs at least 1 in 40 fall), water doesn't flow away properly and debris settles in the pipe. Common in badly installed showers or bathrooms that have been converted from bedrooms. The waste pipe needs re-routing with proper fall.

Blocked Shower & Bath Pricing

Upfront prices, no nasty surprises

We'll always tell you the cost before we start. These are typical price ranges, your exact quote depends on the job.

Service	Typical Cost
Shower/bath trap clearance	£85 – £120
Shower/bath waste pipe clearance	£100 – £150
Trap replacement (shower/bath)	£70 – £130
Waste pipe investigation	£80 – £140

All prices are estimated. Final costs depend on the specific job. We provide detailed quotes before starting work.

Common Questions

Got questions? Here's the quick answers.

How much does it cost to unblock a shower or bath in Chatham?

If the blockage is in the trap (accessible from the plughole), it's £85 to £120. If the blockage is deeper in the waste pipe, expect £100 to £150. We'll quote you before we start work.

How long does it take to clear a blocked shower or bath?

Most blockages are cleared in 20 to 40 minutes. We'll remove the trap grate, pull out the hair and gunk, flush it through, and test it. If we need to access the trap from below or snake the waste pipe, it might take an hour.

Can I clear it myself?

If the trap grate unscrews or pops out, you can try pulling out the hair yourself. Wear gloves, it's disgusting. If the blockage is deeper or you can't access the trap, call us.

Why does my shower keep blocking?

Recurring blockages mean hair is going down the plughole faster than the waste pipe can clear it, or the waste pipe has insufficient fall and hair is collecting in a dip. Use a hair trap over the plughole, and if it still blocks regularly, we'll check the waste pipe fall and advise if it needs fixing.

Do hair traps work?

Yes, hair traps (or drain strainers) catch most hair before it goes down the plughole. They cost a quid or two from any supermarket or hardware shop. Empty them after every shower and you'll rarely get a blocked shower drain.

Can you replace the trap if it's damaged?

Yes, if the trap is cracked, corroded, or perished, we'll replace it. Modern shower traps are plastic and easy to swap. Old metal traps on baths sometimes need cutting out if they're corroded solid. Costs £70 to £130 depending on access.

What if water backs up when I use the shower?

If water backs up into the toilet, sink, or bath when you use the shower, the blockage is in the shared waste pipe or stack, not just the shower trap. That's more serious and needs clearing quickly before sewage backs up. Tell us when you call.

Will you have to take the bath out?

Almost never. We can usually clear a bath blockage from the plughole or by accessing the trap from below if there's a panel. Only in very rare cases (completely seized trap, no access) would we need to remove the bath, and we'd discuss that with you first.

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Tell us what you need and we'll get back to you with a no-obligation quote, usually within the hour during working hours.

01634 123456

Mon–Thurs 8.30am–6pm, Fri 9am–4pm

Covering all Chatham postcodes

Blocked shower and bath clearance across Chatham