How To Fix A Clogged Bathtub In An Older Building With A Drum Trap

My bathtub is really clogged. I live in a building that was built in the 1950’s and it has a metal drum trap on the side of the tub that is approximately 14″ in height and 2″ in diameter. (I’ve attached a pic that I found online of what my drum trap looks like) I’ve tried baking soda and vinegar but that didn’t work. Plunging the tub while there was water in it didn’t work either. Can I put snake down the trap? If not, what tool should I use? Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.

happycats

in Plumbers and Plumbing 11 years and 1 month ago

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mdarling1979 | 11 years and 1 month ago

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I have experienced a similar situation in one of our apartments recently and had the super clear it with a manual snake. We pulled out a ton of hair and have not had any issues as of yet

eman134 | 11 years and 1 month ago

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btw… if you screw up the unwinding of 75 year old joint, you may have to hire a plumber and pay about 600-1000 bucks to replace everything

eman134 | 11 years and 1 month ago

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remove the top nut, remove the plunger, use a hand snake to remove the blockage (which is always hair)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbS6Akn2E4k

Townie | 11 years and 1 month ago

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You should be able to open the drum trap and clean it out Is there a cap with a nut visible on the floor? Large adjustable wrench is what you need. Lately I have been using my new wet dry shop vac to unclog drains.