Hair and soap scum cause most blocked baths and showers, because they bind together into a dense plug. Shower trays often have shallow traps and narrow pipes, so they block more easily. Standing water can then spread and damage the floor.
A hair catcher over the plughole is the simplest fix. It stops hair entering the pipe. Clean it after each use. Hot water poured down the drain each week can also help keep soap from setting.
If the bath drains slowly along with the basin or toilet, the block may sit in a shared pipe. Read about a blocked sink or a blocked toilet in that case, since the signs overlap. The guide to blocked drains explains the shared-pipe picture.
The engineer removes the plug or cover to reach the trap, where visible hair can often come out by hand. This also shows how bad the build-up is. Keep any hair that comes out to show how heavy the build-up is.
A flexible snake breaks up and pulls out the block, while a cutting head tackles packed hair and soap. Shower trays need a careful approach, since the pipe is narrow. Shower trays have tight bends, so the tool must be thin.
Water flushes the loosened debris away, and a small jet can scour the walls. This matters, since left-over soap can set again. Hot water alone may not shift old soap.
Most engineers fill the bath or run the shower to check the flow. If the drain stays slow, a deeper block may be the cause, since the trap alone did not fix it. Slow water after the clear needs a second look.
Use these questions to compare quotes, since the answers differ from one engineer to the next. Write the answers down, since a written note helps if the job changes. Then compare two quotes if the job looks large.
These are typical UK ranges from national price guides, not Essex quotes. Precise Drainage Solutions lists minor blocks at £80 to £150, and MyJobQuote lists rodding at £80 to £145. Shower trays with tight access may cost more, because the work takes longer.
Ask for a written quote before work starts, and ask whether there is a call-out charge. Ask what happens if the block sits further down the pipe, since that can change the price. A written answer avoids doubt later.
Fit a hair catcher over the plughole and clean it after each use. Hair is the main cause, since it binds with soap scum. A weekly flush of hot water also helps.
Usually, yes. A partial block narrows the pipe. Sometimes the cause is poor venting, since air cannot enter behind the water. An engineer can check for both.
Yes, if the bath shares a waste pipe with other fixtures. If several drain slowly, the block is likely in the shared pipe or the underground run, where they all join. Ask the engineer to check both.