That time my shower drain backed up into the basement

Used to just pour Drano down every clog and call it fixed. Worked for like 10 years. Then last month I had a massive backup. Water was coming up through the floor drain in my basement. Smelled terrible. Paid a plumber $185 to snake it out. He showed me this huge ball of hair and soap scum. Told me Drano just makes things worse long term. Now I pull the drain cover every 3 months and clean it by hand. Has anyone else had a plumber yell at them about using chemical drain cleaners?

2 comments

2 Comments

dylan_stone332d ago

Learned that lesson the hard way myself. Drano is basically a scam that makes plumbers rich. The chemicals eat away at pipes over time and never actually fix the root problem. I switched to a hair catcher in my shower drain and havent had a single issue since. Night and day difference for like 10 bucks. Why would anyone still use that stuff after hearing stories like this?

paul_lane802d ago

Man, that plumber story is way too real. My buddy went through the exact same thing last year and his pipes actually had pinhole leaks after years of using that stuff. It's terrifying how much damage it can do without you even knowing. You're totally right about pulling the drain cover regularly, that's the only thing that's ever worked for me too. The smell of a real backup is something you never forget, I swear it haunts you.