I really need some help? Tub won't drain and there are no clogs.

Plumbing Forums

Help Support Plumbing Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

rhoadie1005

Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2016
Messages
13
Reaction score
1
Location
,
I replaced the whole main drain outside. There is only 1 sink, 1 tub, and 1 toilet in house. The toilet and sink drain fine. Tub drains slow. The sink doesn't have a p trap and is rigged all wrong. Toilet and tub have p traps. If sink doesn't have one will it cause the tub to drain slow if they are connected to the same drain pipe?
 
Your sink not having a P-trap is a serious health hazard in itself I would address that first before addressing the tub
 
Ya I got the p trap for it. We are in the process of moving in. Trying to get this prob fixed. Any advice on the other question.
 
Ya I'm not there now. The tub plumbing has a p trap. I ran snake through the drain from tub and it wasn't clogged.
 
I will send u a picture when I get there. The sink and tub share same drain pipe.
 
Could be the case could be a venting issue too. Try to post a picture when you can
 
The toilet doesn't need a P-trap because it has one built inside of it. It should have a closet bend.

Do you know if your tub has a vent after the P-trap? How long is the trap arm (horizontal pipe coming out of the P-trap).

There are numerous things that could be wrong: It could be sloped improperly, there could be no vent or a clogged vent, or insufficient pipe size. Tub drain pipe should be 2-inch. Sink should be 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch. The pipe needs to slope downward 1/4 inch per foot in order for the water to drain properly.

When you say the tub and sink share a drain, does the tub drain reduce in size to connect to the sink drain? It is against code to reduce pipe size on a drain.

Also, the point of the P-trap is to hold water to prevent sewer gases from coming up into your home. The sink needs to get a P-trap asap. It needs to have the trap and then at least a 3 to 4-inch trap arm before it vents.
tumblr_nqwwsucm3p1uwberno3_r2_540.png


Snakes don't always clear clogs. But never use so-called drain cleaners (the harsh liquid chemicals). They can damage the plumbing and injure plumbers. They also don't work very well.
 
does your tub have a trip lever ? for the waste and over flow ?

that would be that handle you lift up and down to fill the tub.

pull the linkage out, it may have a big ass hair ball with soap stuck to it

mmmmyum yum !!!

2016-03-14_0929.jpg
 
Last edited:
S-trap. Not vented.
You also do not have an overflow of which also helps and allow air to flow into drain. do you have a grid or perforated cover on the drain opening?
like in first photo if so remove it.
then it should look like the 2nd photo.



Try this easy experiment:
Fill tub 1/4 full
Then stick a 1/2" piece of copper pipe into the drain.
to allow air to enter the drain as it is draining.
Does it drain?
 
That looks like a pressed steel tub.
Maybe when they installed it there was already a p-trap below the fitting at ground level and now it has 2 p-traps. Just a thougyht
 
That's all sorts of jacked up. They created an S trap which is illegal and there is no vent.
 
Maybe my vision isn't great, but it sort of looks like the tailpiece coming out of the drain flange is too small. Having it get that narrow might be creating a bit of a bottleneck. I think. I'm not an expert.
Anyone else notice that or am I just mistaken?
 
My son had a slow draining washer, the pros came out under the home warranty, snaked it said nothing there, took our money and left. I went on the roof, down the vent and hit a dry clog or dirt dabbers nest. (Home was for sale and had set idle for a while)

All drained fine after that.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top