The shower clog that just won't quit

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softly

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I've been fighting a shower clog in a 1950s house for more than a week now.

When (inevitably, sigh) people take the strainer out of the shower, hair goes down the drain and the drain becomes clogged. This time, I heard that the drain was clogged and:

1. Sent to have it snaked. The guy couldn't get the snake past the p-trap
2. Had it snaked by someone who knew what he was doing. These two also couldn't get the snake past the p-trap.
3. Had a plumbing sausage (the black sausage with a garden hose attachment at one end) put down. This pushed the clog down and allowed the shower to drain slightly. Clog is now in the drain line after the point where the tub, shower, and sink drains meet.
4. Tried snaking from underneath the sink. Damaged the clog a little but couldn't remove it.
5. Plumbing sausage again. Made significant inroads on the clog, but didn't get rid of it. Shower now drains slowly instead of not draining at all.

Any suggestions on how I can finish killing this clog? I've had a couple of people in who want to spend several thousand dollars cutting the line and power washing or cutting the line and snaking to get the clog out. That seems like quite a waste given that the clog is partway gone.
 
I usually go to the van and get my saw out and starting cutting walls, ceilings, etc......cut into the pipe and find the problem.

I always have an answer, you just may not like it.
 
First thing I do when approaching a clog is
Turn the water on in the sink , w he we n draining,if water comes up in the tub you snake thru the sink p trap .us there access under the bathroom, is this a slab???¿?
 
We once moved into an apartment where the shower would not drain well. Figured it was a clog so removed the grate (held on by two screws) and fished around with the bent end of a coat hanger, as this was long before I owned any kind of plumbing auger. No hair clog but it kept bumping into something that moved. Luckily there was enough space to get the hanger past the object, then the hook caught the edge and it was possible to drag it out. It was a small plastic bottle, like a hotel shampoo bottle, but much bigger.

(Don't ask me how the bottle ended up on the other side of a screwed in grate!)

So I'm wondering if in the OP's case there might be bottle like that wrapped up in hair. An auger of any sort will push it, but it isn't likely to bite in enough to remove it.
 

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