Blocked Shower in Reading

When your shower becomes blocked, it can be extremely unpleasant – especially if you’re halfway through your shower when it happens. Dirt, soap scum, hair and a range of other ingredients can flow back up the pipe and, before you know it, you can be standing in the dirt you washed off yourself just a few minutes ago.

When it comes to dealing with blocked showers in Reading, you need to make sure that the issue is resolved as soon as possible. Failing to do so can not only make your shower unusable, but it can also risk flooding. There is also the risk that these blockages will contribute to long-lasting damage to your pipes.

What are the Causes of Blocked Showers in Reading?

Although the water that flows down into the shower’s drain may look relatively clear, it is actually full of all kinds of potential detritus which can lead to extremely tough and irritating blockages. Just some of the biggest contributors to blocked shower drains include:

• Soap Scum – Soap scum, and waste generated by shower gel, shampoo and conditioner can all contribute to blockages in your drain pipes. Although this soap scum isn’t too much of a threat on its own, it can adhere to the walls of your pipes. From there, it can trap other kinds of detritus and result in the blockage growing extremely quickly.Although if left to develop over many months it can become a problem, in most cases you’ll be able to deal with soap scum yourself. A great way of preventing soap scum from having a major effect on your drain’s health is to pour a couple of buckets’ worth of hot water down the drain. We’d also recommend adding a little chlorine to the solution to really eliminate soap scum on your pipe’s walls.
• Hair – Hair is one of the biggest problems in shower drains. Hair can easily become tangled with other detritus and knot around other hairs. It is also easy for hair to adhere to the walls of your pipes. This means that hair can easily create blockages in your drains.
• Skin Cells – Every time you step into the shower, millions of dead skin cells will be washed off your body. Skin cells can also adhere to the inside of your pipes, particularly when soap scum is present. Although it can take a long time for these cells to create any kind of noticeable blockage, when combined with the other ingredients they can make a real contribution.
• Hard Water – If you are in a location which has access to hard water, your drains could be at risk even further. Hard water has been proven to deposit a range of minerals and micro-solids onto the walls of your pipes. If you don’t take steps to clear these away, then you could be left with a clogged drain.
• Waste – Although it isn’t really a problem in most cases, waste can lead to blockages in your drains. Small items, including shampoo caps and razor blade coverings, can easily slip down your shower’s drain.

Symptoms of a Blocked Shower Drain

There are many things you need to look and listen out for when trying to identify whether or not your drains are becoming blocked. It is rare that your drain will suddenly cease to flow. Instead, it is more likely that the entire system will slowly become less efficient.

Some of the symptoms to look out for include:

• Slow-Draining Showers.
• Gurgling Drains.
• Unpleasant Smells.