So you have used two bottles of Drano and your shower still won't drain.

It's time to do the thing you have been putting off and clean out the drain. Before starting this project you will want to go to the local hardware or home improvement store and pick up a drain snake. Usually twenty footer will do.

This is a common problem for all homeowners. I personally had to perform this task the other day. This is not the most fun thing to do but it's also not the hardest thing to do.

In most cases with drains they will allow the water to drain out. It just takes a long time. If you have put drain cleaner in your drains allow them to drain out before you start. It's also a good idea to run some clean water into the shower after the drain cleaner. This will flush the drain cleaner out. It may take a few minutes to drain but it's safer.

Now that the shower is empty you can start. The first thing I always do is clean out the trap in the shower drain. This is done by removing the screw in the center of the little chrome screen that covers the drain. You will be amazed at the amount of hair that will build up under this screen. I have removed so much hair out of these traps at my house you would think we would all be bald and this would know longer be an issue. I have found at times that cleaning this hair out will solve the problem, but not always. After cleaning the trap out you will want to run some hot water down the drain if it is still draining slow then it's time to go to the next step.

If this is an upstairs shower you will want to run your new drain snake down the plugged drain. Take your time when snaking out your drain. If you force it through the pipe you can put kinks in it and it will not work as well. After you have cleared the clog be sure to put the screen back on and reinstall the screw. If you leave this off and your wife drops an earring in the tub it's gone.

If the drain is down stairs follow the above steps for cleaning the trap out. If this doesn't clear the clog then I suggest you take a 12" adjustable wrench a good light and your snake and go under your house where there should be a clean out for the tub/shower drain. If you don't know how to access your crawl space you will need to look around your house until you find it.

Everyone should know how to access the crawl space under your house. Most the time it is an opening around the foundation but I have seen them in closet floors. Once you find the crawl space access orient yourself to where the drain should be under your house. This will keep you from crawling all over under the house. Before you go under the house make sure you notify everyone that that you will be fixing the drain and please don't use the shower until they hear from you.

Now take the adjustable wrench, the light and the snake and go under the house. Once you have found the drain pipe for this bathroom look for a plug screwed into the drain pipe it should be at the very end of the pipe but not always. Once you find the plug remove it with the adjustable wrench. There will probably be water in the pipe so don't get directly below the drain when taking the plug out.

After you have removed the plug insert the plumbing snake through the line. If it is going in hard then pull it out every once in a while, clean the end and reinsert it. When the snake starts going through the pipe easily you have gone through the clog. Once this happens you can remove the snake from the pipe and reinstall the plug on the cleanout.

The last thing you want to do is run hot water through the drain this will help remove any remaining soap and loose material in the pipe. I use boiling water but only do this if you can safely carry the boiling water to the bathroom without burning yourself. Otherwise running the hot water for a few minutes will do. This should clear you plug up and save you three or four hundred dollars on a plumber.

Estimated time for repair: It should take a couple of hours to do this job. That includes getting the tools you need and cleaning up after you are done. After being under the house you may want to test the shower out before going to any social gatherings!