Thawing frozen traps

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Cass

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Does anyone have way to thaw out frozen tub traps short of cutting out the ceiling and introducing warm air or pouring boiling water into the tub?
 

hj

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trap

It would have to be a liquid drain cleaner. The crystal ones would harden and create a second problem. The small hose from a wall paper steamer would create enough heat to thaw it by shoving it down the overflow pipe.
 

Verdeboy

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I would mix up a brew of boiling water and salt--any kind of salt. You can even use some from that bag of road salt sitting on the front porch. That way, you would be putting the salt down a little further than if you just laid it on top. Of course, an acid drain cleaner may work even faster as someone suggested.
 

Bob NH

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Cass said:
Does anyone have way to thaw out frozen tub traps short of cutting out the ceiling and introducing warm air or pouring boiling water into the tub?

Start as though you are going to root out the trap. Take the overflow cover off and run a tube down with hot water flowing through it. As it hits the ice and melts it, keep pushing it down. When it stops coming back up the tub drain, you are done.
 
R

Rancher

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Gary Swart said:
Come on Bob, we can't have a solution that simple!
I'm really surprised that Bob didn't come up with the most obvious solution... take the magnetron out of an old microwave that we all have stored in the garage, hook it up to the proper sized metal flex tubing (sized for the proper wavelength of course) and direct it down the drain into the trap where it will permeate the ice layer and melt it quicker than you can warm your coffee.

Caution: Do not try this trick if you plan to have more children.

Rancher
 

Plumber1

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For a special job years ago we borrowed a steam cleaner from the local
Dodge dealer and reduced the discharge to a small hose and thawed several floor drains. Find a small type steam machine.
 
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