Tub draining slowly after remodel

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ibisboy1

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We remodeled our bathroom and are now finding that the tub is draining very slowly. Tried plunging, hot water already. Seems to have made some difference but, not draining anywhere near as fast as it was prior to the remodel.

One thing that they did during the remodel was to make a slight re-route of the vent stack for the bathroom. I would say they moved it (by cutting in a new section of pipe) by about 2 to 3 inches.

The rest of the drains all work well. No issues with toilets either. Could the stack change affect the tub? Or, is it possible that some stuff got loose during the remodel and is now clogging the drain? Drain line is steel - not copper or plastic. Hose was built in 1949.

Thanks for any help.
 

Terry

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Hopefully whoever worked on the bathroom did not use the tub as a place to dump paint or tile grout down.
I've seen that happen.

You might want to snake it from the upper overflow.
 

ibisboy1

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Thanks. Tub was snaked yesterday. Tub is better, but, still not flowing as quickly as I would like - still get maybe an inch of pooling around the drain. Perhaps the drain line needs to be replaced? I think it would be possible to get to about 20 feet of the line from the basement. Thoughts?
 

Cacher_Chick

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If there is a clog, it will not be likely to be in the section of vertical piping. A clog will usually be on the horizontal transition or in the trap.
A 1949 house would have been likely to have a drum trap instead of a P-trap on a tub. Drum traps need to be opened up and cleaned out.
 

hj

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What was the extent of the remodeling? Any debris which got into the drain should have accumulated in the trap. DO NOT change ANY piping until you know exactly what your problem is.
 

Will Rogers Plumbing

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Since the main cause of slow draining tubs is hair, then snaking will do just fine. If small amounts of grout got in the line (which I doubt is the cause), then it will not have cured rock hard. The proper cutter head will easily take care of it. If it is complete blockage of flow of hard debris then remove the trap, clear it and snake the rest of the drain.
 
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