Is this a free standing shower or a shower arm in a tub? They would be approached differently.

Susie,

Before spending big dollars, pick-up a "Zipp Strip" at Home Depot. You can find them in the plumbing department or Kitchen and bath department. They are usually hung on the rack posts, along the asiles.

A Zipp strip is a long thin strip of plastic (Aprox 18") which has barbs on it and a handle. You simply stick it down the drain and pull it back out. The Zipp strip will grab hair out of the drain. Usually works best with running water and repeat inserting it in and out of the drain until the water drains freely. Costs a couple of bucks and works better than most other drain cleaners.

Take Care,

Dan Martyn

if it is a free standing shower, remove the drain cover and insert what ever snake you buy, be careful as it WILL scratch the tiles around the drain if you drag the snake across it.

if it is a tub/shower combo, remove the overflow plate where the drain lever is. insert the snake thru this opening.

if the clog is hair, it will be in the trap most likely. it takes some practice to get a snake to go thru a trap.

if you buy one of those air or water powered blasters, insert it as far as it will go before you turn it on. the water powered ones will swell to fill the pipe and force pressure build up between the blaster and the clog. the problem with this is that your DWV system is not designed to be pressurized and you COULD end up with a bigger problem. older plumbing has a habit of failing at the joints, but even brand new can have a weak joint that would nto fail in normal use but will fail under pressure. it is not uncommon in my area for drains goign under the slab to be a slip joint, especially in homes over 15 years old, and not glued/nutted down. you can have a mess blow back out the joint if this is the case in yours.

try it, but if you are unsure call someone who has some experience, preferably a pro.

Thanks, everyone, for all your suggestions. I will try the Zipp device and see if that works. The shower is a free standing shower. I think it was added after the house was built, but I don't know when. I have lived in this house for about a year, still finding all sorts of surprises about it, some not as nice as I would like. But I'm sure that's true of most everyone. I am so grateful for these forums, I have gotten help and direction almost every time I have asked. Now, I need to ask questions on the Heating forum. Thanks, again, all!