Dan_Musicant wrote:

There are two tub/showers in the house and I never used one of them
(call it tub B, which is on the 2nd floor) until the other wasn't usable
for a couple of weeks. So, I use tub B and discover that it's clogged.

1. 3 Draino treatments don't help.

2. Snaking doesn't help.

3. Trying to blast the obstruction out with pressure from a hose just
backs water up the vent pipe.

4. I try a tougher snake - it's made from a stiff wire and has a
business end, and you can shove it hard against the obstruction. I
insert it into the vent pipe directly from above. This gets me nowhere.


What I don't understand is this: The blockage (which feels solid)
appears to be about 3 feet ABOVE where the tub drain joins the vent pipe
on its way to the ground where it meets the sewer piping. What's going
on here? Thanks for any ideas.


QUOTE: "Trying to blast the obstruction out with pressure from a
hose just backs water up the vent pipe."

That tells you that the vent connection is *not* blocked.

The tub drain likely meanders about until it joins (perhaps)
the basin drain and finally into the stack. The clog may
be all the way down where it meets the basin drain at a WYE
and there could be several 90's along the way.

My point is that these clogs can be very difficult to snake out;
it takes a professional-sized machine (even a hand-held) to do it.

Often, a common snake will simply go *up* the vent after leaving
the tub trap instead of continuing down the drain. Very difficult
to control. A snake with a "down-head boring tool" may be able
to make it down the drain.

Rent a machine or hire someone...

Jim