Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bbud656]

I think my shower drain is clogged. I have an officetel shower where the drain kind of runs along the wall and empties into this little rectangular hole, but I cant really get down deep enough in it to find the problem. The water still drains so I can shower, but half my bathroom gets flooded every time. Am I gonna need a plumber or is there something I can get at emart to take care of this?

[adzee1]

I have exactly the same problem. I asked my boss and she says this is normal for Korean bathrooms. I dont believe her at all.

I think she actually means " The drain has not been cleaned in years and we are not going to clean it"

I stuck a piece of wood down there and scooped out a load of hair and other nasty looking stuff which made it a bit better but the problem still exists. I was gonna try and find some caustic soda or something similar but havent gotten round to it yet.

[Modernist]

Amazingly I have almost exactly the same problem, too. It's like a lake in my bathroom every morning. I used a knife to try to dislodge some of the disgusting gunk in my drain catch [nearly vomited doing it too] but it hasn't really solved anything. Tried a Korean version of Liquid Plummer and that did basically nothing. I got my CT to call a plumber for me today--she says for 40K they will suck out whatever's down there. I have a feeling the drain in my offitel hasn't been cleaned for years, at least.

I'll update after I see what they tell me. I don't want to spend this much but the whole thing is ridiculous. God forbid they just have shower stalls or tubs in their bathrooms.

[weso1]

Omg people. Go to the store and buy some liquid plumber. It costs like 2,000won for a half gallon. Pour it down the drain at night before you go to bed. By morning it will be all clean and clear. If not, then try it again. If it's still slow, then call a plumber.'

Did you guys just move out of your mom's house or something?

[bbud656]

[Skippy]

Look for "Punchlin" it is the Korean brand of drain cleaner. Take of the grate covering the drain - clean any junk you can off of it. Clean what you can out of the drain, too. Then pour a good amount of the drain cleaner. - quarter or half of the bottle. Let sit for a while. Bottle says 5 or more minutes. During that time turn on the hot water heater. Later run the hot water/shower head over the drain and let it run for a few minutes. It should work. A second go around might be needed.

If really clogged you might need to get it snaked. I have seen pipes snakes for sale in hardware stores and bigger markets like E-mart.

Or you can ask your school to call a plumber. Accept that in the end your will likely have to pay the pumber out of your own pocket.

Also a point is, have you told your school/coteachers your problem OR have you asked them for actual help solving. Some times you need to be literal.

[Skippy]

Tried to look for a pic of the bottle but came up with this link

http://waygook.org/index.php?topic=9369.20

In the end look for a bottle that has a u-bend drain on it and you pretty much have it. Usually hangs out with the laundry soap and toilet cleaners guys. Is a bit of a low character and will be on the bottom shelves.

http://blog.naver.com/PostView.nhn?blogId=sssssss713&logNo=60098349235&redirect=Dlog&widgetTypeCall=true

[bbud656]

Thanks for the help. Now if I could just find the plastic thing that fits into your sink to keep the food from falling down the side of the catcher, all my drain problems would be solved

[giraffe]

bbud656 ... you do know you can buy replacement plastic food catching thingies at homeplus or emart. Not sure on the price ( probably a few 1000 won) but I've seen them pretty much every time i go there even when I wasnt looking to buy one.. I'm sure you could find them at any daiso ( dollar stores ) too..

[coralreefer_1]

I used to have the same problem. I suppose i was in part causing it my giving my cat bi-weekly baths (she loves water) and cat hair was getting ion there.

If liquid plumber (or its korean counterpart) do not do the trick...try what worked for me.

1. Straighten out a wire clothes hanger....jam it in there as far as you can, and pump that thing like there is no tomorrow. Note that the goal here is not really to unclog it, but rather to scrape the inside of the drain removing as much of the buildup as possible.

2. (The nasty part) If after doing the above the water is still running slowly, flood the bathroom with water so that you have a good amount of water on the floor, and work it with a good plunger (not one of those kinds with the pump handle, but a traditional one with a simple stick and rubber piece). If your drain is like mine, it is slightly set in to the tile, making getting a good seal difficult (this is why you need a good amount of water on the floor...it will form a tighter seal and greater sucking power) and simply work that with good power like there is no tomorrow as well. What will likely happen is that you will begin to see stuff coming up, so you need to grab this "stuff" and throw it in a waste basket, or otherwise dispose of it other than going back down the drain.

I have found the combination of the hanger, plus the plunger pulling up regular gunk as well as gunk that was dislodged with the hanger has made my drain work very well. The drain cleaners can be of good use, but I think they are better for rather lightly gunked up drains, or otherwise regular maintenance to keep drains gunk free.

[Skippy]

The basket thinky - dollar/cheap good stores, grocery stores, little hardware stores, all over.

Through - sometimes the baskets with some sinks can be a little unique - I had to look a little harder for my sink. It was a little longer and narrow then the usual ones.

[bbud656]

I have a basket thingy, it doesnt really fit, but I cant seem to find the plastic piece that sits on top and funnels the water down. They told me they didnt have it at Emart. I didnt believe them so I brought a Korean friend with me and they told her the same thing. The kitchen/sink area has rubber stoppers, it has metal and plastic food catching baskets, but it doesnt have the plastic funnel piece. Ill check out Daiso

[Skippy]

That's completely separate piece. Some basket things will come it, most do not.

[orosee]

Just want to add this if it's not obvious: Wearing household rubber gloves does help with the retching and general disgust, maybe it's just me but I feel that with gloves and perhaps a mask/goggles set, I'd be able to pull a decomposed rat out of the sewer or eat at Taco Bell without even a burp.

Also recommended for emptying your bag-less vacuum cleaner after a year of use, especially if you sucked a lot of scary insects during the period.

[nathanrutledge]

Coralreefer - excellent post.

I have years of experience working hardware retail AND construction, and that's the best advice.

On the coathanger, if you make a nice tiny hook on the end, when you put in and turn it, you will hopefully hook/tangle the hair mess that is in there and be able to pull it out.

A note on chemicals - if you don't know what they are, DON'T USE THEM!!!

First, you need to know what kind of pipes you have - metal or plastic. Just looking at the upper pipe doesn't tell you squat. If you have metal, and you use certain drain cleaners, you will destroy the pipe. Drain cleaners are NOT designed to remove clogs. They are designed to clean the inside of the pipe. The goal is to get the crap that builds up to disappear. A clog of hair will NOT be removed by using drain cleaner. At best, it will be dislodged because the GUNK around it is cleaned off. At worst, the clog will still be there, and the chemicals will sit on it and eat the pipe away.

Second, some drain cleaners are designed for the main line. Lye (Red Devil) and the stuff that is sold in a plastic bottle that is sealed in a heavy plastic bag (hydrochloric/sulfuric acid) is toxic and dangerous. The heavy cast iron mainline can take it IF it's flushed enough, or if it's heavy gauge PVC - neither of which your home drain is made of.

From my days of retail hardware, trust me on this. We'd have older men come in and ask for the strongest stuff. We'd warn them, they'd say they knew what they were doing. 30 minutes later, they were back buying a whole new P-trap and wall mount, or worse, a sledge hammer, chisel, and 4 inch PVC/clay/cast iron.

If you can't get the drain moving by cleaning the trap, running a coathanger down the line, and plunging it, then you need a professional.