Drain ClearSTOP THE SMELL
3D Sim

Fix

The six-step repair, in order

One sequence covers all four fault types. Work down it and stop at the step where the symptom disappears — the rest is prevention.

WEAR GLOVES · VENTILATE · DON'T MIX CHEMICALSOpen a window. One product at a time. Never reach into a drain you cannot see the bottom of.

Before you start

Ten minutes, one kettle, one plastic hook, one pair of gloves. If a step needs more than that, it is a plumber job.

What this guide is not

It is not a substitute for your drain manufacturer. If the body is sealed or the trap is cast into the slab, stop and call someone.

  1. STEP 1

    Identify the type

    Cutaway with a low water seal and smell rising through the grate

    Smell only? Water seal. Slow? Hair. Standing? Trap arm.

    A chemical drain cleaner bottle standing beside a smelling drain DON'T

    Don't treat a smell with a drain chemical.

  2. STEP 2

    Lift the cover

    Cover plate lifted straight up and clear of the drain mouth

    Straight up, no tools. Put it somewhere it cannot fall.

    Cover plate levered up at an angle with a screwdriver DON'T

    Don't lever it with a screwdriver — you crack the recess.

  3. STEP 3

    Clear the filter

    Hair filter twisted and lifted with a mat of hair caught in it

    Twist counter-clockwise, lift, and hook the hair out.

    Hair pushed down past the filter basket into the bore DON'T

    Don't push the hair down. Hook it up and out.

  4. STEP 4

    Check the seal

    Silicone seal insert removed and laid beside the open drain

    Flex it. Stiff, curled or torn means replace.

    Seal insert seated the wrong way round with air pushed up past the flap DON'T

    Don't refit the flap backwards — it will not seal.

  5. STEP 5

    Clear the trap

    Kettle pouring hot water into an open trap with a low water level

    Boiling water first. Auger only if the water will not move.

    A drain auger forced hard into the bend of the trap DON'T

    Don't force an auger through a bend. Feed it slowly.

  6. STEP 6

    Test and prevent

    Water running freely through a fully reassembled drain

    Full jug, clean swirl. Then cover on and kettle weekly.

    A repaired drain left dry with the smell still rising DON'T

    Don't call it done before you have run a full jug through.

Next step

See the four layers move.

The teardown simulator pulls a floor drain apart, layer by layer, so you know exactly what you are reaching for before you reach for it.

Open 3D teardown Match a part size