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Our basement shower hasn't been draining properly for months. During the course of a 5-10 minute shower water will back up to above ankle height. Drain cleaner had no effect. I just pulled a wad of hair out of the drain and tried snaking it. Now dirty grey water is backing up out of the drain, especially when I run the sink next to the shower. Any idea what's wrong with the drain?

I got the snake in no more than three feet. I cranked it until it developed what appears to be a permanent kink.

All other sinks and showers appear to be draining correctly.

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    You may have a partial blockage. How far did you snake? Do you have a septic tank or public sewer?
    – brhans
    Commented Dec 6, 2017 at 2:35
  • Are the rest of the fixtures in the house draining properly? What you explain sounds to me like a classic tub drain problem. If you got all the hair out, and your home style snake is having no effect, you may need to rent a power snake that is designed for 1-1/2" to 2" drain pipe. Take off the overflow plate and feed the snake through there.
    – Paul Logan
    Commented Dec 6, 2017 at 6:23

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The sink next to the shower is almost surely tied into the same main drain line. The clog is apparently beyond the reach of the snake that you tried.

You either need to get a longer drain snake from a box store (you may even be able to rent one), or call a drain cleaning service.

Good luck!

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