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I'm trying to unblock a shower drain. However the drain snake won't go far in, it hits solid bottom. I suspect the design is as in the diagram below, and will need to remove the second metal piece (I've already removed the cap) to be able to get the snake into the drain (right).

How can I remove it? It's inset to the shower, so I can't get any force on it. Is there a smart way to grip it from the inside?

enter image description here

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  • That's known as a side-outlet shower drain, by the way. Brand would be very helpful if you have it.
    – isherwood
    Jan 26, 2016 at 14:03

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When I needed to replace the drain in my shower I was told to use this drain removal tool:

"Crown" Tub Drain Wrench

If that tool would work, there will be four cross bars in the bottom of the drain that the tool grips when inserted. You take a screw driver or other rod and slip it through the holes on the side of tool to then turn it and remove the drain.

If the tool doesn't fit (which happened to me) an alternative is to superglue some scrap wood to the top of the drain as way to get leverage. The down side is that method means replacing the drain rather than just putting it back.

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  • This doesn't look right. I had the same thought, but the diagram in the question shows something different. And gluing scrap to the drain is a destructive method.
    – isherwood
    Jan 26, 2016 at 13:58
  • There are other styles of drain tool which are better for these kind of drains. The ones that expand out usually do a much better job. They work the best when used with a long pipe wrench if the drains are really stuck. If that doesn't work, then you would have to cut it out. That is what I had to do with one of my tubs. I took a small cutoff wheel and carefully cut slots in it, which allowed me to peel it out and break it into pieces.
    – Jason Hutchinson
    Jan 26, 2016 at 15:17

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