Toilets, Sinks, Showers, Tubs and Disposals - Tub drains.............NOT!

Hi Folks,
My son recently moved into a rental house.
On "move-in day", the landlord had some self proclaimed plumbers (other slumlords), banging and digging away in the bathtub drain.......trying to unclog it.
Once moved in and using the shower, my son and his family realized that the drainage problem was far from fixed.
To quote the landlord "I fixed it once, so any more problems are you responsibility".:thumbdn:
Don't want to get in to the legal aspects of this statement, but DO want to get the drain working.
The sink and toilet in this 2nd stoy bathroom work fine, so I don't see it as a vent problem.
I took the back wall off the plumbing to the tub/shower, disconnected the drain line from the overflow, and attempted to get a hand operated snake down the pipe........no luck, as there are a multitude of 45* elbows.
This house is nearly 100 years old, and has been a rental property for a number of years, so there's no telling what in hell can be in this pipe.
Will breaking it in the basement do any good? I can't pay $80.00/ hour for a pro, nor can my son. We now have a little giant pump run to the sink to drain the tub, and the 7 year old has already pumped a tub full of water all over the bathroom and down through the ceiling below.:mad:
Thanks in advance for your support and advice,
Frank

It's not clear if the shower/tub is on the second floor or the first floor. Wherever it is, the stoppage can't be far from the tub since the drainage is good everywhere else.

How long does the water sit in the tub before it drains?

Have you removed the mechanism that makes it possible to fill the tub?

How much of the piping can you see from the backl wall that you mentioned?

What room is underneath the tub?

Alrighty then,

What state are you from?
Have you answered pulpo's questions?

If you have taken out the guts to the tub waste and overflow, and you have found nothing there, (common spot for hair clogs), then I would like to know what kind of trap you have. If it is a drum trap, it will be hard to snake without removal of the drum trap cover. A drum trap is about 6" tall and about 3 1/2" round. It will have a brass or chrome cover on the top or bottom. Usually on top if second floor, and on bottom if first floor. I am thinking this because you said the home is 100 yrs old. I am also willing to bet that the piping is 1 1/2" galvanized piping. And it is probably caked with years of soap and hair. If it is on the first floor and you have access to the basement, the easiest fix is remove the galvanized pipe and replace it with PVC. Not very expensive at all. Sometimes a good liquid chemical cleaner will work, but if the pipes are that old, occasionally the drain cleaner can eat right through the pipes.

If you have a standard P-trap, (trap you see almost everywhere today under all sinks), and PVC piping, everything I just wrote, well, forget it:wall:

If you are on the second or third floor, your only real option is to rent a snake and snake the line, or try the drain cleaners.

CAUTION: Use drain cleaners as specified by manufacturers recommendations. It can be very dangerous !!!

Hi guys, and thanks for responding.
A few more details: The bathroom is on the 2nd floor, over a multi-purpose room (no mechanicals).
The tub NEVER completely drains.....after 24 hrs. there is still 1 1/2" of water left of the approx. 6" starting depth.
Whatever the blockage IS, it can't be soluable, because the kid has poured about 5 qts. of drain cleaner into the drain.
As for the trap, I'll have to go over and look again, but can't recal seeing it in the space benieth the floor.
I've found the convergence where all the drains come to a common line in the basement, but am reluctant to start tearing into that.

If you have galvanized piping with a drum trap, the trap may not be directly under the tub drain, but piped to a location where removal of the drum trap cover is possible. If you DO have a drum trap and galvanized pipe, I KNOW what the problem is.

The leak has to be above the spot where all the drians merge for the simple reason that there are no other blockages.

However, if you're nervous about opening a wall or a ceiling, it could take forever to find a solution.

If I had to guess, I would probably open the ceiling in the multi purpose room, just under the tub.

Plumbingods mentioned galvanized pipe. If you have galvanized pipe, is there a spot where it meets brass?

there is one thing left to do. write tio the land lord, a registered letter, telling him of the problem. tell him he has i week, to have some body over to fix the problem, or you will do it your self and deduct the charges from the rent. a cya letter. take pictures cut the rock below the tub drain. if its pvc your in luck. if its a old lead drum trap , don't try to open it. you ain't gonna. plain and simple. cut out the trap and replace when you get that far holler back, we will help