Top PET Bottle Hack Saved us Plumbing Costs
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A simple PET bottle, worth maybe 10 cents, literally saved thousands of CHF in plumbing costs — fixing a stubborn clogged shower drain that a plumber himself couldn’t properly clear.
Having trouble with a very difficult shower drain? Read on to see how a top PET bottle hack literally saved thousands of CHF in plumbing costs. What’s more, a clogged shower drain got fixed easily, with minimum cost, using a used PET bottle worth maybe 10 cents.
Table of Contents
A Difficult Clogged Shower Drain
Both showers in the house are walk-in modern showers, though not without the usual drainage problems. The main drain sits below a stainless steel cap, neatly hidden away, but the actual drain itself is quite small, fixed permanently with a removable filter, held by plastic screws that the stainless steel cap sits on top of.
Constant blockage problems set in over a few months. Organic drain cleaners were tried first, but the fix was short-lived. Special drain cleaning powders and liquids came next, with the same short-lived result. Eventually, a plumber had to be called in — during which time, the guest bathroom shower filled in for a few weeks. Using all the showers in a house from time to time actually helps the drains work effectively, since it’s not good to let a drain dry out for too long.
High Plumbing Costs in Switzerland
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Living in Switzerland means a genuinely high cost of living, reflected in labor cost, travel cost, and tax, even for small jobs. The plumber who handles all the plumbing work for this house was called in — but didn’t do much more than had already been tried, aside from using some stronger plumbing chemicals. That fix was short-lived too, and not even 100% resolved. Within a couple of weeks, the drain was back to being clogged and slow again.
A conventional plumbing suction tool works by closing the drain, fixing the tool onto it to create a vacuum, filling the sink or tub with water, pressing the suction a couple of times, then opening the drain — water should rush out faster than it was filled, a good sign the method worked. But this system simply wasn’t practical here: the suction tool was far too big to fix onto this particular shower drain.
How to Use the PET Bottle Hack
Supplies List
- 1 used PET bottle
- Hot water (optional, for rinsing)
Instructions
Step 1:
Fix the filter in place, then close the top opening of the drain with the PET bottle.
Step 2:
Fill in as much water as possible to create a blockage and a vacuum. Press the bottle a couple of times, then release — the water will start gushing out. For a more thorough rinse, fill a PET bottle with hot water and press it into the drain the same way.
How the Idea Came About
After days of racking brains over the problem, the idea to try a PET bottle came from reading about it in a forum — other ideas were tried in the meantime too, without much success. Making the hack work meant recreating the kind of suction a traditional plumbing suction tool creates, and luckily, the right bottle turned up, one that fit perfectly into the drain filter. The real advantage of a PET bottle is that there’s room to make it fit by pressing it in a little.
Tips for the PET Bottle Hack
Use all the showers in the house regularly: this helps keep drains working effectively — letting a drain dry out for too long isn’t good for it.
Look for a bottle that fits snugly: a PET bottle has enough give to be pressed into a slightly tight drain opening, unlike a rigid suction tool.
Finish with a hot water rinse: filling a bottle with hot water and pressing it into the drain afterward helps clear things thoroughly.
Crediting Where It’s Due
A husband, always the household’s Mr. Fix-It and DIY man, worked through the problem, and the final solution turned out refreshingly simple and cheap. Videos on the topic came up empty, until a small German-language chat forum was found, where others were discussing the same kind of plumbing issue — this particular shower system, with its hard-to-reach double filter, may well be a peculiarly European design. One forum member had already tried this exact PET bottle hack. The original forum link got lost in the search history along the way, so credit goes out, wherever that clever original poster may be.
More Low-Cost DIY Fixes
For another low-cost DIY fix around the house, the IKEA hack for vegetable storage is worth a look too.
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