Six Reasons Why Your Bathtub Drain Is Making Gurgling Noises

When your household plumbing system starts to act up, it can be a nerve-racking experience. Not knowing what the problem is, what kind of damage it can do to your property, or how expensive it will be to repair can be stressful. It is for these reasons that having a reliable plumber to call on to diagnose problems and fix them before they worsen is crucial to homeowners.

If your bathtub drain is making gurgling noises, you should contact a professional plumber right away. A gurgling drain could be something minor that’s simple to fix, or it could indicate an underlying issue that could create severe problems in your plumbing system if not remedied soon. In this article, we’ll review the most common causes of gurgling sounds in bathtub drains to help you narrow down the problem.

If you’re worried about the noises your plumbing makes, contact King’s Services today. We have been Winnipeg's trusted rooter services provider for almost 40 years. Our business continues to grow because we provide the highest level of service to every client we work with. Call us today!

1. Blocked Plumbing Vent

Your home’s plumbing vent allows air into the pipes so the water will flow smoothly through the system. If you have a travel mug with a lid for hot beverages, you’ll notice a tiny hole that releases air pressure so you can sip your drink easily without burning your mouth. Your plumbing vent works the same way unless it has a clog or blockage.

If you’ve noticed your bathtub drain making gurgling noises recently and are certain it’s never happened before, a vent blockage is likely the cause. One way to confirm a vent blockage is to listen for the sound when other water appliances are draining. When your washing machine drains or your toilet flushes, but the vent has a clog, the trapped air will come through the tub drain and agitate the water in the pipe, creating a gurgling sound.

Cleaning the vent cover or using a handheld vacuum to suck out any obstructions in the pipe may alleviate the issue. You can also use a garden hose to pour water down the vent pipe to flush out the blockage. However, because most plumbing vents are on the roof of a house, we recommend letting a professional plumber handle clogs and blockages for safety reasons.

2. Poor Plumbing Ventilation

If your home is new to you and you’ve noticed your tub and toilet drains are always noisy, the issue could be that the ventilation is inadequate for your plumbing system. In that case, you’ll need to call a professional plumber to inspect your plumbing and determine whether or not your ventilation needs adjustment. If your ventilation isn’t causing the problem, you may have a clogged drain pipe.

3. Clogged Tub Drain

When we shower, a lot of our hair ends up in the drain. Some people shed more hair in the shower than others, and households with more people will accumulate drain hair faster than a home with only one or two people. Nonetheless, when a hairball builds up in your shower drain, it will make the tub drain slower and make gurgling sounds as the water works its way past the clog.

If the clog isn’t too far down the drain pipe, you can use a store-bought plastic drain snake to remove the hair. Otherwise, you’ll need a professional plumber with industrial equipment to clear it. Putting screens over your sink and shower drains will prevent hair from accumulating and clogging your plumbing.

4. Clogged Sewer Line

A clogged sewer line will cause drains to make noises and emit unpleasant odors. You may also notice the water in your toilet bubbling when it’s not in use. 

If you suspect a clog in your sewer line. You need to call a plumber to repair it immediately. A blockage in the sewer line can cause sewage to back up into your home, resulting in structural damage while creating a health hazard for you and your family.

5. Blocked Pipes

If you hear a gurgling sound from beneath your tub, but it sounds like it’s coming from the pipes rather than the drain, you may have a blockage somewhere further down the drain pipe. Then again, it could be an issue with the toilet drain that has nothing to do with your tub. To find out if the gurgling sound is related to your toilet, you’ll need to cover the shower drain, sink drains, and any overflow drains in the bathroom.

Once you’ve covered all the drains, use a plunger in the toilet to create suction in the system. If the gurgling stops, the issue was with the toilet drain all along. If not, there’s likely a blockage in the bathtub drain pipe.

We don’t recommend using store-bought drain cleaners to break down blockages in your plumbing because they are highly corrosive and may damage your pipes. Instead, create a mixture of ½ cup baking soda and ½ cup vinegar to pour down your drain. After letting it sit for ten minutes, flush the drain with boiling water.

If the drain pipe still gurgles, call a professional plumber to inspect the system.

6. Missing or Damaged P-trap

If you look under your sink, you’ll notice a portion of pipe that curves in a U shape called the P-trap. Your tub drain should also have a P-trap. If the tub’s P-trap doesn’t work properly, or the contractor who installed the tub never put one in, the tub drain will make a gurgling sound.

Call King’s Services 

Is your bathtub drain making gurgling noises? Let the trained experts at King’s Services diagnose and repair the problem before it gets worse. We proudly serve the residents and business owners of Winnipeg, MB, and the surrounding areas.

Click the link to read about the most common causes of clogged bathroom drains, and call our Headingley, MB office at 204-633-9010 to schedule an appointment today.