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I've so far found multiple insects coming up from my master bathroom shower drain. One was a huge cockroach, but most of the bugs were smaller. Is there something I can pour down the drain to get these things to go away? I've cleaned the entire tub/shower and bathroom twice now and still having this issue.
You probably need to clean out the drain of hair and debris. Use a tool that take the hair up not pushes it down. Don't use liquid drain cleaner, useless.
At night, before you go to bed, pour at least a cup of CHEAP bleach in the drain and close it off like you're going to fill the tub with water. Do the same thing at all sinks- bath, kitchen etc. Pour in the bleach and close it off. If you only do the tub, the bugs will move to the next drain. That's why you do all of them. I would suggest doing it once every month. The bleach will not only stop the bugs, it will keep the drainlines clean and free flowing. The idea behind CHEAP bleach is that it normally has the strongest smell. You can also use ammonia if the bleach is not available.
You probably need to clean out the drain of hair and debris. Use a tool that take the hair up not pushes it down. Don't use liquid drain cleaner, useless.
Although manually bring up hair and such is definitely a good idea, for the lazy people like myself, drain cleaner does work.
Especially the kind with foaming action to actually clean pipes, not just clear a clog.
HUGE fan of foaming action cleaners. I'd use one even if I pulled up hair and such manually because I cannot clean the walls of the pipes like the foam can.
For the disposal I like lemi-shine, which foams up the disposal, down the pipes, and even to the other side of a double sink.
These water bugs/roaches love hot and moist conditions; during the warmer times of year and when humidity/other conditions are right they march up from their natural habitat (sewers) into the drains of homes. If things are really bad (very moist/humid/hot summer weather ) they continue marching up and out of the drains into homes.
Of course those who have been to or live in hot/moist areas such as Florida know all about "palmetto bugs....)
Here in NYC we just (hopefully) recently finished with a very humid and damp Spring and Summer. We're talking week after week of not necessarily hot but very damp weather (high dew points). You'd walk out on the streets and see water bugs/roaches coming up from sewer/ventilation grates and all along sidewalks.
As others have mentioned first line of defence is to clear drains of much bio matter possible (soap, grease, fats, hair, etc....) as that provides food.
Also fix all dripping/leaking spigots so you aren't providing the other source of attraction/nourishment, water.
To keep the critters down drains and prevent from entering your home (if only the sinks) cover the drains with a plug or small saucer, anything that fits snuggly.
Sadly while modern plumbing piping is pretty good at keeping rats from coming up from sewers, roaches/water bugs are another matter.
In many parts of the country these water bugs remain mainly in basements/cellars where things are damp and often warm (due to the boilers/furnace). However again during warmer times of year as things heat up outside the home also becomes warm and moist above the basements, so the bugs move on up.
Until cooler and less damp weather arrives keeping the house dry and less warm often deters these bugs from traveling far or even entering. Things like running AC or a dehumidifier and keeping a good air circulation will help.
This applies to areas that are naturally warm and damp; bathrooms after bathing, inside washing machines and dishwashers, under sinks (make sure pipes are not leaking and all crevices, cracks and or holes around piping are well sealed).
This is freaking me out. I thought they wander in from the COLD. Maybe those are tree roaches. Someone on here in another thread showed me the difference between them and 'water bugs'.
This is freaking me out. I thought they wander in from the COLD. Maybe those are tree roaches. Someone on here in another thread showed me the difference between them and 'water bugs'.
Sewers are their natural habitat?????????????????
Sewers, compost piles, rotting vegetation... anywhere that is warm and moist. This is why indoors you commonly find most species of roaches under sinks, refrigerators, in washing machines, dishwashers, etc... again warm and damp environments.
Then of course sewers like compost piles contain plenty of stuff for bugs to eat.
During the winter/colder months you don't see roaches outside, do you? But if they get into a building and find the right conditions (food, water, warmth), then they will breed and establish themselves.
The bugs are attracted to the water. This will happen from time to time. Unfortunately, all of your drains will have some water in them by nature. I had this issue previously as well. There were periods of time when cockroahes would come up from the shower drain. This happened during certain periods when it was wet outside and they would come in or during certain weather conditions. Is it happening all the time or just some of the time?
Avoid using drain cleaner. It is really not good for the drain and does not tend to solve the problem. The best option is to use the pipe snake or other tools to clean out any hair/gunk stuck in there. I also got one of those drain covers with the catch in it with hair and debris that I could take out every few weeks so it would not get stuck way down in the drain and make an attractive area for the bugs.
At night, before you go to bed, pour at least a cup of CHEAP bleach in the drain and close it off like you're going to fill the tub with water. Do the same thing at all sinks- bath, kitchen etc. Pour in the bleach and close it off. If you only do the tub, the bugs will move to the next drain. That's why you do all of them. I would suggest doing it once every month. The bleach will not only stop the bugs, it will keep the drainlines clean and free flowing. The idea behind CHEAP bleach is that it normally has the strongest smell. You can also use ammonia if the bleach is not available.
This happened in one of my bathrooms. Everyone claimed that I was crazy, but I know these houseflies came out of the drain. This happened shortly after they exposed the sewer on my block to install a drinking fountain. I know those flies came out of the drain.
Last edited by Hiruko; 10-14-2017 at 12:02 PM..
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