plumbing prob?
Answers:
Sounds like some pretty drastic and expensive measures. How do we know he is right? Can we trust him?
You did not mention how this problem developed. Neither did you mention the age of the building. The age of the building and whether or not this problem has developed over a period of time is crucial in diagnosing and fixing the problem.
If you have lived in your unit a couple of years, and the shower drained properly, but has drained progressively slower over time, then the problem is almost certainly a blockage of the shower drain pipe. If you have a combination tub and shower, the problem is probably hair caught up in the drain stopper mechanism. It is an easy "do-it-yourselfer" job since this can be easily taken apart and cleaned in just a few minutes and your problem will be solved. If you have a shower stall without a drain stopper, the drain cover can be removed and the drain pipe "snaked" to remove any blockages. This is a minor plumbing job that you can do yourself if you have to. I would call a licensed plumber since they have the equipment and experience to do the job quickly and efficiently.
If the problem came about suddenly, the problem could be either a blockage in the shower drain pipe or a blockage in the waste vent pipe that services the bathroom or the shower itself. If the other fixtures in the bathroom are also slow to drain, and they (or just the shower) tend to "gurgle and hiccup" as they drain, the problem is almost certainly a blocked vent pipe. This problem is very rare in buildings with sloped roofs since access to the vent where it exits the roof is restricted by the slope of the roof. This is a more common problem in flat roofed buildings in the city where people have access to the roof. It is not uncommon to find that someone has dropped something down a vent pipe that now may be blocking your vent. It will almost always take a plumber to locate and remove the blockage. If the drain does not gurgle as it drains, you already have the fix for a partially blocked drain pipe.
If we still haven't fixed the problem, it is time to consider whether or not we have a basic design flaw in the plumbing waste system.
If I lived in a fairly modern townhouse, and there were other townhouses in my building or immediate community with the same floor plan, I would ask other occupants of the same type of unit if they had a similar problem. A "yes" answer would indicate to me that there was a basic design flaw with the waste plumbing for the shower in that type of unit.
I assume that the sink and toilet in the same bathroom are draining properly and that the bathroom is of normal size. Based on that assumption, we can say that the vent stack for this bathroom is not blocked, because if it were, all of the fixtures in the bathroom would gurgle and be slow draining. We can safely deduce that the problem is with the waste drain in the shower only.
We can go a long way toward eliminating a basic design flaw with the waste drain if we consider the age of the building and/or townhouse. If the townhouse was built new in the last 40 years or so, there should be no design flaws in the waste system since the plumbing rough-in plan would have had to have been approved and the installation inspected prior to its' being covered up by drywall or plaster. The same plan approval and inspection process would have applied if an older building underwent extensive renovation (including plumbing)in the last 40 years or so. If your building is obviously old, but the plumbing fixtures appear of fairly modern vintage, we can assume that it passed inspection. Many times, you can find a sticker or tag on the main waste stack in the house close to where it exits the building. This inspection tag or sticker is initialed and dated by the plumbing inspector at certain stages of the building or renovation process. If you can find such a sticker, you will have proof positive as to the age and modernity of your plumbing system. Although rare, design flaws in modern plumbing systems are not unheard of.
If you have determined that the vents are not blocked and the shower drain pipe is draining freely, there must be a basic design flaw. Having a licensed plumber fix a basic design flaw can be a very expensive proposition.
The first remedy I would try is a "low flow" shower head. Not only do they conserve water, but you now have less water trying to find its' way down the flawed shower drain system. Hopefully this will solve the problem.
Problem still not solved? Neighbors in the same units have the same problem? Townhouse unit less than 20 years old? The builder still in business? You and your neighbors have the makings of a class action lawsuit against the builder if it can be proved that he somehow sidestepped the plumbing requirements applicable at the time of construction. In the end, and the end could take years to come about, this type of lawsuit usually yields very little in the way of real remedy.
Good luck in your pursuit of a solution to your problem.
Other answers:
If the wall directly behind your faucet on the shower is your neighbors house then he would have to put a hole in their wall. I can't give you a good estimate on price, but can tell you that it will be fairly expensive because they have to cut the hole in the wall and work in a tight area. If you can get a small name plumber rather than a union guy at a big company to save some of the money. There aren't any other options if he the plumber assesed your problem correctly.
If the wall directly behind your faucet on the shower is your neighbors house then he would have to put a hole in their wall. I can't give you a good estimate on price, but can tell you that it will be fairly expensive because they have to cut the hole in the wall and work in a tight area. If you can get a small name plumber rather than a union guy at a big company to save some of the money. There aren't any other options if he the plumber assesed your problem correctly.
You have to inform your neighbor, and agree on how to pay for the work. Bad plumbing cannot go ignored, it compromises the strength of the building. The cost will be determined by the damage of the plumbing, but if you let it get worse, it will cost more later. Fix it now before the pipe has a real problem and you get rot and mold.
that dont sound right, because if it is just your shower- he should be able to run a snake without having to access any traps (if he uses the right guage)
If ALL of your drains are slow, it might make more sense but not if it is just one drain. Also if the blockage is somewhere in the main, he may be able to reach it from another drain in the townhouse, like a sink or something- but I am guessing that only the shower is slow draining. If thats the case, he needs a small guage snake.
he shouldnt have to open any walls unless it is a pipe or faucet problem- slow draining is DRAINwork, not faucet or pipe.
If you are going to try the plunger method as "long John" suggests- you will have to pull the drain plug mechanism out and plug up the whole first or you wont get any suction with a plunger!
Before you do all of that, listen to what I did to my slow draining shower.take the drain cover off that is in the bottom of the tub over the drain pipe...then get a rubber suction cup like you would use in the tolit..turn the water on real slow and put that suction cup real tight over that drain and give it a few good pulls and see what happens. I did that to mine and a big "wad" of hair and crap came up and then it drained fine! I then treated it with a small ammount of "Drain-O" Let me know how this works if you choose this as best answer.."long-john"