Here's a pic of the right side drain tube with the splash guard off:
I've done this a few times. Taking the drain line out should be a last resort, unless the foam drip tray around the top is already ruined. With access to the drain, you may be able to work the blockage down to the bottom.
Instead of removing the drain, try:
- Use a small flexible tube at the tip of your shop vac. I wadded a bunch of duct tape around a scrap piece of tubing to make that work.
- Poke a long flexible thing up the drain line from the bottom. I have a flexible plastic rod, but a straightened wire clothes hangar may work.
- Use an air compressor to blow up from the bottom of the drain. Don't have an air compressor? You could use water and a garden hose, but mind the water....
