How to Snake a Drain

We’ve all been the culprit of a drain blockage once or twice, whether it’s too much hair in the shower, or wadding up ‘flushable’ wipes into the toilet. One of the many joys of homeownership, is dealing with these household repair issues. Most homeowners don’t think about plumbing until something goes wrong. For those of us who are less than savvy, this problem may cause you to see negative dollar signs, but fear not, even the least savvy of handy people can snake a drain without the help of a professional(most of the time). There are several options for snaking your drain, from chemical solutions, to the good old fashioned plunger. What I would recommend for jobs large and small is the drain auger, called a plumber’s snake, or drain snake. The drain auger is a 1/4-inch metal coil that breaks up blockages in toilet, sink, and bathtub drains. The next time your plunger won’t clear that clog, put on your plumber hat, and try to snake it out yourself, before you call in reinforcements. 

STEP 1

The first step is to prepare your workspace. Along with purchasing a drain auger, you may want to also add a plastic bucket, paper towels, a flashlight, and rubber gloves to your list. It may get a little messy. Remove any items blocking your access to the drain, lay a towel underneath your workspace, put on your rubber gloves and goggles, and let's get started!

STEP 2 

Next, insert the snake into the drain and slowly feed the line down the pipe and turn the handle in a clockwise motion as you push. It may take a few tries but if you’re having trouble, try using both hands to hold the handle. Once it’s in a few inches, gently crank the handle, causing the auger to descend down the drain. If you feel and hear scratching, you’re probably just hitting a curve in the drain.

STEP 3

As it descends, at some point the snake will reach the blockage. When you start to feel significant resistance, the rotating tip will either break it up as it moves down the pipe or grab hold of the gunk so that you can pull it out. If the blockage is a solid mass, continue to turn the cable clockwise and the auger head will pierce through the obstruction. Continue to crank a few more times so that your snake has a solid hold on the blockage. Give the wire a wiggle as you lift the wire up to help loosen the gunk. You should feel the weight of the blockage on the wire, if not, continue to crank until you feel a weight when you pull up.

STEP 4

When you’ve run out of coil to feed into the drain, simply turn the handle counterclockwise to wind the snake back out of the drain. Don’t rush to pull out the blockage or you may lose it to the drain, take your time removing the blockage. The debris will either come out in pieces or as a solid chunk. Remove the debris from your snake and place it into your bucket. 

STEP 5

Next, test to see if your drain has been freed from the clog by running the water through the pipe. If there is still major blockage, repeat steps three and four.

Some other ways that have been known to be quite effective for unclogging a drain include;

• Running boiling hot water down the drain

• Using a half a cup of baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar  with two cups of hot water, pour it down the drain and allow it to sit for 15 minutes

• Chemical drain snakes- use caution, can be very harmful if inhaled, or ingested. 

Going forward, here are some tips to keep your pipes clear:

When you’re In the kitchen, always run cold (not hot) water to flush debris from the sink drains, while running the garbage disposal. After you’ve turned the disposal off, keep the water running for at least 30 seconds to rinse the pipes.

For bathtub or shower drains, consider a drain catcher that can be easily placed over the drain. Once a week, pour boiling hot water down the drain, to clear any debris.

When you’re using the toilet, try to use a plunger frequently to keep the pipes from clogging, and avoid flushing anything other than toilet paper down the drain, including flushable wipes, which aren’t really flushable. 

Lastly, don’t treat your drain like a garbage can! You can’t just throw anything down the drain and hope that it’s gone forever, trust me, it’s not. In a few weeks you’ll be pulling it up out of your drain if you carry on like this. Never put any of the following common clog culprits down your pipes: grease, fats, coffee grounds, gum, pasta, rice, eggshells, wipes of any kind, napkins, feminine hygiene products, hair, cat litter, dental floss, bandages, cloth materials, and for all you kids out there, no toys in the drains please! 

If you have any questions regarding plumbing or your pipes are so far gone, a good snake can’t suffice, give us a call at 754.204.8274