If a plunger won’t clear a clog and you’re not ready to give up just yet, a manual drain snake might be your best option. A plumber’s snake or drain auger is a tool that “snakes” down into pipes to clear them of clogs. Snaking a pipe is a good compromise between plunging and calling in the big guns, like powered drain augers used by professionals.
Plumber snakes are better at clearing drains than plungers, but they are harder to use. When making sharp turns and twists, they can be hard to control. Learn how your snake works and how to use it correctly to avoid making mistakes that will cost you money. Here is everything you should know about how to use a drain snake.
How to use a plumbing snake (and what’s an auger anyway?)
An auger is just a tool made to make holes in things. Drills are a kind of auger. A plumbing auger also called a plumbing snake, is a long, flexible metal cable with a small, unwound spring on one end and a handle on the other. The snake’s auger head looks like a corkscrew. Most augers for home plumbing are between 20 and 50 feet long. When you’re not using it, the cable winds up in a circle. Most plumber’s snakes for the home are operated by hand and have a handle or crank that can be turned to release and move the cable. By turning the handle, you can move the coil around to get through tight spots.
To snake a drain, you have to go into the drain and physically remove the object that is causing the clog. You start by putting the auger head into the drain. Then, you manually feed the snake into the drain until you reach the clog. As the snake uncoils, it moves further through the drainpipe until the head breaks through the blockage. Here’s a more detailed rundown of how to use a drain auger:
How to Use a Drain Snake:
1. Put on clothes you don’t mind getting dirty and put some old towels under the pipes you’re working on. Depending on how bad the blockage is, the way you snake it out could get messy. This is important if you end up taking out the p-trap.
2. (Optional but recommended) (Optional but recommended) Think about getting rid of the p-trap. The curved piece of pipe under the sink is the p-trap. It connects the sink to the rest of your home’s drainpipe system. The sink is curved so sewer gases don’t come up through it and into the house. Most P-traps are made out of PVC pipe, but they can also be made out of metal.
You can take the p-trap off by hand, either with your hands or an adjustable wrench. Once you take out the p-trap, you should look at it carefully and clean it well. If you’ve found the blockage, you might not even need to snake. By avoiding this hard turn, removing the trap often makes it easier to snake.
3. (Optional) You could think about taking off the trap arm. The part of the pipe between the p-trap and the wall pipe is called a trap arm. It holds the p-trap in place and may bend again to reach the wall. Look for a plastic or metal nut holding the trap arm to the wall. Loosen it if you can find one to get the trap arm out. If you can’t, the arm might be stuck in place, in which case you shouldn’t try to take it off. Make sure to clean out the trap arm just like you did with the p-trap.
Taking off the trap arm is the best way to get to the drainpipe. Look inside the drainpipe to see if there are any things blocking it. If you can see the problem from where you are, try to get rid of it. When you can’t, it’s time to use your snake.
4. Use your hands to thread the snake’s auger head into the pipe. If you didn’t remove the trap, put the snake’s head in the drain. If you did, use the hole in the wall. If you didn’t remove the trap, you could run cold water while you snake.
Don’t force the auger down the drain, or you could damage the drain opening or the pipe. Be patient and make sure that the head and cable aren’t too big for the drain you’re trying to snake.
5. Use the snake to start unwinding the snake. Keep the snake’s handle as close as possible to the pipe’s opening. The more force you put into the pipe, the less slack the auger has.
Feed the line slowly and steadily. If you feel resistance at any point as the cable moves through the pipe, you may have hit the obstruction or just a bend in the pipe.
6. When you get to the blockage, turn the handle to move the head back and forth as you keep pushing. Try to break up the blockage or go around the corner, but don’t try to jam the auger into the pipe walls. If you hear noises like scraping, stop snaking and readjust. Pushing and pulling steadily while turning the crank can help.
7. Take the snake out and put the sink parts back together. Check the auger head for any debris left over from the blockage and clean it. If you took off the trap arm and p-trap, now is the time to put them back on.
8. Use the sink. The snake should have been able to get rid of the blockage and stop the clogging. If the clog is still there, you could try to snake it out again. But, like plunging, using a drain snake too much can damage your drains or pipes. If a thorough snake didn’t fix the problem, it might be time to call in a professional.
Passaic Expert Drain Cleaning
Surprisingly, snaking is an easy and accessible home project. As long as you know how to use your snake and have the patience to move it around, you should be able to get rid of annoying clogs in your sink, tub, or toilet.
When you just can’t get that clog out no matter what you do. Don’t despair! After you get rid of your snake, call CBJ Passaic Plumbers. We have the tools and knowledge to find and clear any traffic jam outside of Passaic.