read how to use a drain serpent to remedy pesky plumbing clog yourself , saving you meter and money .
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Is your bathing tub or sinkhole drain tardily ? Are you dive your toilet more often these twenty-four hours ? You might be tempted to hit for a liquid drainage cleaner as a quick repair , but these can really wreak mayhem on your pipes and infected organization . Instead , there ’s a safer solution that ’s certain toclear that nettlesome clog dance .
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You might call up stubborn clogs warrant a call to the pipe fitter , but this is one home base repair you may likely accomplish yourself . And there ’s a good chance that learning to the right way snake your own drain could relieve you hundreds of dollars in plumbing repair .
Drain snakes are not a one - size - fits - all tool , so you ’ll need to choose the good one for your billet . Here ’s everything you need to make love about how to snake a drain .
Common Types of Household Drain Snakes
Drum Auger
Drum auger feature an internally house wire snake jut out from one side . The snake feed out of the housing and ignition lock in place while the drug user rotate the auger to agitate the wire within the drain . Many model sport a bottle screw - manner hooking on the final stage for grab and polish off clog .
Toilet Closet Snakes
A toilet closet snake is a wire snake jut from a long pole . The creature features a spinning handle on one end and a rubber - coated bend at the other end for feast into a sewer without scrub the porcelain surface .
When to Use a Drain Snake
A household drain snake is ideal for sack soft clog dance in sink , bathtubs , and showers , and can reach up to 25 - pes - deep clogs . However , if your home features old plumbing system , like galvanized or cast iron , a drain serpent can damage the inside of the pipe . The alloy snake and corkscrew closing can expunge and overstretch away textile , add to the clog and potentially compromise the pipe .
If you ’re uncertain about whether you should snake your drainage , reckon forebode a professional . bathymetry service calls are n’t cheap , but they ’re comparatively low-cost compared to significant bathymetry reparation . The pipe fitter might even be able to tell you over the speech sound whether it ’s safe to do it yourself , based on the form of drain you have .
What You’ll Need
Equipment / Tools
Materials
Instructions
How to Use a Drain Snake on a Tub or Shower Drain
The step below outline how to use a waste pipe serpent — specifically a drum auger — to unclog a tub or shower drainage .
Remove the Drain Cover and Plug
take out the drainpipe cover using the shaft necessary for your specific cover song . If the drain have a stopper , carefully murder the passementerie piece and draw out the quid assembly using a drainage twist .
If snaking through the tub drainpipe proves unmanageable , snaking through the overflow can be more in effect , as the itinerary is much straighter .
Inspect the Drain
Before you go to the trouble of snaking the drain , see to it the fleck just below the entrance of the waste pipe . fuzz and soap scum tend to gather here , which can often be the only root of the draining issue . Remove any buildup and prove the drain before moving ahead . If the clog dance is still present , proceed with the drainage serpent .
Snake the Drain
Unlock the telegram from the auger and flow the terminal into the drainage , pushing until you feel resistance . operate the wire and start rotating the screw auger until it win past the resistor . Once the snake moves freely , unlock it , and manually feed more wire into the waste pipe until it stops again . reprize the gyration and manual feeding until the snake no longer meets ohmic resistance or you escape out of wire .
Remove the Snake
slow back the snake out of the drainpipe , pulling the clog with it . apply theme towel or a gloved hand to pull the clog off the snake and dispose of it .
Always wear eye tribute when pulling clogs from drains ; the splashback may cause injury or infection if it gets into your heart .
Test the Drain
Before supercede the drain covering fire , try out the drainage with water to ensure no clogs remain . If the urine continues to drain slow , repeat the snaking process .
Tria Giovan
How to Use a Drain Snake on a Sink Drain
The steps below scheme how to unclutter a cesspool drainpipe using a drum auger .
Remove the Drain Cover
Remove the drain back using the tool necessary for your specific screen . For lav sinks with pop - up drain assemblage , you ’ll have to unfasten the assembly below the sink before dispatch the pop - up drain plug .
Sink drains , like bath , tend to overtake haircloth and soap scum right at the entrance to the drain . Clear any debris from this location and screen the drainage before move forth .
Remove the P-Trap
Another vernacular geta location is the P - trap , which is the curving piece of tube just below the swallow hole . Remove the P - trap by unscrewing the fittings on each goal , then pull the trap from below the sink . Before snaking the drain , inspect the trap to ensure there are no seeable clogs .
Mitigate the mountain by invest a towel beneath the trap before polish off it , or placing a pail beneath the trap if there ’s enough clearance .
Feed the ophidian into the pipage that go into the rampart , follow the same process used for the bathtub drain . Once you ’ve reached the clog dancing , gently pull it from the drain and replace the trap .
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Once the trap is supercede , try the drainpipe with water supply . If the sink still drain slowly , repeat the process .
What to Do If Snaking the Drain Doesn’t Clear a Clog
If your attempts to remove the drainpipe using a drain snake are stillborn , it could be that your snake simply was n’t long enough to reach the clog . This is even more likely if the ophidian never met any resistivity during your attempt . In home with more complex plumbing , drain snakes can sometimes enter sections of pipe that you were n’t stand for to snake . It can take multiple attempts to exculpate a sabot .
In other instances , your drain may be clogged with an object the snake ca n’t murder . In that case , you ’ll likely need tohire a professional .
Credit:Tria Giovan
