How to Use a Plumbing Snake to Unclog Drains
We’ve all had a clogged drain or pipe at some point. It could be your dishwater not going down the sink after the dishes were done, or your toilet’s refusal to send your waste to Davy Jones’ locker. It’s stinky, stressful, and if left alone, will only get worse over time.
While these clogs may seem daunting, there’s a tool out there that can take care of clogs that plungers can only dream of. This modern marvel is called the Plumbing Snake, and no, it’s not a tamed anaconda or python that somehow likes eating tangled hairs and food scraps.
What is a Plumbing Snake?
To put it simply, a plumbing snake is an instrument used to remove clogs in drains and pipes. It’s a long metallic cable with an auger, an uncoiled spring, at the end. As the snake goes down the pipe, it eventually reaches the blockage and breaks it down as it uncoils, like a hand-powered drill. This makes it easier for the water to flow and hopefully take the broken down blockages with it.
Think of the end of the snake as a drill. Once it pierces through the blockage, the uncoiled end lets the plumbing snake push through whatever’s clogging your pipe, and the uncoiled end acts like a drill/grinder to dislodge the nasties down there.
How to Use a Plumbing Snake
Using a plumbing snake is quite straightforward. Take the uncoiled end and put it down the pipe. After that, rotate a winch that extends the snake further down. A plumbing snake is about 20 to 50 feet long, so you shouldn’t worry about not reaching the blockage. The circular motion of the winch as it drives the snake down lets it bend at corners of your plumbing system.
Once you hit the blockage, just keep on twisting the winch, and the sharper, uncoiled end of the snake should penetrate and sort of “grind” the blockage down, breaking it up into more manageable pieces that will flow with the water in the pipe. If at some point you feel or hear scraping while using the snake, stop and pull it out. This is to prevent the uncoiled end of the plumbing snake from drilling into your pipes, causing more problems.
If the plumbing snake gets stuck, pull it out slowly. If you’re lucky, whatever was blocking the pipe will already be snagged onto the other end of the snake, and your problem will be solved.
When using the plumbing snake, be sure to not give it too much slack as this could cause the exposed metal on your end to coil in on itself and snap, leading to possible injuries and infection as the recoil kicks up whatever nastiness was in the water of your pipes.
One surefire way to see if the plumbing snake has done its job is to look at the water in the pipe. If it’s going down smoothly, then your problem is solved. If the water is draining slower than usual or has not started, keep at it with the snake, or pull it out in case you feel like it’s not getting through the blockage. If you feel that the snake is drilling through the pipe, definitely pull it out of the drain.
How To Maintain Your Plumbing Snake
Like colonoscopy cameras, plumbing snakes go down dirty pipes, so it’s only normal that they need to be cleaned and maintained properly. While you might spend a little to make sure that your plumbing snake is clean and in top condition, the cost of repairing a broken pipe or cleaning up a place where all the undrained water has pooled up would be way more expensive.
For starters, your plumbing snake goes down a wet pipe, so rust would be a big concern that needs to be addressed. Certain products are made to not only prevent rusting, but also to make sure that the odor of your pipes doesn’t stick to your snake. In relation to this, be sure to wipe your plumbing snake clean after every use. Any leftover water or residue from your pipes could compromise the durability of your plumbing snake (and we’ve already mentioned that we don’t want a snake snapping in half mid-use).
When your auger comes out wrapped in gunk and nastiness, get a rag, and wrap it around the auger, then spin the auger backwards (if it coils clockwise, spin it counterclockwise). This lets the stuck material “slide” down the auger until it can be removed. Be sure to check your plumbing snake’s main body as well. Water could be accumulating in the winch, and that could eat away at the internals of your plumbing snake. By extension, be sure to check that the gears are all in good condition.
The End of the Tunnel
While clogs are usually rare and fairly easy to deal with when in their early stages, it never hurts to have a tool that can do the heavier work for times when simple plunging can’t get the job done. Much like any tool, taking care of your plumbing and plumbing snake will ensure that they take care of you.
For problems that can’t just be solved by home solutions and tools, you should always seek the help of a professional plumber; and where else can you find the best professional plumbers but here with us at Integrity Services and Plumbing? Give us a call, and let’s see how we can help make your life easier.