How To Use A Drain Snake In 7 Simple Steps

Is a drain at your place giving you grief? When they’re working beautifully, you hardly give your drains the slightest bit of attention. Ignore them too much, though, and you may start to notice things going wrong – which is probably why you’re here to learn how to use a drain snake!

In most cases, you will be alerted to your troublesome drain due to the following red flags:

• Foul drain smells, caused by stinky bacteria
• Collecting water, as the blockage backs up in your pipes
• Gurgling or other unpleasant sounds.

Luckily, there are plenty of things you can try at home before giving your trusty local blocked drain plumber a call. These include:

• Boiling water: Well, wait a few minutes so it’s not going to sizzle your drain and pipes, but very hot water is great for breaking down softer clogs.
• Bi-carb: It’s already in your pantry, as is white vinegar, so mix them together and let them fizzle your stubborn blockage away.
• Cleaners: Start with the more natural remedies, but your supermarket will be well-stocked with caustic chemical cleaners that can be very effective.
• Plunger: Create a good seal and start pumping away!

Today, though, we’re going to zoom in on a DIY drain unblocking method that is arguably more effective than any of the simple home solutions listed above. It’s the drain snake, otherwise known as a drain eel, plumbers snake or hand-held auger.

How to use a drain snake in 7 simple steps

It’s the little brother of the plumber’s professional and motorised auger, whose ‘snake’ slithers deep inside your drain and plumbing system to chew through some of the most stubborn and complex of blockages. The hand-held, un-motorised version is just a few dollars in your hardware store, consisting of a coil that still snakes down your drain for this important task.

The only question left is how to use a drain snake – so here goes!:

1. Prepare

Before getting the drain snake into action, remove the drain’s P-trap or opening assembly if necessary.

2. Insert

But if you can easily insert the tip of the auger into the drain opening, let’s do that now. Use the crank to unwind it into the pipe.

3. Monitor

Be aware of any resistance your drain snake meets on the way in. It could be a bend in the pipe, but it might also be whatever’s clogging it up. No matter what, try to keep cranking the auger past the resistance.

4. Find the clog

If the auger goes in further, keep going until you reach the real blockage. If it won’t go any further, you’ve probably already found the clog.

5. Work the clog

Try to get that auger in a little deeper, but not too far – because you want to start winding the snake back in a little now. But before you get too far, wind it back into the blockage – and then back out again. Repeat this process to break up the clog effectively.

6. Retract

Wind the auger all of the way back in – carefully, because you don’t want to do any damage to your actual plumbing.

7. Test

How’s that drain doing its draining now? All good? Or still clogged? If the latter, repeat the process again, and if you’re making progress now, add a bit more power to your handiwork with a flush of hot water or some bi-carb/vinegar.

Need an affordable & professional drain fix?

If your efforts have proved futile, however, don’t fret – because your plumber is standing by just around the corner with some much more powerful professional drain unblocking tools. At Affordable Plumbing Solutions, our friendly team is always equipped with CCTV drain camera tech, ultra high-pressure water jetters, and innovative solutions like no-dig pipe relining.

Affordable Plumbing Solutions really are the plumbers Sydney can count on, offering not only great pricing and fast responses but workmanship that we fully guarantee for every job – big or small. Give the experienced crew a call today.