

If you’ve found your obstruction, you may not have to snake at all! Removing the trap often makes snaking easier by bypassing this difficult twist.ģ. Once you remove the p-trap, you should thoroughly inspect and clean it out.

You can manually remove the p-trap, either with your hands or with the help of an adjustable wrench. P-traps are often made of PVC pipe, though they can also be metal. The reason it’s curved is to prevent sewer gases from rising through the sink and into the home. It connects the sink to the greater drainpipe system in your home. The p-trap is the curving piece of pipe beneath the sink. (Optional but recommended) Consider removing the p-trap. This is especially important if you end up removing the p-trap.Ģ. Depending on the nature of the clog, your snaking procedure could get messy. Put on some clothes you don’t mind getting dirty and lay some old towels beneath the pipes you’re working on.
#PLUMBER SNAKE HOW TO#
Here’s a more detailed breakdown of how to use a drain auger: How To Use A Drain Snake:ġ. As the snake uncoils, it moves further through the drainpipe, until the head breaks through the obstruction. You begin by inserting the auger head into the drain and then feed the snake manually until you reach the clog. Snaking a drain involves entering the drain directly to physically contact and then clear away the obstruction causing the clog. By spinning the handle you rotate the coil to navigate through tricky areas. Most home plumber’s snakes are hand-operated and have a rotatable handle or crank to release and maneuver the cable. The cable coils up into a circular housing when you’re not using it. A home plumbing auger is usually around 20-50 feet long. The auger head on the snake looks like a corkscrew. A plumbing auger or plumbing snake is a long, flexible metal cable with a small, uncoiled spring on one end and a handle on the other. Simply fill the form on your right to receive multiple plumbing estimates.An auger is simply a tool designed for boring into something.
#PLUMBER SNAKE PROFESSIONAL#
For stubborn clogs you will probably need to hire the professional help of the plumber. Your plumber helper can relieve your drains of minor clogs and abstractions that can otherwise impede the plumbing system. Change the rotation of the snake to pull the coil back and you will find the clog at the end of the coil.Ĭlean the mess thoroughly especially the plumber snake. It may not be easy if the clog has become hard, but once the snake starts turning easily, you will know that the clog has been released. Turn the knob which makes the coil of wire grab on to the clog and twist it carefully into the coil. As soon as you feel that you have reached the obstruction, hook on the snake so that you can pull out the clog. If you crank clockwise the snake manages to go ahead along the bends till it reaches the next bend or the clog.Įvery time there is an obstacle, you have to continue to manipulate the snake’s knob clockwise so that it goes ahead. As soon as the coil cannot go any further, all that you have to do is to tighten down the thumbscrew which holds the cable, and holding on to the handle firmly just crank the snake around so that it can find the right direction. You just need to insert the snake into the drain and push it in slowly as far as it goes. The plumbing snake is also called a plumber helper, because it makes your job easy. But if the clog is not reachable, and you have tried other methods of unclogging it in vain, the plumbing snake is the best solution. If the clog is in a sink where you can access the drain trap, check the trap first. Never buy models which have plastic components, as they are brittle and break easily. As you turn the wire into the drain the cable unrolls itself, and hence it is called a plumbing snake. At the outside the snake has a stiff wire in the shape of a cone attached to the cable. The plumbing snake has a cable which is rolled inside a bell-shaped housing with a handle and a knob. There are two versions of the plumbing snake: the old model operated by hand and the deluxe model that can be fixed to an electric drill. The gloves will protect your hands from any infection that may be caused through the mess that comes out of the drain. But before you begin cleaning the drain, you should equip yourself with some basic cleaning material like a rag, warm water, soap and a pair of rubber gloves. The device is also called a plumber`s snake and the procedure is very simple and does not require any expertise. It easily slips into the pipe and can reach the clog through all the bends and twists and release it easily. The plumbing snake is the most convenient and cheapest tool for solving this problem. You are here: Homepage » Plumbers Guide » Plumbing Tools & Accessories » Plumbing Snake Plumbing SnakeĪ clog in the drain is a very common problem in every household.
