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How to snake a drain

No, not how to get a snake out of a drain! This is a “how to” for unclogging your drain using either a drain auger or a drain snake. This is a very useful tool that you can buy from your local hardware store to assist in unblocking drains at home. If you want to do this right, follow the below steps:

1. Identify your blocked drain


A drain snake can be used for kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks, bathtubs, showers and toilets. Find the problem drain and get ready to snake!

2. Get your drain snake in hand


Drain augers and drain snakes can be found at your local hardware store. Drain augers are usually larger than drain snakes, with a long cable attached to a crank, and are used to clear out larger drains; while drain snakes are smaller with a long metal spring and can be used to break up blockages in your toilet, sink or bathtub drains.

3. Collect your necessary materials


You’re going to need your drain snake, rubber gloves, protective goggles, bucket, cloths and paper towels.

Make sure to put on your rubber gloves and protective goggles, especially if you have already tried to use chemical drain cleaner. Some of the chemicals will still be present in your pipes and can pose a danger to you.

4. Access your drain


Access the drain by removing the drain cover, the U-bend under your sink or the overflow cover, depending on the type of drain you are looking at.

5. Insert the snake


Insert the snake into the drain and slowly feed the line down the pipe. It may take a few tries to get it going. Once it is in by a couple of centimetres, gently start to crank the handle, which should cause the drain snake to descend into the drain.

If you meet resistance, it may be a pipe bend or you may have reached the clog — usually, a bend comes up first. Tighten the screw to hold the cable just enough to stop it from turning. Turn the crank clockwise and use moderate pressure to work the cable into the drain and past the bend. Once you are past the bend, loosen the screw and continue feeding the cable through the drain by hand. 

6. Find the blockage


The blockage may be quite far down and may take some time to reach, so have patience. When you hit resistance again, this is probably the blockage. 

Once you have reached the blockage, the rotating tip will either break it up as it moves down the pipe or grab hold of the gunk so that you can pull it out. If the stoppage is a solid mass, the auger head will pierce through the obstruction and resist turning. Crank a few more times to make sure you have a good hold on the blockage.

7. Pull the blockage out


When you can no longer feed the coil in anymore, turn the handle to wind the snake back out of the drain. Chances are the clog will come out with it, either in bits and pieces or as a solid chunk. Detach the debris from your snake and repeat the process to check if the blockage is sufficiently cleared.

8. Test your drain


Reassemble the drain stopper, U-bend, or overflow assembly. Turn on your taps and run them fully for a few minutes, or flush the toilet multiple times to flush the pipe and to check that the blockage has been cleared. If necessary, repeat the process.

9. Clean up


Last step, clean up all the excess water and the bits and pieces of the blockage that you have pulled out from your drain.
And just like that, your plumbing outlook has improved. Most reputable plumbers will have one of these handy tools, but there’s nothing stopping you from using one yourself! If you followed the steps above and your drain is still blocked, it’s time to contact a plumber. There might be some deeper issues at play. 

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