What Is A Drain Snake? How to unclog a drain in your home using a Plumber Snake.

A drain snake is one of the most common and essential tools that you would find in a plumber’s toolkit. This tool derives its name from its long snaky structure, and its purpose of clearing drains. In fact, plumbers fix most drain clogs by using a drain snake when DIY methods fail. Quite evidently, a drain snake is a handy tool to keep at home in case you end up with a clogged drain at some point.

At A Clear Choice Plumbing, we happen to be a highly reputed and reliable plumbing company. If you are facing a stubborn drain clog that you are unable to get rid of, we could help you out. Besides having a highly experienced team, we keep our plumbers well-equipped with various drain unclogging equipment.

How does a drain snake work?

A drain snake consists of a metal cable, which remains coiled inside a protective drum. A hook lies at the end of the cable, for removing clogs. This hook usually has a corkscrew or helix shape that allows it to latch onto the clogging material. The length of the cable may vary, but drain snakes are usually up to 25 feet long.

How to properly use a plumber snake.

You would have to push the cable to make it uncoil from the drum. Turn the handle to keep pushing the cable into the drain until it faces an obstruction.In most cases, the hook at the end would lock into the clog.

Keep turning the handle to rotate the hook and break up the clog. In case it is a tough clog and the drain snake cannot cut through it, pull out the cable. It would likely drag the clog out along with it too. Once you have broken down the clog or pulled it out, flush the drain with water to make sure it’s clear.

When should you use a drain snake?

If your drain is draining slowly or failing to drain at all, it indicates a clog. In most cases, homeowners initially try clearing a clogged drain by simpler means like chemicals, plastic hair snakes, and plungers. However, if these fail to get rid of the clog, it is time to try using a drain snake. These tools are more effective than plungers and work against most obstructions, except extremely tough ones like tree roots.

What to do if a drain snake doesn’t work?

In case you find a drain snake to be ineffective against the clog, you likely need a motorized drain auger for the job. However, do not try to clear the clog using a motorized auger yourself. These are powerful tools and can cause severe damage if used incorrectly. Moreover, a good drain auger is expensive and you wouldn’t want to damage such a costly piece of equipment due to mishandling.

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