Most of us don’t give our plumbing much thought until something goes wrong. Unfortunately, if you discover that your shower, bathtub, or sink isn’t draining correctly, you may have a clog somewhere in the line. Fortunately, unclogging a drain is typically not a difficult task. Clearing a drain as soon as you identify a problem prevents harm to your pipes or other property sections.
Before you seek assistance, you should try to remove the blockage. If plunging does not work, a drain snake may be required. This is your guide whether you’ve never used a snake before or want to be sure you get the job complete perfectly the first time.
There are instances when using a drain snake is the best solution and times when it isn’t. Before you snake, take some precautions to check if you can solve the problem without it. Let’s look at some typical drains in the home and what you can do to diagnose the situation before pulling out the drain snake.
- Shower/bathtub: If your tub or shower is clogged, you may unclog it by adding a mixture of baking soda with vinegar down the drain every now and again. Hot water can also aid in breaking up jams in tub and shower drains. However, be cautious with solid chemicals since they might cause harm to your plumbing. If vinegar and hot water do not dissolve the blockage, try snaking the drain.
- Toilet: The first step in dealing with a blocked toilet should always be to plunge it. Begin slowly and then dive quickly, keeping the plunger pulled down to establish a strong seal. Continue for a while since it may take up to 20 plunges to dislodge the obstruction. If a plunger doesn’t solve the problem, attempting to snaking the toilet is time.
- Kitchen sink: Grease and food scraps that run down the drain can block a kitchen sink. Begin by plunging the kitchen sink to unclog it. In a double sink, cover the working drain while dropping the clogged one to keep suction. Clogs can develop when the disposal stops operating or becomes stuck. If your trash disposal isn’t working, you should try to fix it or unclog it to see if it fixes the problem.
- Bathroom sink: A blocked bathroom sink is frequently simple to unclog without using a snake. You may try to remove the sink stopper and remove any hair or other debris clogging the drain. You may also remove the drain trap and trap arm to examine if there are any things stuck in there.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Using a Snake
Using a snake to unclog a drain has several advantages. This device is known as:
- Simple to obtain: You can usually get a drain snake at your local hardware or home improvement shop. A department shop may also have a few basic alternatives accessible.
- Affordability: While some larger drain augers might be more expensive, certain simple snakes are pretty reasonable, increasing the accessibility of drain snakes. If money is an issue, you may try making your drain auger.
- Effective: Finally, the most crucial advantage of a drain snake is that it can get the job done in many circumstances. As we will see, there are specific scenarios when a drain snake cannot solve the problem, but on many occasions, a drain snake may rescue the day (and your drain).
While utilizing a snake has certain benefits, it also has some disadvantages. The disadvantages of using a drain snake are as follows:
- Some materials are difficult to grasp: Some obstructions are challenging to catch using a drain snake. For example, a snake may be adept at catching hair or solid clogs but not so much at grabbing greasy or slippery clogs.
- Even if a drain snake unclogs a drain, it may leave some debris, especially if the drill is smaller than the pipe’s diameter. In addition, bits of the substance may be left adhering to the insides of pipes, resulting in a reoccurring problem.
- Can break off: When using a drain snake at home, it may break off in the line. This is especially true for lesser versions that can’t bear too much stress while twisting.
- Can’t always clear clogs: While a drain snake is a helpful tool, it cannot always fix the problem. Some blockages are too dense or large to be removed using a drain snake.
