Have you heard of a drain snake?

A drain snake or sometimes referred to as a plumber’s snake is a flexible auger type length of steel that is inserted into drains to remove clogs that cannot be removed with a plunger or chemical drain cleaner. The word “snake” is derived from the fact that the tool looks like a long coiled auger with a handle attached to one end and it literally twists and turns it’s way through your drain. It can be a very effective tool to remove very stubborn clogs.

drain snake
How it works.

There are generally two types of drain snakes that are used:

  • closet auger type snakes which are smaller and are generally used for clogged toilets.

  • drain auger type snakes which are more common and used on most other types of drains.

They are all very similar in their design but vary mostly in the size and style of the coiled wire and auger. One end of the device will have some type of handle attached so that the wire can be rotated as it is pushed through the drain pipe to break up the clog and clean the interior of the drain. The auger that is attached to the end of the cable has the task of digging itself into the clog which is usually hair, grease, paper, cloth and other small objects and loosening the clog so it can flow out the drain. In some instances, the clog can be tree roots that have invaded the outside drain pipes. There are some instances that the auger may not be able to break up the clog and in this case the drain pipe would have to be cut out and replaced.

A drain snake can be rented from most all tool rental stores. The rental cost will be much less than what you would have to pay a professional plumber to come to your home and do this service for you. Most all drain snakes operate in very similar methods, but it is always best to become familiar with the particular model you have rented or purchased.

drain snake
A closet auger drain snake is used for toilets.

            

drain snake
Standard drain snake or sometimes called a “plumber’s snake”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you do not know how to use a drain snake don’t let it concern you a lot because they are very simple tools to operate and if you have a blocked drain and it is just not that difficult to snake a drain.

For more information on what it might cost to call a professional plumber to do this job for you go here.