If you need to know how to use a plumbing snake, the basic process is fairly simple. Insert the cable into the drain, feed it forward until you reach the clog, turn the handle to catch or break up the blockage, and slowly pull the cable back out. Run water afterward to see whether the clog is gone. The part that takes some care is knowing the difference between hitting a clog and hitting a bend in the pipe. Forcing the snake when it doesn’t want to move can cause more trouble than the original slow drain.
For many Downers Grove homeowners, a small manual snake is worth having around. It can reach hair, soap buildup, and other debris that a plunger can’t always move. But it isn’t the right answer for every clog. If the blockage keeps coming back or several drains are slow at once, professional clogged drain service may be the better route.
What Does a Plumbing Snake Actually Do?
A plumbing snake is a flexible cable that travels down a drain. Most basic household models store the cable inside a small drum and have a handle that allows you to rotate it.
The end of the cable does the dirty work. Depending on the type of snake and clog, it can catch debris so you can pull it back out or work through soft buildup until water can pass again.
That’s why snakes work well on certain bathroom clogs. Hair, for example, can become tangled around the cable and come back out with it. A plumbing snake isn’t meant to solve every drainage problem. Professional plumbers use larger and more specialized equipment for deeper or more serious blockages.
When Is It Worth Snaking a Drain?
Don’t reach for the snake the second a sink drains a little slowly. Look down the drain first. You may have a clump of hair sitting right below the stopper or shower drain cover. Removing it by hand can save you the trouble of feeding a cable into the pipe. A plunger is also worth trying for some clogs.
The snake makes more sense when the obvious fixes haven’t worked. It can be useful for a shower that stays slow after you’ve removed the visible hair, a bathroom sink that continues to back up, or a tub that won’t drain normally.
The situation changes when several fixtures are having trouble at once. One clogged sink may have a blockage close to that fixture. A slow sink, shower, and toilet at the same time can point to trouble farther down the drainage system. Our guide to clogged drains in Downers Grove goes into more detail about what different drain problems can mean.
How to Use a Plumbing Snake Step by Step
Put on gloves before you start and keep a bucket or old towel nearby. Whatever comes back out of the drain probably isn’t something you want dripping across the bathroom floor.
Read the directions for your particular snake, too. The basic idea is similar from one model to another, but the way the cable locks, feeds, and retracts can vary.
Open Up the Drain
Remove anything blocking access to the drain opening. On a shower, that might mean lifting or unscrewing the drain cover. A bathroom sink may have a stopper that needs to be removed first.
Take a quick look inside before going any further. Sometimes you’ll find the entire problem wrapped around the stopper or sitting just beneath the drain cover. If you can safely pull it out, do that first.
Feed the Cable Slowly
Guide the end of the snake into the drain and begin feeding the cable forward. You don’t need much force. The cable should work its way through the pipe as you feed it. Eventually, you’ll probably feel resistance. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve found the clog.
Drain pipes aren’t straight. The cable may simply be reaching a bend.
Work Past Pipe Bends Carefully
When the cable stops moving easily, turn the handle gently while applying light forward pressure. If it starts moving again, you were probably navigating a bend. Continue feeding the snake. If you keep meeting resistance in the same spot, you may have reached the blockage.
This is where patience matters. Trying to shove the cable forward can get it stuck or potentially damage plumbing components. If the snake doesn’t want to move, more force isn’t automatically the answer.
Homes with older plumbing can be especially tricky. If you’re not sure what kind of pipes are behind the walls or whether age is becoming a factor, a plumbing inspection can give you a better picture of the system’s condition.
Work the Snake Into the Clog
Once you’ve reached the blockage, rotate the handle as directed by the snake manufacturer. With a hair clog, the cable may grab the tangled strands. Softer buildup may break apart as you rotate the snake.
You don’t need to crank the handle as hard or fast as possible. Give the end of the cable a chance to work into the material. You may feel the resistance change once you’ve broken through or caught part of the clog.
Bring the Cable Back Up
Retract the snake slowly. If you’ve hooked hair or another solid clump, pulling too quickly can knock it loose before it reaches the drain opening.
This is where that bucket comes in handy. Put anything you remove directly into the trash rather than washing it down another drain or flushing it down the toilet. Clean the cable before making another pass.
Try Again if Necessary
One trip down the drain may not get everything. If the drain was heavily clogged, run the snake through it again. You may bring up more hair or buildup the second time.
There’s also a point when repeated attempts stop being useful. If the snake keeps stopping at exactly the same place and you can’t make progress without forcing it, leave it alone.
Test the Drain
Run water once you think the blockage is gone. You should see a noticeable difference. Water that previously pooled in the sink, tub, or shower should disappear without sitting around the drain.
Let the water run for a few minutes rather than turning it off as soon as it starts flowing. When you’re finished, clean and dry the snake according to the manufacturer’s directions before putting it away.
Can You Snake a Shower or Tub?
A small drain snake is often useful in a shower or tub because hair is such a common problem in these fixtures. Hair can catch around the drain assembly and then collect soap and other residue. Eventually, enough material builds up to slow the water.
Start by removing anything you can reach. If the shower is still draining slowly, the snake can reach farther into the pipe. If you clear the drain only to have the same problem return a week or two later, there may still be material farther down the line.
What About a Bathroom Sink?
Bathroom sink drains collect more than water. Hair, shaving residue, toothpaste, soap, and grooming products can all end up below the stopper. Before snaking the sink, remove and clean the stopper if possible. You may find a surprising amount of debris attached to it.
A snake can handle material farther into the drain, but don’t assume drainage is the source of every sink problem. A dripping or damaged fixture needs a different repair, and in some cases a new fixture may make more sense. Plumbing Pros also offers faucet installation services when the problem goes beyond a simple clog.
Don’t Use a Regular Drain Snake on Every Toilet Clog
A standard household drain snake isn’t the best choice for a toilet. Toilets have an internal trap, and exposed metal from the wrong tool can scratch the porcelain. A toilet auger is made specifically for the shape of a toilet and is generally the better tool for this job.
It’s also worth making sure you’re actually dealing with a clog. A toilet that constantly runs has a problem inside the tank rather than a blockage in the drain. For those issues, toilet repair services are more appropriate than trying to snake the line. If an older toilet keeps clogging, leaks around the base, or has become unreliable, toilet replacement services may be worth considering.
Be Careful About Forcing the Cable
A plumbing snake isn’t a battering ram. If the cable stops, turning harder and pushing harder can leave you with a snake stuck inside the drain. You may also be pushing against a fitting or navigating a bend rather than attacking the clog.
Other problems can come from using a snake that’s too large for the drain or using equipment that isn’t intended for that particular fixture. Be especially careful if you’ve already poured chemical drain cleaner into the pipe. The snake can cause water or cleaner sitting inside the drain to splash back toward you.
If you’ve made several careful attempts without improving the drainage, put the tool down rather than escalating the amount of force you’re using.
Why Is the Drain Still Clogged After Snaking It?
A snake isn’t guaranteed to reach every blockage. Small manual snakes have a limited cable length. Your clog could be farther down the line than the tool can reach. You could also be dealing with a larger obstruction that a basic household snake can’t clear.
What the other fixtures are doing can offer an important clue. Suppose your shower won’t drain, the nearby toilet gurgles, and another drain is moving slowly. That’s much less likely to be a simple clump of hair directly beneath the shower.
Problems affecting several fixtures can originate in a larger drain or sewer line. If that’s the case, sewer line repairs may be needed depending on the cause and location of the problem.
Why Does the Drain Smell After You Snake It?
Pulling out the clog doesn’t always get rid of every bit of residue inside the drain. Hair, soap, food residue, and other material can sit inside plumbing long enough to develop an odor. You might notice the water is draining normally again but something still smells off.
Persistent odors paired with slow drainage can point to more than a small clog. If the smell is coming from more than one drain or you’re also hearing gurgling, it may be worth having the plumbing checked rather than trying to mask the odor.
Know When the Snake Isn’t Enough
A plumbing snake is meant for manageable clogs within reach of the cable. Once the problem goes beyond that, continuing to push the tool farther isn’t likely to help. Call a plumber when several fixtures are backing up, sewage is coming through a drain, the cable repeatedly gets stuck, or the same clog returns soon after you clear it.
Water appearing in one fixture when you use another is another reason to have the drainage system checked. For example, if running the washing machine causes water to rise in a shower or flushing the toilet makes another drain gurgle, the blockage may be farther down the shared line.
A backup that’s actively sending sewage or wastewater into the house shouldn’t wait. In that situation, an emergency plumber can address the issue before it causes more damage.
Clear the Clog Without Creating Another Problem
Using a plumbing snake doesn’t have to be complicated. Feed the cable into the drain slowly, work it through bends without forcing it, rotate it when you reach the blockage, and pull the debris back out. Run water afterward to make sure you’ve actually restored normal drainage.
The most important part may be knowing when to quit. If you’ve made a couple of careful attempts and the drain is still clogged, or several fixtures are acting up at once, the blockage may be outside the reach of a small household snake.
If you’re dealing with a stubborn or recurring clog, contact Plumbing Pros for plumbing service in Downers Grove, IL.
