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It’s common for your drain pipes to have blockages. With the build up and small items you must’ve accidentally sent down the sink drain and p bend, clogged drains and occasions where the usual draining slowly becomes even slower are nothing new. And most of the time, we depend on hot water or highly recommended chemical drain cleaners we can grab from our local hardware store to remove clogs from the drain trap arm or sink trap arm. But sometimes, despite having used the same chemical for months and gaining results in your sink drain, you can still face a blocked drain where none of your previous go-to products works anymore. You can also feel resistance in every DIY drain cleaner technique you try down the clogged drain trap arm, from hot water to baking soda and vinegar and even folding a hanger wire to make a hook. Now, it seems impossible for the clog to be removed manually from the main drain pipe no matter how much you manually removed the p trap with an adjustable pipe wrench. But you still have one more option to try for your clogged pipe before calling in professional help. And that’s using a drain snake for your blocked drains. It’s a very effective tool.
“I’ve tried everything, from hot water to vinegar and chemical drain cleaner for the build up in the sink drains, and I just can’t clear that stubborn clogs.”
“Have you tried using a drain snake for your drainage pipe? A plumber’s snake with cold water works every time with any clogged drain!”
Many people have had a conversation like this, but their minds went blank when they heard the reference to a drain snake or drain auger. No, it’s not a new species of our slithery foes that you might tread on in long grass. You don’t have to be scared of a drain snake! No need to scream for help with this. Actually, with a drain snake, you’ll be screaming in victory alone. Believe it or not, when you use a drain snake, it’s a long metallic cable with a small auger attached on the end, it’s your next answer to that stubborn clogs you have. No more resistance! No need to depend on plumbing services or call drain specialists for professional work on your blocked drains. The drain snake is a handy innovation that expert plumbers and homeowners swear by for clearing stubborn pipe blockages.
It gets confusing that there are different types of drain snakes. One Google search will depict a strange motored device on wheels, commonly known as a plumbers eel, a plumbing eel, or an electric eel.
However, the electric eel is just the big brother to the more common hand-held drain snake Bunnings might stock on the shelves for unblocking drains. The basic principle is the same with the run-of-the-mill drain snake and the heftier electric eel – and that fundamental principle is the flexible coils or cables wiggled down the drain opening to remove any stubborn blockages.
But in this article, we are focusing on the drain snake. You should consider this tool the middle ground between using a plunger and calling in the blocked drain experts from Gold Coast Plumbing Company! However, beware, using a drain snake improperly, or an auger head incorrectly can damage your pipes.
Firstly, it might be best to avoid the plumbing snake if you are not confident with this or have not done something similar. Yes, they’re great at unclogging drains. But if you do not use it correctly, you could damage your pipes and create a much bigger and costlier problem.
You need to know how a drain snake works to understand the risk. It’s a long flexible stretch of coiled cables with a handle or crank on one end and a corkscrew-like open spring on the other. It works by being inserted into the drain pipe and then uncoiled with the handle – until eventually it reaches and breaks through whatever is causing the blockage.
So if you’re game, let’s explore the drain snaking process! Here’s how to use a drain snake:
To use the plumbing snake correctly to unclog your drain, you’ll need to manually feed the other end of it into the pipe or drain. If it’s stubborn – don’t force it and avoid scraping.
Use the handle to start unravelling the coil to feed deeper and deeper into the drain pipe. Don’t do your unwinding too fast or too slowly, but when you feel a little resistance, don’t freak out – you might have reached the point of the blockage.
If you’re pretty have reached the clogged drain pipe, wind the handle a little bit forwards and then backwards a little bit – and repeat this process over action will help break up the blockage, but if you hear noises in the drain pipe that sound unusual or harsh, you may be attacking the actual pipe – so back off a little and try again. We don’t want to put holes in the pipe and cause major leaks.
Once the back-and-forth handle winding has been done for a while and you no longer feel any resistance, the blockage in your drain pipe is probably now clear. Rewind the drain snake, being particularly careful when the head reaches the top of the drain pipe once again.
How’s your drain? Is that water going down perfectly now? Are there no resistance anymore? If so, well done – you’re a real pro at this drain snake business!
Suppose you’ve tried all possible methods to unclog your drains and still have a blockage or recurring blockages. In that case, it could be a bigger problem. There could be tree roots inside your pipe walls. And a snake cable won’t be able to help with this no matter how the snake moves deeper into your drain pipe. So, there’s only one thing left: call Gold Coast Plumbing Company professionals for expert plumbing services. Our team of professionals have all the tools and equipment needed to unclog your stubborn drains.
Every equipment and chemical drain cleaners that we utilise is exceptionally safe. We do not use any toxic chemicals that would be unsafe or damaging to your pipelines.
We’ll try a plunger to unblock your drain at the initial stage. But if it doesn’t work, we’ll use other upgraded tools. We’ll use drain cameras to detect the problem, and it’s for free. We only want to ensure accuracy and efficiency in our findings to serve you better.
Are you still dealing with slow draining and blocked drains after trying a hanger wire, baking soda, vinegar, and drain snake? Please don’t add this to your other plumbing problems, and call for our professional service today. For blocked shower drain, blocked toilet, broken sink p trap and other plumbing issues, you can still depend on us! Even when you want home improvement, call us.
Our plumbers are all fully qualified, insured, friendly, and ready to tackle any blockage or plumbing problem – big or small. We have various plumbing services to cater to your plumbing issues. Our experienced plumbers know what to do with all your plumbing needs. Call today and ask about our plumbing service and lifetime workmanship guarantee. Happy drain snaking!
