If the plumbing snake is of the right size, it should move into the pipe with ease if you push gently and softly. Try turning the crank in the opposite direction if you think the plumbing snake is getting caught in a corner.
Tighten the Thumbscrew
If you hit an obstacle and the cable will not rotate, the thumbscrew likely needs to be tightened. A handle on the side of the snake drum has a place for you to insert a corkscrew and tighten the drain auger. Tighten the auger as much as you can before continuing to snake.
Make sure that you've securely tightened the thumbscrew (the piece that secures the cable inside the drum or handle). If the thumbscrew is loose, the cable will not rotate at all when you twist the handle. The cable rotation is how the drain snake picks up debris, so if it can't do this, your auger won't work.
As you push the snake into the drain, rotate the handle clockwise.
For stubborn clogs, a plunger might not do the trick. Instead, a tool called a closet auger fits down inside the toilet bowl and allows the user to feed a cable through the toilet without scratching the coating. These augers can bust up clogs or hook the clog and pull it back through the bowl.
If your snaking session yields plenty of hair and soap scum, but still leaves you with a slow drain, there's a good chance that the P-trap is still obstructed. To clear it, plug the overflow hole with a rag and fill the tub drain with hot water, which will help to soften and loosen soap scum.
While snaking is generally considered safe for your pipes, it can damage your pipes if they are in bad shape. Homes that have older pipes are more susceptible to this happening as hairline cracks and corrosion occur over time. Surprisingly, snaking your main line can potentially make the clog worse.
Bend the end of the snake about 3 or 4 inches from the end before you insert it so it will more easily go around the corner when it encounters it. You can also try pulling back on the cable just a bit when you get to a corner.
He said there are too many 90 degree and winding angles which will make snaking impossible should we ever have a clog. Said angles should be 45 degrees and more straight runs.
Crank the Handle of the Drain Snake
When pushing the cable through the P-trap, the U-shaped pipe section under the sink, you may encounter some friction and resistance. If this happens, push on the cable while cranking the drain snake slowly. A couple of turns will help the cable maneuver through the bends in the pipe.
So, why won't your drain snake go down the bathtub drain? The answer may be that you are either using the wrong kind of drain snake, or you are trying to force it through a P-trap, or you are forcing the snake cable through the pipe too quickly or the clog is just too darn big.
You should clean your sewer line at least every two years. Getting a sewer line inspection for older homes or those with more trees is a good idea. Basic sewer line clogs and debris can be tackled with a $5 drain snake. More stubborn clogs may require professional cleaning, which costs an average of $325.
Bring water to a boil and then pour it down the slow clearing drain (recommended to use a whole kettle) Put half a cup of baking soda into that drain and let it sit for a few minutes. Add 1 cup of vinegar for every 1 cup of hot water you pour down the drain. Cover the drain with a plug and let it sit for 10 minutes.
A hand crank enables a flexible cable to descend into your toilet and break up an obstruction. While billed as devices that are easy to use by anyone and everyone, drain snakes can be hard to manage, and if used improperly, can damage pipes.
If you've determined it's not a clogged sink but still have a slow-draining sink when you run water, it is most likely a plumbing vent issue.
It is not a great drain clog remover. Bleach has no effect in dissolving the common culprits of household drain clogs, like hair, food scraps and grease.
First the drain snake loosens the clog—then the powerful Drano® gel clears it away!
If the clog is a solid object, the auger head entangles the object. If you don't feel the auger breaking through and twisting getting easier, pull the auger out of the drain — you'll likely pull the clog out with it. Run water full force for a few minutes to be sure that the drain is unclogged.
Designed to clear different types of products, plumbers consider drain snakes tools that cater to smaller drains like your kitchen or bathroom sink. The drain snake takes care of pipes ranging from 1-1/4″ to 2″ in diameter. Conversely, drain augers tackle larger pipes like your toilet or shower drain.
Professional plumbing augers are more powerful, but even so, snakes don't clean the drain. While a snake may dislodge the clog and resolve the immediate problem, accumulating sludge coating the wall of the pipe means clogging will likely recur.
When you are using a baking soda and vinegar solution to clean out your drain, you are actually causing the rubber and plastic that are used for the drain's pipes to be eaten away by the mixture. Over time, this rubber and plastic will break down, causing the drain to become even more blocked.