All You Need to Know About Drain Snaking
Drain snakes are the mechanized rooters that rooter businesses are named after. The professional’s motorized tool spools out a stiff, rugged metal cable with a reinforced multi-purpose tip, reaming a clear path through constricted or blocked plumbing.
Two varieties of drain snake more commonly purchased for home use are the handheld drain auger and the special-purpose closet auger. Closet augers are handheld devices designed for use clearing blocked toilets. They are specially shaped to fit the extending cable into a commode’s drain and have protected heads and lines to prevent damage to fragile porcelain.
Drain augers designed for use in sinks and on floors will have a different design; most frequently, a handy person will be seen wielding a drum-spooled cable pistol gripped in one hand while the other rotates the apparatus, playing out the wire down the pipes. Handheld drum drain auger should not be used on toilets because the heavy-duty metal and weighted end can easily scratch, chip, or crack toilet fixtures.
Closet augers will only have six to ten feet of cable, ready to navigate a toilet’s snaky drain, while drum spools can hold 25 feet or more of line. On the other hand, drain servicing professionals will have hundreds of feet of cable-ready on their motorized snakes.
Handheld drills are excellent for clearing nearby clogs and routine maintenance of specific bathroom and kitchen drains. For more challenging and more distant jobs, a rooter team should be called in. Motorized augers have the power to work through solid clogs, even compact dirt, and dense tree root growth.
It is generally safe to use snakes on drains, but do not use anything but a closet auger on a toilet. Aside from the potential damage to the bowl already mentioned, the thinner cables of drain snakes could become knotted within the wide passage of a toilet drain. If the knot forms around a bend, it may become impossible to remove! Always consult the owner’s manual for proper operation, but the rule of four is not to use cable narrower than a quarter of an inch in pipes wider than four inches.
Damaged plumbing, subject to corrosion or settlement underground, should only be snaked with care. There is considerable force involved in getting the cable around bends and through obstructions, particularly with a rooter. Most plumbing materials handle this without issue, but cracks, weak joints, or compromised structures can result in even more destruction.
A drain snake is the most common way of trying to clear a drain. A plunger produces a large amount of pull and tries to shift the blockage out of the way. The best method is to coat the plunger’s rim with some grease to ensure an airtight seal and then fill the sink or basin with enough water to cover the plunger’s cup. Next, pump the plunger firmly several times, and the blockage should move.
If you have a U- bend trap, this can be quickly cleared by removing it. Place a pot underneath the trap and extract it from the pipework. Be careful as drain water will spill out as you pull the U trap. Once the U trap has been removed, look for the obstruction and remove it from the pipe. Replace the U bend, and the drain should work as well as new.
Even the most modern plumber will use the proper drill for the job. Most homeowners and handy persons can solve any blocked drain or clogged toilet by owning both a handheld drain auger along with a closet auger. However, drain maintenance specialists with industrial-sized plumber’s snakes will most frequently use them on the lateral service lines, wastewater carrying plumbing running from buildings to receiving septic tank or main utility line. This length of sewage drain is most vulnerable to intrusion from tree roots and the section of home plumbing that most frequently needs a drain service rooter business to perform the problematic maintenance or upkeep.
DrainX manufactures a variety of quality drain cleaning solutions for both the do it yourself-er and the professional. We offer a wide range of heavy duty drain augers, plumbing snakes, cables, descales and other plumbing supplies that are easily opera table for at-home use.
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