How to Unclog a Drain with a Snake

hair clog bathtub drain
Ever had the fear of when you move into your new place you worry about the plumbing and what will happen if things go haywire and you face the dreaded villain called the clogged sink? No? Obviously as it isn’t that much of nightmare fuel however it is something that can cost money and is a real issue if you don’t know how to fix it yourself. A typical house call for a plumber to fix a clogged sink can vary from $100-$150 which may not be that expensive but it is a nuisance that actually can be fixed on your own at home which means you can save yourself some money that you can put away for a rainy day. Now it does seem very difficult and honestly if you just go at it without knowing at least the first step you could end up costing yourself way more money than it should cost to snake your drain. Here are a few simple steps for you to unclog your own drain with a snake (and not the animal) without calling a plumber and making yourself feel proud you did this yourself. Make sure you have all the materials in these steps before you attempt anything and no substitutes.

How To Snake Your Drain:
  1. Gather All Materials: A simple step one would say. What you will need is a bucket, a closet or drain auger an option is rubber cleaning gloves (but please put on the gloves) and not with all the materials at your disposals you are able to move on to the next step.
  2. Insert The Snake: Begin by removing anything that is blocking the snake from entering the sink’s drain opening such as sink clogs, hair trap, tub screens, or dishes or whatever is there. Now push in the snake and rotate is clockwise and grip it with both hands if it becomes difficult to rotate. A helpful tip is lowering your grip close to the drain the more you lower the snake to make it easier to feel for the drain.
  3. Lower Until You Hit The Clog: You will feel the clog when you feel resistance from the nasty little clog demon in your pipe which means you hit the target. When it feels like you hit a wall and your little snake curves, you should slowly keep pushing past the curve and you know you hit it when you feel it starting to give way when you keep pushing
  4. Hook It: Turn the snake clockwise to hook it the clog and slowly pull up, if it is not hooked then try pulling at it up and down like you would with a plunge to make it slowly come loose and eventually when it becomes easy to pull up and down then pull up and you have the clog.
  5. Drain The Sink: After you have cleaned off the snake and the sink as much as you can then now take the bucket and fill it with water then pour it into the sink and watch as the water now drains easily again. Congratulations you just snaked your drain!

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