Anyone snake your own drain?

[PabloCruise]

says to me "I found something wrong with the kitchen sink!"

Me (after seeing brillo pad shards coming out of the disposal):

Before this though, the kitchen sink and the sink in the s***ter have been draining slowly.

We are overdue to have a baby and so the family will be pouring in. I don't want to have to call roto rooter after hours when we completely stop up.

So, I want to snake the drain, and it is Saturday...

Has anyone rented a snake and done it your selves?

If so, can you help educate a brother?

Thanks!

 

[MoJ]

Easy as pie. Rather than rent one go to Lowe's or HD and buy one. I've had good luck with the $25 or so model that attaches to an electric drill. Just follow the directions on the package.

 

[Lupdog]

If your talking about a proper plumbers draining machine (american plumbing seems to be different to Oz), then that's a piece of piss too. You can't go wrong. Hire the thing, strap on the glove and go for it.

Lup

 

[PabloCruise]

Easy as pie. Rather than rent one go to Lowe's or HD and buy one. I've had good luck with the $25 or so model that attaches to an electric drill. Just follow the directions on the package.

Fawk. Then I need to buy a drill too! My cordless drill's batteries have no balls left -

How long are the $25 ones? Will they go way out to the main sewer?

 

[2mbb]

Fawk. Then I need to buy a drill too! My cordless drill's batteries have no balls left -

How long are the $25 ones? Will they go way out to the main sewer?

No. The drill driven ones are for cleaning out traps and such.

You need to figure out where your clog is. If it's in the trap of a sink, you may need one of the smaller $25 ones. If it's in a larger main line (3" or 4") you should probalby rent something bigger. If the clog is between the toilet and a clean out, you should be prepared to pull the toilet off drain hub unless you want to scratch up your porcelain.

Learn where you're clean out are. Open them up and see where the water is backing up. Get some rubber/latex gloves and wear them under cheap leather or cloth gloves--you'll be throwing them out when you're done.

 

[honk]

It's easy, but I don't like the drill operated thingies.

Better to find your cleanout to run a motorized auger out to the sewer.

Take the trap off if the kitchen drain and snake into the pipe that goes to the drain system from there. It's useless to try to go through the sink - too many impediments without a disposal, and you can't snake a disposal.

Also be sure that your roof vents are open - they can get clogged with leaf debri, particularly at this time of year and cause havoc.

A hot tip: turn on every hot water outlet and let the hot water run. We've found it helps with our downstairs nearly horizontally drained bathroom and utility room.

For the toilet get one of those plungers that look corregated. Plunging is a learned art form. Put the thing in the full bowl and plunge it against the side to fill the plunger with water. Then put it over the drain hole in the bowl and plunge slowly, or with strength but not in a violent and (sometimes) desperate movement. If you push too fast you could compact the plug and it'll be more difficult to persuade. In fact, having used the word, persuasion is a good way to describe your needed approach to toilets. Be sweet to them

30 years of home ownership - never called a plumber (yet)

 

[Creeker]

It's easy, but I don't like the drill operated thingies.

Take the trap off if the kitchen drain and snake into the pipe that goes to the drain system from there. It's useless to try to go through the sink - too many impediments without a disposal, and you can't snake a disposal.
...

x2 Honk. Take off the trap so you can go straight into the pipe. I've allways used the hand cranked snake, and it works fine. You can pick one up at your local plumbing store or at the big box.

One caution: if ALL the drains are slow, your clog is downstream, maybe outside the house. At that point, I'd call a pro.

 

[PabloCruise]

Good point, all drains are not slow.

s***ter flushes fine, just a few drains...

 

[honk]

They make a plastic thing with teeth that can be fed into the sink to hook and pull out all of your wife's hair in there.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

First thing I'd do is take the offending drains apart and clean them by hand. That may be all you need.

 

[PabloCruise]

First thing I'd do is take the offending drains apart and clean them by hand. That may be all you need.

Bingo!

So far, so good!

Took the kitchen trap apart and it was chock full of brillo pad, straws, stems, hair, and other "unknown" matter (yuck).

Drains just fine.

I'll do the same to the other one...

 

[PabloCruise]

They make a plastic thing with teeth that can be fed into the sink to hook and pull out all of your wife's hair in there.

Heh heh, you got it!

I love her long hair, but I have to take her trap apart every 7-8 mos to get the hairballs out!