Do I Snake The Floor Drain

Read about our toilet repair services medium snake.

Do i snake the floor drain.

The washer drain pipe is more fragile which is why i suggest that order of attack. Use the rags to clean up the floor around the drain. When you start to feel resistance that means the snake is picking up clogs. Crank the auger to push the cable deeper into the drain then reverse direction and repeat until it can go no further.

While parts of the clog break up and flush through the drain the snake helps you gain access to the clog so that you can pull it out. Snakes are especially handy because they re long enough to reach clogs that are deep within a drainpipe. A medium drain snake is used with a 3 8 inch cable and 50 to 75 feet of cable. If you try to force it it can bend back on itself and actually come out of the drain.

You should only be able to see the housing not the cable. Some snakes can fit as an attachment on an electric drill giving it more power to force it through the clog. In the first place you ll spend about 50 a day or more to rent the large drain cleaning auger required and you have to be strong enough to heft the machine and to wrench loose those old corroded cleanout plugs. This device helps move a metal cable through the pipes clearing any dirt and debris.

Basement floor drains don t get a lot of attention until the sewer backs up or the basement smells like an outhouse. If price is not a problem an electric snake will more efficiencly clean out your clogged basement floor drain. Push gently and slowly and if the auger is the right one for the job it should slide smoothly through the pipe. Pour a half gallon of hot water down the drain to wash away any residue left over from the clog.

If home remedies don t work to clean out a clogged floor drain rent a plumbing snake from a plumbing supply shop and break up the clog the way the professionals do it. A toilet auger should be placed into the toilet with the head of the cable inserted into the drain. The terms snake and auger are often interchangeable and they serve the same function. The proper way to use a snake is to insert the head into the drain and push very slowly without cranking.

Turn the handle clockwise to hook the clog and continue running the snake down the drain. Many basement floor drains tie directly to the home s sewer system but in some communities local building codes require floor drains to run to a sump pit where a pump lifts the water to the exterior surface of the house. When the resistance lessens that often means the snake has cleared the drain. The job of clearing clogs in the larger drain lines found under the floor isn t for everyone.

In any case i d suggest snaking from the lowest point the floor drain first and then if that doesn t do the trick snake from the washer drain. When clogs happen drain snakes are a great way to clear out the mess.