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BANG FOR THE BITE
If you can get over the grossness factor, declogging tools are cheap and reusable, and do the job.
COCKTAIL FACT
Each year, Roto-Rooter surveys its technicians about what they find in customers' drains and pipes. Just a few of the goodies: alligators, Barbie Dolls, false teeth, TV remotes, and six-packs of Bud.
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home › tip library › Plumber's Snakes
Ready to lose it over your slow-draining sink?
The Bite
Hm. Could be the huge hairball caught in your pipes. Rather than reach for the Drano, clear it out with a plumber's snake (aka drain auger) - they're more effective than liquid decloggers and free of hairy chems.The Benefits
- Getting the hair out, even when you're superstressed and molting.
- Less bodily harm. Liquid drain decloggers use the active ingredient sodium hydroxide, which irritates your skin, nose, and throat.
- Longer-lasting pipes. Since Liquid-Plumr and the like are pretty caustic, they can degrade pipes if you use too much.
- Reusability. You only need to buy a snake once; with liquid decloggers, you gotta buy new bottles practically every time your sink stops up.
Personally Speaking
Toshio tried out the Zip-It plumber's snake, with amazing (though disgusting) results.Wanna Try?
- Zip-It - simple plastic drain declogger for not-so-deep clogs ($3).
- Cobra Wire Drain Auger - 25 ft of snaking metal wire; available in different lengths online or at your hardware store ($5).
- DIY Bite: Get our step-by-step instructions for using a plumber's snake in the blog.
Mar 07,2008
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This is How we Do It
Toshio's instructions for snaking a drain:
0. The faint of heart should don a pair of heavy-duty gloves. This could get hairy.
1. Insert the plumber's snake into the offending drain, turning it clockwise as you push it down.
2. Once it's down there, switch on the water for a couple seconds to help the snake along. Keep turning.
3. When the turning gets tough, pull the snake back out and clean it off, then repeat the process until you're all clear.
The end-result should look something like this:
(Photo credit: Toshio's roommate Jon.)
-Toshio...off to drain a snake...
Biter Comments...
I pour a bottle of BioPure down the drain periodically to keep them clear. From the website:
BioPure is a highly concentrated, all natural household and industrial cleaner containing powerful probiotic bacteria, antioxidants and enzymes that break down grease, grime and dirt and neutralise odours. BioPure means cleaning without chemicals and its living benefits continue to work even after the initial application.
https://anniesorganics.mionegroup.com:443/product/16301
Real plumbers will probably cringe when I admit to this, but I use a straightened out hanger with a hook on the end to clear out my drain... Perhaps I should invest in a plumber's snake...
Thanks for the tip! :)
Hi - Earth Friendly Products makes a product called Earth Enzymes drain opener. I used it on my shower because I had the "shower tribble" going on and it works like a champ. No horrible smell-it actually smells like oranges. You can also use it on sinks with garbage disposals-it is awesome on that, too. Enjoy!
when your sink with disposal clogs, here is a sure way to unclog without chems. have someone hold the plastic drain cover tightly over the second sink. use a plunger on the side with the disposal. it works every time!
Vinegar and baking soda work well too.
I use the Zip It all the time. It works great.
Plunger works too!
Baking soda and vinegar work well for maintanance, but Ecover's earth enzyme cleaner is a miracle worker! It takes about 24 hours to work, so make sure that everyone is the house agrees to leave the shower alone for that long.
I find that prevention is the best cure. You can get a drain catcher from your local dollar store. It catches almost all the hair. Having to empty a bit of hair every time your shower is probably preferable to unclogging a hamster sized glob of hair.
Our plumber told us to periodically (every couple of weeks) hold a plunger over the drain, turn the shower on, let it fill up with a couple of inches of water and then remove the plunger. It basically causes a rush of water through the pipes, flushing them out. I almost never have to clean out my drain any more!
I have no idea about the long-term repercussions of this, but you can vacuum out your drain with a wet/dry shop vac. Run some water into your tub (if it's clogged, there may already be some), put a plunger over the overflow drain (ours is where the automatic tub stopper control is)& make sure you have a good seal. Put the vac nozzle over the drain (if it's too small, employ a funnel) and switch 'er on. You will be amazed at the undulation of the hose as years' worth of goo and hair gets sucked out. In an old apartment of mine, I sucked out a continuous piece of ???? the size of a cat! Then I just dump it down the toilet. Gross factor is high, but it's kind of a rush to know that you've cleaned it out really really well.
Every month or so I pour a bucketfull of hot water down each one of my drains. I haven't had a slow or clogged drain since I started doing that.
I second Elaine's comment about PREVENTION. I scooped out a huge gross blob of hair and that's when I got A DRAIN CATCHER. When I see how much of my hair it catches each time I shampoo, it's a miracle that hairball didn't come up and attack me before!
I pour a kettle full of boiling water down my drains regularly, usually when I clean my sinks. It makes things flow better, seems to keep soap gunk at bay. I've never heard of it being bad for pipes -- does anyone have info that it is? Very environmentally friendly.
About twice a year I make the effort of opening the drains and pulling out the hair snakes. Ewwwwwwwwwwwww . . . I wear rubber gloves to do it, otherwise it's way too skeevy.
The hair blob in the pic looks like a frog.
I'm all about the prevention, but the first catcher I got wasn't QUITE big enough (a few get down around the edges) and the next one was too big to sit in the drain, so I use it upside down but it's lightweight plastic so it sometimes floats up, some hair gets past it, and it gets moldy. Hot water and other stuff would be fine, but it's hair that's clogging it. Hot water, vinegar, baking soda, etc. won't tackle that mess. Thanks for the many suggestions - hopefully one will work!
Here's a great Green recipe for clogged drains:
1 kettle full of boiling water
1/2 cup of baking soda
1/4 cup salt
Put dry goods in the drain and pour boiling water down. Repeat if necessary!
One thing about the Zip-It: the instructions read to discard it after use. Is it easy enough to clean with the sharp edges that it's reusable several times?
We didn't have any luck with it, but we'll give it a try again with your instructions.
I've been using the boiling water, baking soda, & vinegar for a while without good results. I have a hair catcher in the bathtub, but one won't fit in my bathroom sink. Bummer.
Hopefully one or more of these tips will do the trick! Thanks, everyone.
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Deb | March 07, 2008 at 06:22 AM