One of the most asked questions in plumbing forums and online is how to make a plumbing snake turn corners.
To get a drain snake around the corners, attach the end of the snake to a drill or any type of auger, and put the drill in reverse. Slowly bring the drill around the corner until you hit the clog.
Making a plumbing snake turn corners is possible and not that hard if you’re ready to try it. We have all the resources you need to make it happen, so don’t let a corner stop you from getting your work done!
Find Out How To Make a Plumbing Snake Turn Corners
The plumbing snake is one of the most popular plumbing tools. It is ideal for clearing clogs and getting rid of blockages within drains.
Plumbers insert the snake into the drain and push it down until they reach the clog.
Most snakes come in straight sections that are fastened together to form a long line that can be inserted into the drain.
The snake has a spiral end that grasps whatever is causing the clog and pulls it back out of the drain.
It can easily remove hair out of drain, food particles, and other items from a pipe or drain.
But what do you do if the clog is around the corner?
Here’s how to turn a corner with a drain snake:
- Have a drain snake with a corkscrew auger and make sure that it is securely attached to the cable.
- Locate the clog through the cleanout plug.
- Push the corkscrew auger through the clog until it no longer moves forward, then crank backward about 1/4 turn and push again.
- Repeat this process until you can feel that you are passing through the clog, then keep pushing until the end of the auger comes out of the drain.
- Remove all debris from the drain by pushing forward on the cable and then pulling back quickly.
How To Get Snake Past P Trap?
What Is a P-Trap?
A trap is an important plumbing fixture that prevents bad odors from entering your house and also creates a water barrier between your home and the sewer system.
The shape of the drain pipe beneath your sink is called a P-trap because it looks like a P on its side, and it does its job by “trapping” some water after you use the sink or flush the toilet.
In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through a step-by-step process on how to get a snake past P Trap.
- Inspect the P-trap to ensure it is not clogged.
A clogged P-trap will reduce or prevent flow through the drain line, making it difficult or impossible to snake past the trap.
- Turn off the water supply at the shutoff valve beneath the sink.
- Remove the screw that secures the P-trap to the underside of the sink and remove it from the drain lines.
- The trap will be filled with water so hold a bucket underneath to catch it all.
- Attach a cable auger or snake to your drill and push it through the drain line until you encounter resistance or reach a total length of 15 feet, whichever comes first.
- Unwind any cable caught in your drill by running it in reverse until it is free of any debris on the auger head or cable tip.
Snaking a Shower Drain Past The Trap
Often, the only obstruction in shower drains is hair, though other clogs may also be present.
Here we’ll show you how to snake a shower drain past the trap, which is a curved pipe that prevents sewer gases from entering back into your house.
-First, install the auger on the end of the cable. Next, we’ll remove the trim plate and feed the cable into the drain pipe.
We’ll run it until it hits resistance at the trap or goes around two or three bends in the drain pipe.
Now, we’re going to remove some of the excess cables by using pliers to grab 3 to 4 feet of cable and securely hold it while winding it back onto the drum with our other hand.
Next, turn on the water and look for bubbles coming from the U-bend portion of your drain trap.
If you don’t see any, then your clog is beyond your trap and you must continue snaking past it.
If there are bubbles, push in more cable and pull out more slack until they go away.
How to snake past a 90-degree turn?
Let’s find out how to snake a 90-degree bend.
But first, make sure you have the appropriate equipment for the job. A drain snake is ideal, but a snake hook or a sink hook will work in a pinch.
Loosen the head of your drain snake as much as possible, then insert it into the sink, tub, or toilet.
You may need to use a pair of pliers to turn the head if it’s particularly stubborn.
If you’re using a hook instead of a drain snake, insert it into the pipe in the same way.
Gently feed the snake past the bend and into the pipe until you feel resistance.
This is likely to be caused by the build-up of materials that have been blocking your pipe.
Once you have reached this point, slowly try to dislodge whatever it is that is clogging your pipe.
If you are using a traditional drain snake, grip its handle tightly and slowly rotate it clockwise as you feed it further into the pipe.
If your drain snake has an auger (a drill-like device), push this further into the pipe as you rotate its handle clockwise.
Can a Drain Snake Break a Pipe?
Not likely. In fact, it’s rather rare that a plumbing snake breaks in the pipe, as long as the plumber is trained and experienced.
Drain snakes are meant to clear blockages from pipes, not break them.
They consist of a steel cable coiled inside a drum that is connected to a handle.
This enables you to feed the cable into the pipe and twist it so that it breaks up anything blocking the pipe.
They are used on sinks and toilets in individual homes and on sewer lines in more commercial settings like office buildings or restaurants.
That said, if the snake is pushed too far into the pipe or the pipe is too small for the snake, it can cause damage.
Drain Auger Stuck in Pipe
If an auger gets stuck in the pipe, it usually is because it has become twisted. Remove the auger from the pipe and untwist it.
Then, remove any blockages in the pipe.
When you have removed any blockage and uncoiled the cable, reinsert the auger into the drainpipe.
If this doesn’t work, you may need to cut the cable and remove it manually with a pair of needle-nose pliers.
Snake Won’t Go Down the Bathtub Drain
A snake is a useful tool for unclogging drains, and when your snake won’t go down the bathtub drain, there may be an issue with the drain itself.
The most common cause of them becoming stuck in the drain is when the snake becomes wrapped around the auger itself.
This can happen when the snake is incorrectly inserted into the drain, but it’s also possible for it to happen even if the snake was inserted correctly.
If you try to pull out and it doesn’t budge, it’s likely that it has become wrapped around something inside your bathtub.
To release this, you’ll need to insert a long string or zip tie into your drain and then pull out whatever is causing your snake to get stuck.
Snake Won’t Go Down The Toilet
Yes, it can be frustrating when a snake won’t go down the toilet. Here are a few things you can try.
- Turn off the water valve to the toilet.
- Flush the toilet multiple times to drain as much water out of it as possible.
- Using a plunger, try to remove the clog.
- Check for defective parts. Sometimes a toilet just doesn’t work as well as it used to.
- If none of these steps solve your problem, it’s probably time for a new toilet.
Drain Snake Stuck in Bathtub
When a drain snake is stuck in the bathtub, this usually means that it has been caught or bent, and you will need to remove it before you can use the drain snake again.
To remove a drain snake that is stuck in the bathtub, follow these steps:
- Remove all of the hair in the bathtub drain with your hands. This is important because human hair can be very sharp and will easily slice through a drain snake’s metal.
In addition, hair can be very thick and sticky, so it is difficult to pull out of a drain snake once it has become embedded in the metal.
- Pull at the drain snake gently but firmly to free it from anything that is holding it down or bending it.
If you are not able to pull the drain snake free by hand, try using pliers or a wrench to twist it free from its position.
- Once you have removed the drain snake from its current position, use your hands to straighten out any kinks or twists that may have formed when removing the tool from its current location.
How To Snake a Drain From Outside
If you want to know how to use a drain snake outside, please follow the steps below:
Locate the clean-out plug. This should be located on the exterior of your home, near where your sewer line connects with the main sewer line.
The clean-out plug is usually made out of metal and looks like a small cap on top of a pipe.
It will have a circular notch cut into it so that you can insert something into it and turn it counterclockwise in order to open up an access point for your drain snake.
Once you’ve removed this plug (and disposed of any waste that has been building up behind it), attach your drain snake to its handle using an adjustable wrench or pliers.
Once attached, place one end of the drain snake’s flexible handle into the clean-out plug opening.
Begin turning the crank located on top of the snake’s head until you feel resistance from an obstruction inside the pipes.
How To Use a Snake For Plumbing
If you’re having trouble with a clogged drain, you may need to use a snake that you can get from a hardware store.
It’s basically a long, flexible rod with a crank at one end and an auger at the other; in this case, the auger is actually a coil of wire.
First off, make sure your sink or shower has been drained as much as possible so you don’t have any standing water left over in the pipes.
Then, insert the auger into the pipe, turning the crank slowly to ensure that it doesn’t get caught on anything.
Once you feel that you’ve hit what’s causing your clog, rotate the handle of your snake clockwise (to the right) until it catches whatever’s in there.
Plumbing Snake Stuck In Main Line
A plumbing snake stuck in the main line is a problem that’s not uncommon and it can be a huge hassle.
If is stuck, it’s going to be impossible to move it and use it to clear whatever clog you were trying to fix.
Here’s the thing – you should not attempt to remove it yourself!
Instead, call a professional plumber immediately.
This condition can result in damage to your home or business’s plumbing system that can be costly to repair
It can also cause health hazards due to contaminated water.
Cobra Tools Skinny Snake Won’t Turn
The Cobra Snake is designed to be flexible, but if yours is not turning when you try to use it, it could mean a few different things.
First, make sure that you’re using the Skinny Snake in a compatible tool.
Sometimes people will buy this product thinking it’s a drill bit, which is not the case.
Make sure you attach it only to the Cobra Tools Skinny Snake Wrench or another compatible tool.
Next, make sure that the metal prong at the business end of the snake has not been bent out of shape.
If it has, this will prevent the snake from moving as designed.
Is Your Drain Snake Twisted
If you’re reading this, it’s probably because your drain snake is twisted.
The first thing to do is check to see if the wire came out of the snake. Chances are, that’s what happened.
If so, just push it back in and make sure the tip of the wire is facing out.
If that’s not the problem, then it’s time to unplug it and untwist it by hand.
Using a drain snake that is not twisted can cause your work to take longer because it will not be as efficient as it should be.
Drain Snake Keeps Going Up Vent
Your drain snake keeps going up the vent because it has lost its way.
This happens when the snake is not inserted properly or when the line has a sharp corner that you have not yet reached.
Yes, it is also likely due to the fact that the vent is not clear.
To get a good idea of what is in the vent, use this tool to loosen up any blockage and then flush it all down with water.
This will give you a good indication of what is clogging the vent.
Questions and Answers
How do you unclog a drain if a snake doesn’t work?
You can try an auger. This is more likely to be effective than a snake and can help remove more clogs. You can also remove the drain cap and use a plumber’s helper to dislodge the clog.
Can snaking a drain make it worse?
Absolutely. You’re basically just pushing the clog further down the line. This may seem like a good thing, but in reality, it’s just making the issue worse.
In which direction do you turn a drain snake?
If the blockage is caused by a clump of long hairs you can use your drain snake clockwise. If the blockage is caused by a clog inside the drainpipe, you can turn your drain snake counterclockwise, which will push it through the pipe and clear it.
Conclusion
Plumbing snakes are versatile and useful, which makes them a great tool to have around the house. They are easily customizable to reach the pipes or whatever you wish to clean and will make the job much easier.
I hope this article helped you properly use one of these handy devices, including how to make a plumbing snake turn corners.