Residential Drain Cleaning: Top Snaking Tips For Homeowners

Many methods are available if you're looking to clean your home's drains. One of the most effective is snaking, which involves using a long, thin toilet auger, resembling a snake. You'll have success if you review a couple of tactics.   

Find a Suitable Toilet Auger

Before you start snaking your household drains, find a suitable toilet auger. Fortunately, manufacturers have created several for you to choose from, varying in size, materials, and features. Review all these attributes until you find the best cleaning tool for the job.

Try a few out in person to find a toilet auger you're happy with. Find a supplier that keeps them in stock and is okay with you testing different augers. In-person assessments should leave you without any doubts about which auger to get for drain snaking. 

Send Hot Water Down the Drains

Once you have a toilet auger you feel good about and trust for drain cleaning, send hot water down the drains you plan to clean. Hot water helps break up tough residues and debris inside your drains. After sending enough hot water down each drain, go in with the toilet auger and move it around in all directions. The blockage should be much easier to break apart because it has been softened by the hot water.

Use Cleaning Products

Another tactic you should try in addition to using hot water is sending cleaning products down the drains. Hot water may not be enough if your drains are really dirty or there's a tough clog. Either way, some pretty strong cleaning products should do the job. You can trust the solutions you invest in if you research them and get recommendations from a plumber. They'll know what solutions are superior because they use them constantly.

If All Else Fails, Call a Plumber  

If you don't have success snaking your drains coupled with cleaning products and hot water, then be sure to contact a licensed and insured plumber. You may have failed in your attempts, but a plumber will see that your drains don't remain dirty for long. A plumber has several tactics that they can try, with hydro-jetting being one of the most powerful and effective. A plumber can use pressurized water to clean your drains and remove blockages. 

Routine drain cleaning keeps your pipes clear and smelling great. Drain snaking is a superior technique, especially when you use the right strategies and products. 

For more information, contact a local plumbing company, such as D.R. Jordan Plumbing Heating & Cooling.