"Lawrence" wrote in message
oups.com...
On May 4, 9:52 pm, "Eigenvector" wrote:
I've used one of those hand held rotating drain augers but I found that
once
the spring kinks or bends it pretty much won't ever get around the U trap
ever again.

You always dissasemble the trap before snaking the drain. That style
of auger is called a "closet auger" i guess because it will fit in a
closet. It is just a flat piece of flexible steel, I believe? You
can only clean out the easiest clog with one of those since they are
so short and without power .


Well I can't dissasemble the trap on this, cast iron from the tub -if I
could it would make my life so much easier. Rusty cast iron pipes are
magnets for any hair that get put down the tub drain.

I'm glad you mentioned the flat bar types are worthless, at least I won't be
suckered in if I see them.

I wondering if the spring style auger does better or worse than the flat
bar
style. I see mostly the spring styles but am wondering if they are one
shot
items or can be expected to last forever.

My auger looks like an ordinary Milwaukee drill except that it has a
drum on the front filled with 50 feet of steel cable. This cable is
indeed coiled like a spring and there are hand augers with this type
of cable as well. Any auger will last a very long time if you keep
some oil on it and don't use it too often. Few things last forever.
It's a real bummer.

If the spring does kink, permanently bending it for the most part, should
I
toss it.

Thanks for that too. I didn't consider the fact that it might break off and
make my day even better. Actually now that I think of it, if it were to
break off I might have a reason to take a saw to the drain pipes and replace
the whole rusty bunch with black plastic. Of course I might also get a face
full of septic gas for my efforts.


Toss it. Any auger which is bent or even rusty should be replaced.
The risk of breaking it off in the pipe is too great. I routinely
wash off and oil down my auger before after each use so hopefully I
won't have to buy another.