"RogerN" wrote in message
m...
I've had a couple of problems with clogged drains and so far haven't done
much good snaking. I bought a cheap hand crank snake, it goes in a ways,
stops and I seem to make absolutely no progress. A friend suggested a
drill powered snake, goes in a ways, stops, twisted up like a pretzel
inside the pipe.

So I'm wondering if I have super tough clogs, or if it's just the cheap
Wal-Mart and hardware store snakes I'm buying? Tonight I bought a drill
powered snake that's inside a piece of tubing. So far I like it, the
tubing keeps the snake from twisting up inside the pipe easily but I still
haven't been able to clear the drain. It goes in maybe 4ft and I can't
seem to get it to go any further.

The drains I'm having trouble is the bathtub and the bathroom sink. The
sink has been clogged over a year, we quit using it. Recently the tub
clogged, we don't think it's a good idea to quit taking baths :-)
Unfortunately the crawl space is very difficult for me to access, I would
have to hire a skinny guy and the opening is on the other side of the
house, extremely inconvenient.

Is there a recommended brand and size of snake for 1-1/4 drains?

Thanks!

RogerN


There are different techniques for using a snake. One is to try to drill or
force the snake through the clog and this sometimes works okay. The other is
to try to catch bits of the clog and bring them back out the drain. The
latter generally works better on tough clogs. With a power snake you just
keep it running and slide it gently back and forth, ocassionally pullling
it all the way out to clear the tip. You should not run it in hard enough
for it to quit turning. It takes a while but generally works if you have a
suitable snake. A plumber can generally clear a completely root-blocked
line.

Don Young