On Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:48:59 -0700, the infamous "Bob La Londe"
scrawled the following:

"RogerN" wrote in message
om...
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?

I will tell you, a power snake will pay for itself pretty quickly if it will
clear your lines over the cost of calling out a drain service a couple
times, but for many people its just cheaper and easier to call out a drain
service.

I'm with Bob on this: Go with a large power snake and do it from the
roof vents, Roger. Buy or $30 rent from an equipment rental place.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=46769

Or call a plumber each time, at $80-$150 a pop.


I have a moderate size power snake and an adolescent girl in the house. I

Is this a reference to girls tossing tampons and pads down the toilet,
or just their uncanny way of using a whole roll of TP in a couple
days, Bob? sigh I change rolls once every couple months unless
the family is visiting at Christmas, when I change rolls every 3 days.
3 women can go through a large roll in 3 days. Unbelievable!

--
Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without
hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness.
-- George Sand