Many people don’t know how to snake a toilet, and for those who do, it’s always awkward. This article will show you how to snake a toilet without any embarrassment or hesitation.
What is Toilet Snake?
Toilet snakes are also known as augers. They work well to clear blockages in a toilet’s drain pipe and can help with clearing clogs, tree roots, or other obstructions from the line. So, if you do a toilet snake, you have a better chance of fixing the problem.
Instructions for Toilet Snake
Clamp the toilet snake over the end of your plunger and slide it fully inside the drain opening to break through any clogs or blockages in that area.
Now, carefully pull back on both handles while twisting clockwise and counter-clockwise to push anything blocking an opening out of its way. Keep pulling until there’s enough room between how far you’re able at this point to get into your pipe with ease. Now lift on one handle only and see where it goes – if nothing happens then turn off the water supply before continuing further down below. (if something comes out) If you can’t find what is causing the clog, or if the snake goes down but comes back up again with a foul odor, it may be time to call in your sewer and drain company.
Steps of How Do I Snake A Toilet?
First, you will need an auger that is long enough for your toilet. Be sure to measure how deep your floor joists go down before purchasing one so it doesn’t hit the ground when inserted into the hole of the tank. You should be able to find them at any hardware store near where they sell plumbing supplies and tools. For this guide, we’re going to use a 12-inch model because most toilets are standard size.
Second, you will need a bucket. Fill it up about ¾ of the way with hot water and add some dish soap to create suds. This is needed for lubrication so the auger can go down smoothly without getting stuck inside or having any issues reaching the clogs at all.
Third, slide your bucket over next to the toilet so that when you remove its lid, it will be accessible from below as well as above in case something falls out while working on this project. It’s important not to put anything else around it because if there are other objects nearby they may get sucked into the hole too which causes more problems than just an unpleasant smell coming through your vents!
Fourth, take off both lids on the toilet and carefully insert the auger from below. Pay attention if you start to feel any resistance, because this could mean that there’s a clog – or worse yet, two! Keep going until you reach as far as possible with the auger before pulling it back up again slowly.
Once everything has been cleared out satisfactorily, replace your lids on both ends of the toilet and flush away all of those nasty smells for good! You don’t need to worry about how much water is in there anymore since we’re done!
Congratulations on doing what would usually take hours in just minutes without breaking a sweat. Now go clean yourself off before smelling like sewer slime all day long.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common frequently asked questions including answers. If you read this part, you can get your answer more easily.
So, let’s go to read.
Q. Can you use a regular snake on a toilet?
A. Sure! But you need to use the mechanism that ejects water before and after using a regular snake.
Q. What tools do I need when snake my toilet?
A. A plumber’s helper, auger, the bucket of soapy water or vinegar solution (optional), gloves, old toothbrush for scrubbing inside basin afterward.
Q. Is it difficult to snake a toilet?
A. It depends on how dirty the toilet is. In general, no – it’s not difficult at all!
Q. What will happen if I don’t snake my toilet?
A. Your pipes may get clogged and you’ll have to call a plumber to unclog them which can be expensive! The unpleasant thing that could also happen is sewer gas in your bathroom and that’s not a pretty smell.
Q. What should I do after I’ve snaked the toilet?
A. You will need to clean up, which is easy with gloves but you may want to use an old toothbrush for scrubbing inside the basin afterward. If you have used vinegar solution as part of the process.
Q. How do you unclog a toilet when a plunger doesn’t work?
A. You will need to snake the toilet – it’s a step-by-step guide in this post.
You can also read how to unclog a toilet article.
Q. How do you unblock a badly clogged toilet?
A. If you want to unblock a badly clogged toilet, then you should use a plunger first.
Q. What should you do if your toilet is constantly clogged?
A. If your toilet is constantly clogged, then it may be because the water level in the tank isn’t high enough or that there are too many paper towels near to the drainpipe and causing a back-up. You could also have a faulty flapper valve which needs replacing! To find out how to fix this problem, read our blog post “how to fix broken toilet flush”.
Q. How much does snaking a toilet cost?
A. Snaking doesn’t come cheap. The price of snaking a toilet depends on the length of pipe you need to snake through. The usual price is between $100 to $200 for a small toilet.
Q. How long does it take to snake a toilet?
A. It takes about 20 minutes on average to successfully snake a toilet. If you need help with your clogged toilet, then give us a call today! We can come out and unblock the plumbing in less than an hour – our qualified plumbers will have your bathroom back up and running within 24 hours at most!
Q. What if the toilet is clogged up with paper towels?
A. To remove a clog from your drainpipe, use a plunger first and then try using Drano. If this doesn’t work, it may be because there are too many paper towels near the opening, causing a back-up in water flow or that you have a faulty flapper valve that needs replacing! Read our blog post “how to fix broken toilet flush” for more information on how to fix this problem.
Q. What are some other things I can do before calling my professional?
A. You should try to avoid pouring anything into the toilet (liquids such as soapy water, bleach, and even dish soap) since this could cause more damage to the plunger by weakening its suction power. Furthermore, you should also try using a plumber’s helper first – which is simply just another name for plungers that have been extended on their handles with an elastic band or rubber tubing attached at both ends of each extension. This will allow you to place the plunger in a more stable and effective position.
In order to snake out any clogs, you’ll need to first remove all of the water from your toilet tank by flushing it multiple times or using a device such as a bucket, canister vacuum cleaner, or just plain old “Camelbak” that has been filled with clean water. This will create air pressure in the system which is necessary for proper functioning.
Conclusion
Overall, we can say that if you know how to snake a toilet, the process isn’t that hard. You just need time and patience. With all of these tips in mind, it should make your job much easier next time one of these clogs happens to pop up again!
