by Joe Brooks

Created on: April 10, 2010

When you are forced to deal with a clogged toilet, and calling the plumber is not your first choice, there is no friend like the drain snake or plumber's auger. With a little luck and some careful work, you may avoid getting your hands into the problem, and avoid making the call to the plumbing professional as well. You will need a drain snake, of course.

If you are heading out to shop for one, being the prepared type and wanting to be ready, or possibly being a pessimist and expecting the worst, you should know that there are two types of drain snake commonly available. Both work the same way, and will work to remove the clog. The plumber's auger specifically designed for the toilet, though, is the one you should get if you have the choice. These toilet snakes have a protective covering over the section of the snake nearest you. This is not to protect you, or to protect the snake, but to protect the toilet finish from the snake as it twists and turns, trying to access the offending substance clogging your toilet.

Having armed yourself with the proper tool, approach the non-functional toilet and consider the situation before going to work. You will notice that your drain snake has a kind of coiling wiry end on it. This is because the thing is designed to twist itself into the clog and pull it back out. True, it may be possible to just break up the plug and have it flush conveniently away. But there is a good chance that there is a solid mass of something that may need to be withdrawn and disposed of decently.

People that commonly deal with these situations, which is to say plumbers, report that these clogs are often formed by toys or other objects that shouldn't have been flushed, which have since caught and accumulated other matter that you would expect to be flushed down the toilet. So, to avoid getting in the situation of needing to know how to use the plumber's auger, be watchful. Admonish and supervise your children, if any, and be careful yourself about what goes into the toilet.

But if, despite all care, you find yourself facing a clogged toilet, here is what you do: Introduce the business end of the drain snake into the toilet. That's the wiry end. Push it through until it contacts the clog. A little twisting and turning may be required as it works its way through the bends. When you are there, or think you are, try pushing while turning, to work the end into the clog. When you feel you may have it, gently withdraw the assembly, hoping to bring the problem with you. You may have a brilliant success the first try. But if not, give it several good attempts.

If you best efforts fail, there is another step you may be willing to take. That is to remove the toilet from its seal. There are usually only a couple of bolts holding it down, and a thick seal that will need to be replaced. If you decide to do that, have the new seal ready so that you can get the toilet back in business quickly. You can loosen the bolts and lift the toilet off its seal. Then you will be able to go through the snake insertion process again, but this time you are quite a bit further down the line than when trying to work through the toilet.

Really, if you have taken it all the way to the removing-the-toilet stage and have not been able to cure the clog, it may be time to call in the plumbers. Modern plumbing specialists have some cool tools to locate and identify the clog problem. They can remove the blockage quickly and get you and your family back to flushing merrily once again.

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