Often when you have a clogged drain and you start to call around, you get a couple of types recommended. One company will say… “Well, we only clean drains with high-pressure jetting; it’s the only way to really clean a drain.”
And then, another company will say…“We always use a cable to clear a drain -a ‘roto-rooter machine-. Jetting drains with high water-pressure does more damage than good, and often when they do that they flood the room they are working in and make a big mess.”
Which is best? Well, like most things in plumbing, it depends. Both are very good if done correctly, and it depends on the situation…
- The pipe.
- The age of the pipe/system.
- The type of clog; is it completely blocked or is there some drainage?
- Is there a need to know and/or to be able to prove what caused the blockage?
- Is this the first time, or has this drain clogged before/often?
The following general guidelines should help you decide what to try. And I do mean ‘try.’ To this day, after almost 40-years of doing this work I only give quotes that say, “Attempt to clear main drain in house…” Attempt. Try. There are no ‘givens’ or guarantees with drain cleaning. Some drains need to be repaired or replaced and no amount of Jetting or Cabling will take care of it. Pipes break, slip loose, sink and drop, and no longer are graded properly. Some drains are flat — or almost flat — and will never work right unless changed. As the saying goes….‘You don’t know, what you don’t know.’ Our best educated guess, even if this isn’t the first time for this drain- is still a guess until you start to work with it and actually see what is there and what has happened.
Cable Drain Cleaning
It used to be that all drain cleaning was just called having it ‘roto-rootered.’ This generic term developed because at one time, the vast majority of commercial Drain Cleaning companies were a franchise called Roto-Rooter, and all they used to use was a cable to clean drains. These days we also call cable drain cleaning ‘snaking’ or using an ‘auger,’ but it’s all still the same; a simple spring-steel cable from ¼” diameter for small drains, ½” for side drains and ¾” for main drains, packaged in different ways for ease of use.
Cable drain cleaning is a very good, tried and true method of drain cleaning that can be used by both professional Techs, DIY homeowners and Maintenance people. One of the nice things about this method is the variety of sizes of cables, and you can choose from both manual and powered units depending on the worker’s experience and the needs of the system.
Small, handheld units are perfect for tub, shower and sink clogs that are within 10ft to 20ft from the access drain. A favorite of mine that I have on all our Service Trucks looks like this one I saw on Amazon…
These are great little units and they’re cheap, which is good because steel springs don’t last long after using them in water. Most anyone can get the hang of feeding this small ¼” cable slowly into a drain, but do it carefully using gloves and eye protection. Another article would be needed to address the ‘how-to-use’ part of drain cleaning, and you can get lots of free advice on YouTube. However, I will mention that except for the P-traps that are hard to get to below the floor (floor drains, tubs, and showers) or behind walls (washing machine drains), never ‘snake’ through a P-trap; remove it, clean the trap manually and snake the drainpipe with it off.
Kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks, tubs, showers, and floor-drains all can be cleared fairly easily with this type of cable tool, as long as the clog is within 10-ft to 20-ft. Clogs further away from your access point need a larger, stronger snake.
Larger ½” and ¾” snakes can be very effective for larger drainpipes, but they are also harder to use and dangerous, very dangerous, especially motorized units. Over the years I’ve heard of and seen many different injuries from bigger snakes; from losing eyes to broken hands and fingers. The ¾” snake pictured below is from the Home Depot rental department. But again, if you haven’t been trained to use it on several drains by an experienced Tech, I would call in a Drain Cleaning company to help.
These larger, stronger, and longer snakes do a good job on larger pipes and can clear almost anything. And if experienced, the tech can attach an end on the snake that will try to capture whatever has caused the clog, which is often handy when there is a question of liability and/or who will pay for the problem. As I’ve mentioned, if you don’t know that your system is in good condition, we always recommend sending a camera down after the pipe is clear to make sure and to make a digital record.
So, what type or method of drain cleaning is the best? In this issue we’ve discussed a few possibilities. Next month I’ll talk about hydro-jetting to clean drains.
by Bruce Davis, Sr.
Since 1954, Day & Nite Plumbing & Heating, a family owned and operated company, has been meeting the plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning needs of homeowners and businesses in Seattle and the surrounding areas. Whether you have a plumbing emergency, or you need a heating and cooling home comfort system, “Do it Right! Call them anytime “Day or Nite”. Be sure to browse here for in-depth answers to homeowner’s top plumbing and heating questions, or send your own questions directly to the experts.
