Home Depot 1/4" x 25' Drain Auger Review

Overall 4.00 of 5 (by 1 user)

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kid-kansas
Clearwater, KS

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This is one snake I don't mind holding!

budget-conscious, a homeowner, Mr. Fix-it, impressed with this product

Pros

Clears clogs fairly easy, Saves you money in the long run, easy to use

APR

2008

We have all been there at one time or another, taking a shower and the water doesn't go down the drain. Some use a liquid drain cleaner while some of us use a Plumbers Snake. Considering I was a plumber for more than 10 years I prefer the hands on approach of using a snake. Being I also have a Septic System a snake is much better in my case.

Home Depot 1/4" x 25' Hand Auger

Encased in a plastic drum is a 1/4" x 25' strand of steel cable which is also known as a plumbers snake. On the end is a larger loose coil that grabs hair and facilitates the cleaning in small diameter drain pipes. The best way to make it more effective (but also harder to use) is too make a bend at the end (between the head and 1/4" wire part of approx. 20-30 degrees. This allows it to whip around and clean the entire inside of the drain better.

The hardest part is getting past the trap (u shaped part of a drain that prevents sewer gases from entering your home) It takes a steady push and sometimes the patience of the Pope to get this done but it is one of the evils of doing it yourself. Once you do it you can appreciate why Plumbers charge you so much! a 25' snake should be plenty enough to take care of 95% of most Kitchen or Bathroom drains in your home. You can even use it on a toilet if a plunger is not doing the trick.

If you flush your toilet and the water gurgles in your bathroom sink, shower or tub this will not do you any good because your main line is stopped up! Also if you cannot fit the head of this through the drain opening because it has a screen or cross piece you can cut the head of it off (still have a bend at the end though) providing the screen is not removable.

Having long hair makes this a very useful tool to have around the house, especially if a plunger doesn't do the trick. Now being a nice guy I am going to share one of the tricks of the plumbing trade so listen up closely.

Before you buy a snake

A little trick I learned during my adventures as a plumber may save you a few headaches when you encounter a slow or stopped up drain. A plunger is a great tool if used properly and I am going to share my knowledge so you too can save some money. The first thing to remember about using a plunger is the fact that water is your friend so use it to your advantage!

Let us say your shower is slow or stopped up and all you have is a plunger to use. If it is topped up the water is already standing there but add more so you have at least 2" of water, if it is not stopped up but just slow cover the drain and add a few inches of water.

Now it is better to clear the drain on the up stroke rather than down. so push down slow and then YANK UP as hard as you can. Repeating as many times as needed to clear the drain. Check every few strokes and pull any hair out that comes up. By pulling up you stand a better chance of clearing the clog. Because if you push you are only moving it further down the pipe and making a simple chore into a much harder one.

This will also work on sinks and tubs but you need to block the overflow. Do this by wetting a rag and plugging the overflow (leave enough sticking out to hold onto or you will have a bigger problem) Don't let the rag get sucked into the overflow!

Bottom Line

My little hand snake has probably paid for itself a hundred times over by allowing me to avoid dialing for a plumber. With my wife and I both having long hair it gets used about once a month. This little snake also works great on the kitchen sink to get it running better. I also don't have to worry about using chemicals that can cause eye injury or ruin the natural biological balance of my septic system. This was probably the best $20 I ever spent for a tool as it keeps paying for itself every time I use it!