Keep pushing more of the snake into the drain until you feel resistance.
Using a snake to unclog a drain.
A clogged bathtub drain can be cleared in several ways.
First remove hair in the drain and then pour boiling water down the drain.
Push the end of the snake into the drain opening and turn the handle on the drum that contains the coiled up snake.
The snake will collect hair and gunk clogging the drain and then pull it back out of the pipes.
Shower drains can easily be clogged with hair and other debris but fortunately they are among the easiest fixtures to clear using a drain snake while a normal bathtub drain is usually 1 1 2 inches in diameter a shower drain is often 2 inches in diameter making it easier to insert a small drain snake directly into the drain opening and down through the trap where most clogs are found.
Unclogging a shower drain can be a diy project.
Remember to start with the easiest ways to unclog a shower drain.
Since unclogging stubborn drains hopefully won t be a regular activity in your home consider renting a high quality drain snake over buying a cheap one.
Most clogged bathtub drains can be cleared with a plunger or by removing and cleaning out the tub stopper if after trying both of these your bathtub is still clogged the next step is to use a snake to clear the drain.
If the clog persists use a plunger plumber s snake or chemical drain opener.
Snaking is the process of using a plumber s snake to clean out all of the old hair and soap residue that collects in a drain.
Snaking a clogged drain is preferable to using chemical cleaners because the snake will not damage your pipes.
For all around use the best drain snake is a 3 8 inch model that s about 20 feet long.
Shorter 1 4 inch types will work for most clogs too.
It s easy to turn down into the drain.
The basic process is as follows.
The equipment is easy to use but ask the dealer for operating instructions.
Even the least expensive toilet snake will clear a toilet but the closet auger is a special type of drain snake designed to get around the first bend keep debris at arm s length and yet still spin the coil to hook foreign objects.