When you notice a clog giving your Michigan home hassles like slow drains, you may come across recommendations for drain snakes. How does snaking a drain work? Are there risks you should be aware of?
As a top-notch plumber in Ann Arbor, MI, Dynamic Drains Plumbing & Sewer Service daily deals with pipe blockage removal. Below, the team shares more about safely removing drain obstructions with a drain snake.
How Removing a Clog Works With a Plumbing Snake
The drain snake mechanism depends on a long cable wound onto a spool. You insert the cable into the drain or sewer line where you believe the clog exists. The head of the cable has an attachment that penetrates whatever is causing your system’s clog.
Some plumbing snakes have a motor that pushes and pulls the cable through the drain or sewer line. Other devices have a hand crank for retracting the cable but require some manual pressure to force the cable down into the line.
Can I DIY Snaking a Drain?
For most non-plumbers, figuring out how to perform the drain auger process to clear the sewer or drain yourself can be a challenge. Too much force isn’t a good idea with the cable rotation in plumbing and sewer systems – you could cause damage.
So, it’s nearly always better to call a plumber who has experience with the plumbing snake.
How Does Snaking a Drain Work With a Sewer Connection?
Do you have a problem with a clog in the sewer line that extends from your home or apartment building? How does snaking a drain work in these different settings? Let’s look at an example of homes and apartments below.
Clearing the Drain in Your Home
When you call a local plumber for a plumbing snake service, the professional will try to determine the location of the blockage. If the clog is clearly inside a kitchen drain or bathroom sink drain, the plumber will use a smaller auger. If the clog seems to be in the sewer lateral line that extends out of your home, the plumber may use a stiffer cable and larger auger to reach it and break it up.
If you have a cleanout for your sewer lateral line, the drain snake uses this access point.
Clearing the Drain in an Apartment Complex
Big apartment buildings can have sewer line issues, too, but it can be far more challenging to find the source of the clog in these extensive systems. How does snaking a drain work if you’re in an apartment building in Ann Arbor, Michigan? The plumber may start by studying the sewer and drain line system inside the apartment building.
Are multiple units having problems with slow draining or backups? If so, the plumber may try snaking the building’s lateral sewer line. If only a few units are having problems, the plumber may snake the drains in individual units to locate the problem and dislodge the clog.
The plumber may also snake a sewer cleanout that serves the section of the apartment where the plumbing problems exist.
Does Ann Arbor, Michigan, Public Works Help With Sewer Line Clearing?
The Public Works Department routinely clears the city’s sewer system. The process uses high-pressure water jets or vacuum tools to keep water and solids flowing smoothly through the system. However, this department does not carry the responsibility to maintain the private sewer lateral.
The Public Works Department won’t help with the portion of the sewer pipe that extends from your property’s internal sewer system to Ann Arbor’s main sewer trunk line. If this part of the line has blockages, you would need to hire a local plumber who can deploy the plumbing snake function.
The plumber should also answer any questions you have about this process, including:
- How does snaking a drain work?
- How do you know where the blockage is?
- What should I do if the clog lies in the main sewer line?
The city constantly monitors its main sewer lines, so most clogs occur in the property owner’s drains or private lateral sewer lines. Your plumber will do an inspection to know for sure, though.
How Does Snaking a Drain Work? Our Ann Arbor, MI, Plumbing Professionals Present Sewer-Clearing Options
Whether you have issues with sewer pipes at home or in an extensive apartment complex, you need a clogged drain solution you can trust. At Dynamic Drains Plumbing & Sewer Service, we can explain all our methods for drain cleaning, including showing you how snaking a drain works. For more information or to schedule service in Ann Arbor, MI, call us today!