How to use a drain snake

Ask the maintenance man how to use a drain snake

[@lookitsanotherpig9708]

It worked! Best Video I found on the subject!

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Glad to hear. Thanks for the feedback.

[@frankkiejo5560]

Thank you! I'm sitting on my patio with a brand new snake on my lap, about to do this for the first time, and you've been very helpful! 👍

[@kristoferazevedo2888]

I wish I could post a picture because I am doing the exact same thing

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Nice. Hope it goes well for you.

[@gottaloveskillet]

about to use this thing on a shop vac. 1000 and 1 uses right?

[@thicok4590]

Less talk more action

[@eddyvideostar]

@@kristoferazevedo2888: Kristofer Azevedo: What's stopping you? You can publish and post your picture. Send links; or -- upload a pic and a quick vid. Get yourself moving on the KZbin thing: for views and subs. This would be a good start: Bid you well.

[@mrhok8278]

Just unclogged a bathtub drain after watching your guide. Very helpful and now I’ve got enough hair to make about 3 wigs!!🤣🧑🏻‍🦱

[@stephaniebisnauthsing1566]

This is the second time I've bought this type of snake and I never got it to work. I watched another video on KZbin yesterday that didn't really help but this little gem right here helped me out so much!! Thank you I can now wash my hair without flooding the downstairs neighbors lol. I really like how you explained all the small steps like pushing down while spinning for corners...I didn't know that. Finally I don't regret buying another one of these snakes, almost went and got one for 80 bucks when this one works just fine!

[@darkiepoo8949]

washing your hair without trying to catch it beforehand is a real choice

[@RepentorPerish07]

Hi! I am a hebrew speaker, and i saw your tattoo. Thank you for your help. May Jesus bless you.

[@BobbyLips]

I had a cemented in cast iron drain for a basement shower that was clogged. Using a Dremel to remove enough grout around the drain cover to get the grate out I was greeted with a small bucket full of gunk. Remove all that with a grabber tool. Shop vac to remove remaining water at the bottom and it looked clean, but water still wouldn't go down. I bought one of these at Harbor Freight and didn't make any progress. It just spun around. OMG! I was going to call a drain service in the morning but stumbled on this video before bed time. My issue was I wasn't using the lock so it was just spinning around. I only went about 5 feet and had a really hard time pulling out the snake but figured I'd test it out. 15 minutes of running water and it all went down as expected without any slow down! I don't want to push it with it working now. Thank you so much!

[@Sh1tzboutagodown]

Fake news Bobby. Stop the nonsense.

[@randomsimplethings]

Thank you for showing me how to use a snake, AND, for helping me unclog my bathroom sink...all by myself (no husband was home from work) and without having to call an expensive plumber. I detached all pipes and was able to put everything back together again, thank God! Thanks again!!

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Glad to hear a positive comment. Congratulations on accomplishing it yourself. Way to go!

[@mindyhanson4124]

Why would you need a husband to work one of these?

[@patriotmama1749]

@@mindyhanson4124 because if he was home he would have noticed it and worked on it.

[@irisheyesofbelfast]

Mine was home and he didn't move off of the couch. He would if I had asked, but he's not always home and I wanted to know how to do it myself.​@patriotmama1749

[@amartinez8702]

I bought that same snake tool. I gave it a try; it didn't work because I didn't know how to use it. With your explanation I was able to unclog the drain. Thank you so much!!!😀👍

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Glad to hear the video helped.

[@grafxbyjaded4639]

Bought an auger and tried for 15 minutes and it didn't seem to be able to move past 2 feet, but wasn't unclogging either. Watched your video and gave it another try and it worked! Thank you!

[@biohazardfilms5830]

I purchased the same brand of auger from Lowe's hours prior writing this comment. We had a clog beyond the P-trap in our kitchen sink. This video helped save me a minimum of $120! Hint to others, when you smell the sewer gas, you've broken through. Many thanks from me to you!

[@mabs9503]

yo this is legit what i was looking for, how to know when i'm done.

[@mabs9503]

it turns out that sometimes when you smell sewage you actually _aren't_ done

[@eddyvideostar]

@@mabs9503: This is more true -- This is when you've just started.

[@benicio1967]

@@mabs9503 After our washing machine backed up we snaked our clean out pipe outside about 5 times and only got out a relatively small chunk of hair. We couldn’t manage to get anything else out and finally gave up after the 5th try. We can’t understand why we didn’t get more out because we assumed there had to be a pretty severe block since the pipe beside our washer had water overflowing from it. Now it seems to be draining perfectly fine. Any ideas as to whether or not that tiny bit of hair could have possibly loosened up the clog? Last time the plumber pulled out a massive clog. What we got was almost nothing.

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

If the drain takes a five gallon bucket of water or two it sounds like your suspicion may be right. I’ve freed up clogs that showed no evidence on the snake but I made sure by following it with a lot of water.

[@gottaloveskillet]

Thank you for the video. First time home owner and enjoying all the little quirks of home maintenance!

[@eddyvideostar]

Gotta Love it: Have fun.

[@wannawatchu66]

You sound like me 22 years ago.

[@debbielangdon7582]

Thank you! This is a very realistic video. I have never used a snake I'm about to do so and picked up several useful tips from this video.

[@conniescott4239]

Thank you I can now go and hopefully unclog my washer drain. Apparently the company that makes those drain cleaners didn't think to put on there about the lock weird but thank you for your video it's much appreciated...

[@abellopez8820]

I want to thank you. I started to snake the pipe that was clogged, but I couldn't get it down very far I kept hopping that it would just go in. It wasn't until I watched your video that showed me how to go around corners. So thanks.

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Glad to hear this video helped. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Have a great day!

[@David-gw2lv]

Thank you so much! I bought this snake today and tried using it without knowing that there is a cable locking clamp. I used it with no luck, I'm guessing because I didn't know about locking the cable. The unit had no instructions and I' sure glad I watched your video. Many thanks again.

[@BeckVMH]

Yep, thank goodness for KZbin.

[@raybud28]

Just did mine the same way you did yours. Thanks so much, Pulled out a bunch of Gunk. Great Video!

[@mariannetrcka8973]

Thank you! I worked on my kitchen drain for a couple of hours and was about to give up on it when I decided to KZbin how to use a snake. Found out I wasn’t using it correctly! After watching your video it took about 20 minutes to clear the drain.

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Glad to hear the video helped.

[@BeckVMH]

Ditto. These “how to” videos are invaluable.

[@themauians1590]

Just used the auger and your advice. Worked like a charm. Thanks for the information.

[@litiviousspartus4611]

Great video, short and to the point and not overly talking like so many of these types of videos.

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Thanks. That’s exactly what I’m going for each video I make.

[@crbondur]

Thanks for the video. Was frustrated trying to use the snake and realized I was doing it wrong! (D'OH!) Really appreciate the help.

[@ringa8600]

Thanks for the video. Clear and concise, perfect.

[@MrTomTeachesAgain]

Have a drain that looks exactly like that in basement with standing water. Good directions . Worked just like you said. Thanks!

[@sergiovelasco5020]

Just finished doing this. It worked, saved me hundreds of dollars. Thanks.

[@shawnyo7865]

Just bought this cobra snake to use and worked great. Great video thanks.

[@EricArtman]

Excellent video! I greatly appreciate all the comments you add during each step.

[@marilynleher8043]

Thanks for explaining the lock and release. Other videos didn't! Great job!

[@57corvettehead]

Thank you for showing how to use this snake. Saved me money in a plummer that I just don't have to spend.

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Glad the video helped.

[@badnomad357]

The new design snake similar to this has a trigger handle. Then the handle is gripped it holds the snake tight but as you turn it while gripping it feeds the snake forward. You can still release the trigger and slide the snake in or out. Works great and close to same price

[@pureflix8086]

Thank you. Even if i dont get the problem, your explanation was concise and simplified. Other guys whove done videos like these tend to tell stupid backstories that have little to do with the subject, worse, some explain very little and sit back like theyve done the world a favor.

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

I’m in this to help people so thanks for the feedback.

[@amandabaker2540]

Thank you! Very informative video. Helped us with all our questions.

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Great to hear. Thanks for the positive comment! Glad the video helped.

[@cynthiaclark4990]

My friend let me borrow his snake but didn't tell me how to use it. So, at 65 yrs old I am learning, for the first time, how to use one! Thank you so much!!! I am 99% sure that the snake I have is not big enough for the drain going out of my house to the street but it's my effort to see if I can avoid or lessen a very expensive plumber bill for my 75 yr old house.

[@warnerwalter7427]

Thank you! You saved me a lot of money for such a simple task!

[@MissBug]

Thank you! I watched your video and it was very knowledgeable to how to use the product. Every drain will have something different down there. Who cares what he pulls out as long as he’s able to get it out lol 😂. Good job and thank you for all the tips! I’m a single mom and watching this vid and others helped me not have to call a plumber. 🙏🏼

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Thanks for the comment. I’m not posting videos for any other reason than to help people out and get any questions they may have answered. Have a great weekend.

[@abelis644]

I'm a single woman as well, all I would add to this video is: SAFETY FIRST!!!!!!! ALWAYS wear safety goggles for ANY AND ALL such jobs, even if you wear glasses, as your eyes cannot grow back!!! AND wear gloves, gangrene and flesh eating disease are not pretty!!! Also, don't wear loose clothing that can get caught in tools.

[@danieljones5138]

Haha that’s funny love it

[@INJURYCOMP]

@@abelis644 @Abelis 🇺🇦 YOU are absolutely correct, Abelis!! Rubber gloves, eye protection, etc. is always good for projects from cutting the grass to jobs like this!! I will copy and paste what you said...SAFETY FIRST!!!!!!! Having said that, we had to snake our basement drain pipe from the Washer. There was a clog somewhere in between that pipe and the main sewer pipe. A company plumber came and gave us an estimate of $409.00 ! I was polite and escorted him to the door. He did tell me that I could get one of these types of snakes and snake it myself (it was about 4 feet to snake). After watching this video, we bought one like yours for 15 bucks, snaked it about 4 times and pulled a bunch of lint off the snake and the drain opened! Thank you. We did have gloves on and eye protection and showered afterwards. To a layman, it is very gross work - but somebody has to do it and it might as well be a DYI project!! And, yes, we will have it for the next clog!

[@jameszelaznysr.2681]

Very informative , you made it easy to understand. Thanks for the video.

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Thanks for the compliment!

[@dorothyschmidt8701]

Thank you! Just bought a Cobra drain snake just like this for my stubbornly blocked bathtub drain.

[@kwcullen89]

My daughter and I found this helpful, thanks!! 👍

[@Slaavs]

Legend!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!!! It helped me a lot! Cheers

[@MadMax-yq1xb]

Great tips. It worked very well. Thanks !!

[@zachgray9104]

Hahah soo ecstatic about that damn cap. It feels good when work turns up results!

[@jefftackett9482]

Really great video. I actually watched this so before I go buy one I have knowledge for when I get it and this video seemed to tell me everything I needed to know

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Glad to hear it helped you out. Have a great weekend.

[@abelis644]

Just make sure that you wear safety goggles and appropriate gloves. This gentleman needs to be more aware of safety rules!!! Your eyes cannot grow back and gangrene and flesh eating disease are ugly, smell bad as your flesh rots off your body and can kill you...

[@eddyvideostar]

@@TheMaintenanceMan: Dear MM: Can this be effective on the mainline?

[@lydiakaul4703]

Thank you my dad has used several times, but wouldn't let me so it's my first time. Wish me luck. I quite capable of shown. Instructions are easy to follow and your tips also. Great video. Will be subscribing just in case I have another unexpected event

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Thanks for sharing your story. Thanks for the support.

[@billymakesmusic]

Video very helpful having never used this tool before. I had to do it twice before it cleared out. I also used one of the hose bladders that I think helped clear out the remaining crud. A nasty job but not so nasty that saving a two or three hundred bucks on a plumber didn’t make it worth it.

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Glad the video helped

[@kinggoddavid5104]

Watched ten vids this was the best yet ty sir

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Great to hear. Thanks for the feedback.

[@those_eyes]

The Husky auger I bought had a lousy lock. Yours is much better! Thanks for video!!!

[@Pterocarpous]

Thank you! Glad I watched this before using my drum auger aka hand/drain snake for the 1st time!

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Glad to hear the video helped

[@sabin97]

i'm about to use one of those for the first time for a super slow flowing drain. i tried the peaceful method of boiling water + baking soda + vinegar.......it helped a tiny bit....but it's time for some brute force. this video dispelled a lot of misconceptions i had.

[@stephdoyle22]

Thank you! Great tutorial. I needed a refresher. Off to find the clog!

[@Sipled1]

Hot tip: use a rag to wipe the snake as it retracts into the housing.

[@clairestaffieri4398]

Amazing !! Thank you for posting this !! Absolutely helpful

[@une4s]

Thank you for this. My bathroom floor drain has been overflowing every shower, and now it drains smoothly again.

[@kLJiae]

Please help me! My family is dealing with similar thing, FOR TWO WEEKS NOW! It’s so embarrassing, I’m a 16 year old girl and need proper shower, so i want to help fix this

[@NathanMichaelBlack]

This was really helpful, thank you. It worked perfectly, but so gross. I found several screws, metal circles?, and lots of gunk.

[@eddyvideostar]

To Nathan Black: A plumber will cost: Evaluate the savings value of DIY. Yourself and your significant other -- or -- ecstasy provider can always change things with a 50 cent bar of Irish Spring and Camay; whereas a plumber will dent your savings account, big-time -- That stinks!

[@kolotoure14]

Great video, made it look very easy.

[@sylviapinalhuerta7868]

Thank You, you actually showed me how to do it step by step.

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

I’m glad to hear you were successful. Way to go!

[@thewoozyreviewer7340]

This is much better than the Cobra Tools one I purchased. Thanks for the info :-)

[@chrisnomad]

Not sure if that end bit was meant to be funny but thanks for the chuckle! And the useful info

[@snowleopard7952]

Useful, thanks. I had no idea how this worked until watching this. I too have a slow drain.

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Thanks for the comment. Hope everything turns out ok. Let me know if you have any questions.

[@patrickdean2669]

Thanks for the help! Love your style!

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Thanks for the compliment. Glad the video helped.

[@TBoneBoomBoom]

Very informative video...thank you!

[@djflipping6506]

Very helpful video, thank you!

[@alvinkinds]

Thanks for sharing this awesome information.👍🏼👍🏼

[@brandonmyers4713]

Fantastic video. I used the same product for the same drain!

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Wonderful. It’s nice to hear Maintenance Man fans achieving success.

[@alexsanabria9194]

I bought this from Lowes. At first time of use the entire wire come out! Was imposible to attach again into the drum. So.. the best thing what I do was to put this toy in a bag and return it at Lowes at moment after use it. Tomorrow I going to get a $40 Ridgid Drain Snake, I used it before by a friend. That one works perfect with the drill. You don't need to touch the wire with your fingers.

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

That sounds like you have a great plan. I’ll have to check out that Ridgid Drain Snake. Thanks for the tip.

[@alexsanabria9194]

@@TheMaintenanceMan well, the last news is that I get today the Ridgid Drain Snake. Honestly is awesome, my problem was solved in a few minutes. It works with the drill with out problems. Also the wire don't come out like Cobra brand. $40 but do the job fast! 💪

[@sundial.]

Thanks for the video. Great instructions. I needed to clear a blocked vacuum cleaner hose, and the broomstick methods others suggested only packed it tighter, and the coat hanger/hook method didn't work for me either, as both ends were packed at about 1 foot into a 4 foot hose...ugh! I thought; how about a drain snake? I have one that was my dad's (so no instructions and he's been gone a couple of years now.) It worked fabulously. I bet I cleared a bag's worth of hair and dirt out of the hose, then re-vacuumed my floor.

[@WeekendRVing]

Great information this will save us a lot of money and time

[@stevetrevino2835]

Just saved me a bill ....I was using the snake with so much slack ...I thought I need a professional ....then I seen no slack as u feed it ........unclogged in minutes winning...thanks 👍👍

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

That’s great to hear! Thanks for the feedback.

[@billymakesmusic]

Thanks man! I just bought the exact auger you were using at Menards for $24 and I have the identical floor drain in my basement to try it on.

[@alex-ez4cg]

Thanks for this. Very helpful!

[@brenten6226]

Excellent video. I just removed a good-sized hair clog from the tub drain. My hands are bad from multiple surgeries and arthritis. It's difficult for me to do without a lot of hand pain but the drill connector IMO is an even bigger PITA to deal with. I wish someone would invent one that was either self feeding and self winding when removing it from the drain or at least had a click button on top or close to where you hold it in the middle, to lock and unlock it quickly on a more affordable augar. This way youre not dropping your drill trying to feed or remove the snake. That would make snaking manually or while using the drill connection so much more convenient. 😊 I might have to invest in a Bauer self feeding one in the future.

[@LongDistanceMom]

You just saved me money. Thank you.

[@78JAP]

Great video man! I just unclogged my shower drain!!

[@Jenniemorgan7]

Thanks. This was helpful.

[@diymanbelfast2897]

Thank goodness for a good review now I’ll have a go doing it the right way lol

[@Barbara6278]

Thanks for posting this video!!! I need a snake for my floor drain in my basement!

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

No problem. If you have any questions when you’re snaking the drain don’t hesitate to ask. Have a great weekend.

[@Barbara6278]

@@TheMaintenanceMan .. Thank u!

[@BulletDiscipline]

Thanks 4 the upload helped alot brother have a good day

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Thanks 4 the comment, you have a good day too.

[@robertdavidson5299]

I just pulled out a whole towel rag out with one of these

[@JorgeTorres-ko8bi]

Thank you my washer drain pipe is clogged. Going to get one now thank you for your video being short and to the ooint

[@rickycasso3964]

Thanks for the video...also on the back of the snake behind the drum is a drill attachment along easier

[@shazzorama]

Thanks so much for this video! 😊

[@deborahcornette751]

Thank you, combined from what I saw Mercury Stardust the maintenance lady on TikTok this helps a great deal.

[@ardeet]

Perfect, just what I wanted. Thanks.

[@nickbonvino2292]

Great instruction! Thanks

[@hannahbingham2197]

Thank you for the help!

[@PhongFoodieAdventure]

First time using a snake! Thank you!

[@gloriacortes1152]

Learning to do. Thank you. /very sell explained.

[@joshuaellingham7055]

Pro tip. You can attach a drill to the back of the auger. Much easier than manually spinning it. 👍. Excellent video though.

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Thanks for the tip.

[@tessjones5987]

Great tutorial. Thank you.

[@christaprice30]

The look when you said I found a cap lol thank you for teaching us !

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

I’m convinced that running the snake loosened the cap and when I pulled it out I was as surprised as most of the people who’ve seen this. I get a kick out of my own reaction too. Thanks for the comment. Have a great day!

[@EdWood1st]

Just went to Lowe’s to buy a new snake as my old one had a bunch of kinks in it Saw this exact model on the clearance shelf for eight bucks I bought two It also works great with a drill

[@yauyuso]

Thanks for the demonstration

[@craighellberg4366]

It’s important to note that when using these types of snakes in bathtubs, showers or sinks that the clog is usually within the first few feet. You should never run these snakes their full length as the further they go the bigger the chances they are going to get caught on the pipe and break within the pipe. Then you have a huge problem.

[@intothenature6415]

These metals are very flexible and high-strength steel. These are strong but very flexible; it is difficult to break them, but you can bend them.

[@Mitch_Feral]

This is very silly. It's coiled steel, and its express purpose is to be twirled around in a pipe out to 25 ft. Do you do housecalls for a living?

[@zackhiatt8353]

​@@Mitch_Feral😊😅😅😅😅😅

[@austinlance7206]

Had a plumber break one off one time. Couldn't get it out until a later date. Got a guy with a professional drain auger with a camera attachment to go down there and finally see WHAT was going on. He found the broke off snake from the last guy. Ultimately, it was roots.

[@craighellberg4366]

@@Mitch_Feral nope. Just 63 years of living. Ask any plumber how many of these coils they’ve had to pull out of the drain. Usually it’s because they get stuck on tree roots. Any other questions?

[@vcrane31359]

Thank you for the demo

[@autumnstarrs]

Saved me a 100 bucks, thanks, man! ✌

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Glad to hear.

[@MargoThomas]

thank you! goin to do this today and your video helped a lot. Great job!!!

[@superstarmj1]

Well done! thanks Buddy!!

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Thanks for the positive feedback.

[@nocturnus6]

Just bought the same kind of drain snake used in the video. Gonna try it down the capped pipe entrance that comes out of the back of the house. The pipes under the kitchen sink are clean, I had a friend take them apart and check. The clog is farther down the drain somewhere. Hope this drain snake is enough to unclog the drain pipe.

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

Let me know how it goes. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

[@nocturnus6]

Thanks to your video I was able to get the snake all the way down the drain. Snaked it twice, was still blocked. Called a plumber, turns out the problem wasn't the drain I was snaking, it was something to do with the vent pipe. The plumber asked if I had a small snake auger he could use, his wasn't in the truck. If not he would have to run to Lowes to buy one. Well, fortunately I had just bought the pistol grip auger at Lowe's, so he used that and cleared the blockage. I didn't understand exactly what he snaked, but he did it from under the sink. He also took out an old, broke garbage disposal unit that was causing a lot of problems. He didn't overcharge, which was really nice, and worked super quick. So I didn't buy the auger for nothing. Plus, now I know how to snake a drain.

[@TheMaintenanceMan]

That’s awesome! So glad to hear things turned out well!

[@lordofdunvegan6924]

Good vid..thank you.

[@TheGaryNinja]

Cool i was wondering how to use one of these thing. Thanks

[@katieshigeoka]

Thanks. From a maintenance woman.

[@josepenate7367]

Excellent ,thanks.

[@Peanu7butt3r-Garage]

No gloves ಠ_ಠ Thanks for the vid. I need to use one of these but had no idea how to.