View Full Version : I have a clogged bath tub and the coil on the power snake isn't moving
elyns2
Jun 3, 2011, 10:58 PM
I have a clogged bath tub so I purchased a power snake (auger) and attached it to a drill. I pulled out a couple feet of coil & put the coil end of the snake in the drain and turned the drill on. The coil isn't turning. The housing part of the snake is but not the coil part that is in the drain. What an I doing wrong?
joypulv
Jun 4, 2011, 02:48 AM
It isn't strong enough to turn in whatever muck it's caught in, or it's hitting the side of a bend. Try working a shorter length. Did you try good old lye first, a few times, waiting a few hours, or is your tub full of standing water? Did you try a standing water liquid drain cleaner? Is the bend reachable from below or a wall panel?
hkstroud
Jun 4, 2011, 04:42 AM
Is there a metal band and a thumb screw for tightening where the snake comes out of the drum? If so, tighten thumb screw.
massplumber2008
Jun 4, 2011, 05:00 AM
Hi Elyns,
As Hkstroud said, tighten the thumb screw if present and then send the snake down the OVERFLOW hole... expect to run into resistance at about 18" in... this will be the PTRAP (U shaped) and you will need to push pretty aggressively to get past it but once past the ptrap the rest should go pretty easy.
If you have an average bathroom here, you shouldn't need to snake more than 5-10 feet maximum until you hit the main toilet drain pipe, so if you haven't cleared the tub drain at that point, bring it back and try again... repeat as needed!
Good luck!
Mark