Paid $300 for a drain snake after calling a plumber twice in one year

Last year I spent $200 on two plumber visits for clogged kitchen drains. figured $300 for a decent electric snake from Home Depot was worth it. First time using it I pulled out a wad of grease and stuff that woulda cost me another $100 easy. Already paid for itself in one use. Anyone else buy a tool instead of calling a pro and feel like you won?

2 comments

2 Comments

finleyf8829d ago

Actually, most residential snakes these days are designed with a rubber sleeve or a spring guard that makes it pretty hard to punch through PVC if you're not cranking on it like crazy. The real risk on cast iron is if you're using a cheap snake with a sharp tip and you're not paying attention to the pipe condition. I've used a basic 25 footer from Harbor Freight for years on my old 1950s cast iron and never had an issue as long as I went slow and didn't force it. The main thing is knowing when to stop if you feel real resistance, that's usually where people get into trouble no matter what kind of snake they're using.

margaret30429d ago

Oh man, thats a game changer for sure lol. But heres something nobody thinks about with those electric snakes - you gotta learn how to use it right or you can actually mess up your pipes really bad. I watched a buddy of mine try to be a hero with one and he ended up punching a hole right through an old cast iron pipe. That turned a $100 fix into a $2000 replacement real quick. Still, for basic grease clogs in PVC like you did, its totally worth it as long as you take it slow and gentle.