How to Use a Wire Snake to Unplug a Toilet

If a plunger fails to unplug a toilet, try a snake, or plumber's auger. A manual auger has a handle that rotates a tightly wound wire spring. A sleeve over most of the snake protects the toilet's porcelain. The strategy is to either push through what is stuck (preferable, for a toilet) or hook it and pull it out (preferable for stuck rags).

Instructions

1. Purchase a "water closet auger" or a "closet auger" at a hardware store relatively inexpensively. This is a special kind of snake designed for toilets with a protective sleeve and a bulb at the end of the snake the right size for pushing matter through a toilet pipe.

2. Push the bulbous end of the snake in as far as you can. Rotate the handle clockwise to make it spiral in deeper. Once contact is made with the clog, push the snake through. Look for a drop in water pressure in the toilet bowl as a sign that the clog has cleared.

3. Flush the toilet to test that the clog is really cleared. If not, another strategy is to pull pieces of the clog off with the hook at the end of bulb, until it is more yielding.

4. Take the snake outside to disinfect it with Lysol or rubbing alcohol.

Tips & Warnings

• If the above does not work, call a professional plumber. He likely has likely dealt with similar problems before.

• Don't disinfect the snake on your lawn.

References

• Video: How to Clear a Toilet Clog using a Closet Auger

Resources

• Video: How to Unclog a Toilet