How to Snake a Drain in Westminster Homes

By the Westminster Emergency Plumber team · Updated October 2026

How to snake a drain: what are the steps?

To snake a drain in Westminster, clear the opening, feed the auger cable in until it stops, tighten the lock, and turn the handle clockwise while pushing gently. When the cable moves freely, pull it back slowly, clean off the debris, and run hot tap water for a minute to flush the line.

1. Remove the stopper, strainer or pop-up so the drain opening is clear.
2. Pull out a few inches of cable and tighten the lock.
3. Feed the tip into the drain with the drum close to the opening. Push gently.
4. When you feel resistance, crank the handle clockwise. A bend in the pipe feels springy; a clog feels soft or gritty.
5. When the cable suddenly moves freely, you have likely broken through or hooked the clog.
6. Keep turning clockwise as you pull the cable back out, so the hair or gunk stays on the tip.
7. Run hot tap water for a minute or two to see if it drains at full speed.

What kind of drain snake should you use?

For most household clogs, a small hand-crank drum auger with a quarter-inch cable is the right tool for sinks, tubs and showers. A toilet needs a closet auger. Power augers are for main lines and carry more risk.

• Hand drum auger: a coiled cable inside a drum with a crank. The usual choice for sink, tub and shower clogs.
• Closet (toilet) auger: a short cable inside a rigid tube with a rubber guard so it does not scratch the bowl.
• Power or drill-driven augers: stronger and longer. A spinning cable under power can kink, whip or catch, so treat these with real caution.

If you are not sure which tool fits your drain, our drain cleaning page explains the common types of clogs.

How do you snake a bathroom sink, tub or shower drain?

For a bathroom sink, remove the pop-up stopper and feed the snake straight down. For a tub, remove the stopper or go through the overflow plate. For a shower, unscrew or pry up the strainer. Hair is the usual culprit in all three, and it often sits within the first foot or two of pipe.

Bathroom sink: Many pop-up stoppers lift straight out.

Bathtub: Going through the overflow opening often gives the cable a straighter path than the drain itself.

Shower: Many strainers have one or two screws. Pull out any hair you can reach first.

Go slowly at the first bend, where a thin cable can kink.

How do you snake a kitchen sink drain?

To snake a kitchen sink, it is often easier to remove the P-trap under the sink and feed the cable into the pipe in the wall. That skips the tight trap bend and gets the snake closer to the grease and food clog, which usually sits farther down the line than a bathroom hair clog.

1. Turn off the garbage disposal at the switch and, if it plugs in, unplug it. Never put a snake into a disposal.
2. Put a bucket under the trap and loosen the slip nuts by hand. Expect dirty water.
3. Feed the cable into the drain pipe that goes into the wall and work it forward.
4. Reinstall the trap, hand-tighten the nuts, and run water to check for leaks.

If the clog seems tied to the disposal, see our garbage disposal repair page.

What are the risks of snaking a drain yourself?

Snaking a drain is a common homeowner job, but it has real risks: splashing chemicals, dirty water that can carry germs, kinked cables, scratched fixtures, and damage to old or fragile pipes. A power auger adds the risk of a cable that catches and twists.

• Chemicals: If you used a drain cleaner, the standing water can burn skin and eyes. Do not snake through it.
• Dirty water: Water from a drain or sewer line can carry bacteria. Wear gloves and wash up after.
• Sewer gas: A strong rotten-egg smell from an open cleanout or drain means you should close it, air out the room, and call for help.
• Pipes and fixtures: Forcing a cable can crack old drain pipe, loosen joints or chip a sink or tub.
• Power augers: A spinning cable can kink and whip, so keep loose sleeves away.

Why won't my drain snake go through the clog?

A snake that keeps stopping is usually hitting a pipe bend, not the clog. Crank and push gently to work it around the turn. If it stops at the same spot every time, keeps coming back clean, or the drain stays slow after several tries, the clog may be past the cable's reach or in the main line.

A few things to check:

• Make sure the lock is tight, so the cable spins instead of just sliding.
• Look for gritty, root-like material on the tip. Roots or heavy debris point to a sewer line problem, not a fixture clog.

When should you stop snaking and call for help?

Stop and call when more than one drain is backed up, when water rises in a tub or floor drain as you use another fixture, when you smell sewage, or when the clog returns within days. These are signs the problem is in the main sewer line, and a hand snake will not reach it.

• Toilets, tubs and floor drains all draining slowly at once.
• Gurgling from one drain when another one runs.
• Sewage or dirty water coming up from a basement floor drain.

If you are not sure which kind of problem you have, our guide to a clogged drain or a sewer line problem walks through the differences. You can also read about sewer line repair options.

What happens during the visit if you call for help?

When you call, you are connected with a local plumbing provider who checks availability for your address. During the visit, the provider inspects the fixture and drain lines, may check other drains or the cleanout, and explains what is likely causing the clog and your options. You should get a written quote before any work starts.

• An inspection of the clogged fixture, the trap and any nearby cleanout.
• A plain explanation of the options, such as cable cleaning, a camera look at the line, or another approach.
• A written quote you can review before you agree to anything.

What should Westminster-area homeowners know before snaking a drain?

Before you snake a drain in Westminster, know who owns which part of the pipe. The City of Westminster says property owners are responsible for maintaining the sewer lateral line from their property to the city's main sewer line, and that a backup in that lateral calls for a licensed plumber. A hand snake only reaches the first stretch of pipe inside the house, so a clog out in the lateral is a different job.

Mineral scale can play a part too. The City of Westminster says it adds calcium to the water, which increases hardness and helps form a protective calcium carbonate scale inside pipes. In older drain lines, scale and soap residue can give hair and grease something to grab onto.

Think about a basement backup before it happens. The Colorado Division of Insurance names sewer backup coverage as additional coverage a homeowner may need to buy. Check your own policy so you know where you stand if a floor drain ever overflows.

In the Denver area, NWS Boulder lists the average first freeze as October 7th, so if you rinse a dirty cable outside, drain and coil the hose afterward. Homes in Westminster, Arvada, Broomfield, Thornton and Northglenn can call to be connected with a local provider when a clog will not clear.

Related pages

• Drain Cleaning in Westminster
• Sewer Line Repair
• Clogged Drain or Sewer Line Problem?
• Emergency Plumber in Arvada