snake

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Topic :Slow Drain and Using a Snake We moved into our home in December, and until about 3 weeks ago, everything was working well with our washer. However, now the drain pipe that the big black hose from the washer empties in to is backing up. It will drain, but it seems that it cannot take much water at once now. We have to stand over the washer during the drain cycle and lift the lid until the water goes down. We have to repeat this about 4 or 5 times during the drain cycle. Friends have suggested using Drano or a "snake." We tried the Drano...it didn't help. I've never used a snake, so I don't want to try it with out some instruction. Well, what do you think?
My best guess from the information you gave me is that somewhere down the pipe there's a big wad of lint and fuzz. The only way you'll get it out is by using a snake...Draino won't work very well on it. A snake sounds worse than it is. It's actually very gentle on the pipes. I would say to give it a try, it should work. To use a snake, just send the curled end down the pipe as far as it will go. When you hit an obstruction simply clamp the handle with the set screw and start turning it. The curled end acts like a corkscrew and twists into the clog. You may need to repeat this a few time to pull the clog out.