How to use Kinetic 4 metre gun type drain cleaner?

Andy85

Greetings, apologies for this may not be the most enthusiastic post on a Sunday but I have decided to have a go at unblocking my main shower ensuite; on a 2014 built property previously-tenanted.

I tried the 29$ kinetic 4 metre gun type drain cleaner and upon several tries of winding + going in (and out), this doesn’t seem to be picking up anything.

- Is the 4 metre length not sufficient to reach all the way down?
- Should I consider using those drain cleaner liquids or those enzyme pellets?

Once again, really appreciate for any help.

JacobZ

Hi @Andy85,

Thank you for your question about clearing a drain in your home.

It's difficult to say whether the drain auger you are using is long enough to reach the blockage or not. Do you feel any obvious resistance as the snake is being fed into the pipe?

It's certainly possible that you are actually connecting with the blockage, but the intention of these is not to "pick up" the blockage, it is to violently hit the blockage to break it up, so it clears.

You'll see in this Kinetic 6mm x 6m Wire Drain Auger that there is an attachment for a drill. This is because to break up the blockage, speed and aggressive movement is required.

I'd suggest feeding in as much of the drain auger as possible and then really giving it some in terms of rotation. Go as fast as you possible can.

You might also like to consider purchasing a powered auger such as this Ryobi One+ 18V Drain Auger, but please note that you will need to purchase a battery as they do not come with one.

If this doesn't work, drain cleaner and enzyme pellets may be useful to help break things up a bit, but there's no guarantee that they will be effective in this situation. If you choose to try them, ensure you follow the manufacturer's instructions and wear any relevant personal protective equipment.

Once the drain cleaner or enzyme pellets are left to take effect, if nothing happens, you could try using the auger again as it may have weakened, but not fully cleared the blockage.

If you still have no luck, you might need to contact a plumber to assist. They often use powered drain snakes that are much longer and more powerful than ones the average person would have.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob