# I’m having trouble working my snake **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 24, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-having-trouble-working-my-snake/170885 "2003-04-24T16:45:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aceospades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Aceospades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aceospades)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-having-trouble-working-my-snake/170885/1 "2003-04-24T16:45:45Z")
The kind you use to unclog a drain. It looks like a drill with a large black tub attached to it. The metal coil that comes out the front part only comes out about two feet and that’s it. There’s a switch to reverse the rotation with arrows pointing towards the front and back. I tried both and the coil just spins, not coming out or going in. I need help, my drain is clogged and I don’t have the money to call a professional. The one I have looks exactly like [THIS](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2318260092&category=632) , but I think mine is 50 feet. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-having-trouble-working-my-snake/170885/2 "2003-04-24T16:53:19Z")
Most snakes need a good yank every so often. 😃 Sounds like yours just got kinked or otherwise stuck inside the housing. Try pushing it all the way in, then pulling back out a couple times. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-having-trouble-working-my-snake/170885/3 "2003-04-24T17:25:20Z")
can you take off the housing, unspool the snake, then recoil it? You kids these days with your mechanical snakes–my snake only has a bent tube with a wing nut. That was the handle. None of this fancy electrical stuff. We had to do all the twisting and yanking by hand. Uphill! Both ways!! ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-having-trouble-working-my-snake/170885/4 "2003-04-24T18:47:35Z")
Hey **Casey** , I’m a relative “kid” who enjoys the pleasures of yanking my manually-operated snake 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MaryEFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MaryEFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaryEFoo)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-having-trouble-working-my-snake/170885/5 "2003-04-24T22:25:25Z")
A 25’ snake is way easier to work than a 50’ one. ---
**Author:** ![pmh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@pmh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmh)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-having-trouble-working-my-snake/170885/6 "2003-04-24T23:27:45Z")
The snake doesn’t come out of the drum by itself. You loosen the chuck, pull out 18" or so, re-tighten the chuck, and run the motor (forward) to work that 18" into the pipe. Repeat as needed. Yeah, it sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Aceospades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Aceospades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aceospades)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-having-trouble-working-my-snake/170885/7 "2003-04-25T00:18:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pmh \* > \*\*The snake doesn’t come out of the drum by itself. > You loosen the chuck, pull out 18" or so, re-tighten the chuck, and run the motor (forward) to work that 18" into the pipe. Repeat as needed. > Yeah, it sucks. \*\* how do i loosen the chuck? do i kneed a special tool? what is the chuck (i feel i should know this, but i don’t)? ---
**Author:** ![pmh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@pmh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmh)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-having-trouble-working-my-snake/170885/8 "2003-04-25T01:12:10Z")
The chuck is the “drill head” part in front of the drum that pinches the snake and holds it so the motor can rotate it. No tools needed. Grasp it and rotate it WRT the drum. One direction loosens it, the other tightens it. ---
**Author:** ![Aceospades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Aceospades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aceospades)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-having-trouble-working-my-snake/170885/9 "2003-04-25T16:29:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pmh \* > \*\*The chuck is the “drill head” part in front of the drum that pinches the snake and holds it so the motor can rotate it. No tools needed. Grasp it and rotate it WRT the drum. One direction loosens it, the other tightens it. \*\* i tried this and it didn’t work. it seemed like that it was turning the moter in the drill, but nothing loosened. i looked down where the snake comes out and there appears to be three prongs that pinch the snake, but there in the open position, alowing the snake to come out, but only two feet. thare are three alen head bolts in the chuck. do these need to be loosened? i tryed to see if the drum would come off, but theres no apperant way to do that. i borowed this so i’m a little hesident to apply to much force. ---
**Author:** ![pmh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@pmh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmh)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-having-trouble-working-my-snake/170885/10 "2003-04-25T22:14:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aceospades \* > **i tried this and it didn’t work. it seemed like that it was turning the moter in the drill, but nothing loosened.** Sounds like you were turning the chuck _and_ the drum together. Hold the drum still and then turn the chuck. > [@](#): > > **i looked down where the snake comes out and there appears to be three prongs that pinch the snake, but there in the open position, alowing the snake to come out, but only two feet.** If that’s the case, then **Casey1505** was right. The snake is tangled inside the drum. You can try yanking it back and forth to loosen it, but the drum will probably have to be removed. I can’t tell from your pic how this particular one comes apart, but usually, removing several screws around the circumference of the drum allows the front part of the drum to be removed. Then remove the snake, re-assemble the drum, and re-insert the snake through the chuck (replace it if it is even slightly kinked). Tighten the chuck before running the motor. That’s probably how thew snake got tangled. ---
**Author:** ![Aceospades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Aceospades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aceospades)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-having-trouble-working-my-snake/170885/11 "2003-04-25T23:03:45Z")
well, i tried to desassemble it with no sucksess. i got the large black tub off only to find a smaller blue metal seeled tub underneeth. i took out all the screws around the circumference, but still could not get in. looks like i’m down a sewer drain with out a snake. ---
**Author:** ![herman\_and\_bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f1d935/32.png) [@herman\_and\_bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herman_and_bill)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-having-trouble-working-my-snake/170885/12 "2003-04-25T23:41:42Z")
Maybe you could call up the person you borrowed it from for a short instructional course. Since thes are used around water there is a good chance that it might just be a little rusty. ---
**Author:** ![Black\_Train\_Song](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@Black\_Train\_Song](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Black_Train_Song)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-having-trouble-working-my-snake/170885/13 "2003-04-26T03:22:49Z")
Ace, what kind of drain do you have clogged? A lot of times there are other ways to unclog a drain. It depends on what type of drain it is though.