Toilet Auger or Snake: Which Tool Do You Need to Unclog or Clean?

Modern life has blessed us with an uncountable number of comforts and technologies. But everything comes with a positive and a negative side, just like the modern toilet comes with several amenities and features that have added some spectacular elements to our lives. But the opposite side of the coin is yet to be explored. We often face water-clogging problems in our toilets, sinks, basins, and in the kitchen drainage pipe. This leaves us perplexed about what to do with these acute clogging problems.

But wait, I always say that modern problems require modern solutions. It’s my pleasure to introduce you to two of the most efficient tools to solve this acute water clogging system. You have most probably heard of that equipment. They are the toilet auger and the drainage snake that can rescue you from severe water clogging. The auger often removes the biggest and roughest clogs in the pipe, mostly in the toilet. Conversely, the snake is used to clear small clogs in the drainage system. But the question is how and where to use them. This article will discuss and compare every aspect of these two products, including their use, pros and cons, and the core differences between them. 

Quick Recommendation:

Best use of toilet Auger: It is used in toilet drainage.

Best use of toilet Snake: It is Compatible with Sink, drain, water tubs, showers, and multipurpose sewerage system.

What is a toilet auger?

A toilet auger is a toilet utensil that is commonly used to thrust, push, and break down the clog in the toilet pipe so that the water circulation becomes flawless. Generally, it has a long plastic handle and a large metal tube with a hook at the end, which spirals around the crank. But there is the fact that, you should use the plunger first, and if it doesn’t work, then it is wise to use the toilet auger to clean the path within the sewage pipe.

Why Should You Use a Toilet Auger to Unclog Your Toilet?

The toilet auger proves to be a helpful gadget to keep your toilet unclogged and flawless. Some of the advantages make it the ultimate tool to keep your toilet dry and fresh. Here are some of the positive sides of the toilet auger. Use Toilet Auger to Unclog Your Toilet

Significant Advantages

  • It is ideal for removing the impurities in the toilet pipe. You do not bother to call the plumber to clean the pipe. Rather than you can clean all the mess by yourself. 
  • Augers are heavy-duty tools that work effectively without any power supply. You can manually operate this to clean your toilet. 
  • The mechanical surveillance allows It to push the coil through the drain.

Trivial  Disadvantages 

  • The toilet auger can be a little bit costlier and bulkier
  • Sometimes you may find it difficult to operate through the drainage pipe

Different types of toilet augers you can use

There are lots of types and variations of the toilet auger. People use varieties of augers in different regions, and various brands manufacture augers in numerous names. Here I will elaborate on the categories of the augers,  

Use of Power Auger to Unclog Your ToiletPower Auger

Why is it called powerful? Because a powerful built-in motor is attached to the power drills. This type of auger is the most effective auger as you do not have to manually rotate the crank rather, and the motor itself runs the tube while twisting it.

use a drum auger toiletDrum Auger

This auger comes with a drum shape where the elongated cable is stored, and this auger has an automatic feed that allows it to reach the clog in no time. Drum auger traditionally looks bigger and heavier than any other auger. 

Cable Auger

This is the actual and traditional kind of auger, and the rest are just the rendition of the auger. A long and flexible cable is operated manually, and around the corkscrew is attached to the rear end of the auger that simply feeds the cable into the toilet drainage pipe. 

Rocket Nozzle Auger

These are the most expensive types of auger as it uses high-pressure water jets that dismantle stubborn clogs. But this type of auger is mainly used by professional plumbers. 

How to unclog a toilet with a toilet auger?Uncloging a toilet with a toilet auger

  • Wear gloves and the necessary mask

The first thing to be done is to take necessary precautions like wearing masks and gloves for sheer safety. Avoid using synthetic gloves as it is not good for nature and for your health. Instead, try to use safe and biodegradable gloves so that after use, you can dump them in the proper place or in the dustbin.  

  • Start the operation

Start to place the hook into the toilet bowl but be careful not to cause damage to the porcelain toilet. Then carefully crank it that will push the entire tube into the toilet. You need to keep cranking until it reaches the clog. 

  • Rotate the auger 

While pushing it to the inner side of the drain, you need to rotate the auger you have stuck. If you feel that something obstructs the head of the auger, then probably you have found the clog. Try to break the clog using the tube. Then slowly pull out the auger from the drain.  

  • Flush and Clean the Toilet

After removing the auger, try a plunger to remove any residue clog. If you feel that the clog has not been removed, repeat the process a few times. If none of the methods works, the time has come to call in a plumber.

What is a Toilet Drain Snake?

It is kind of similar to the toilet auger, but there is a huge difference in their use. The snake is used in the sinks, drains, water tubs, and showers instead of toilets. Why is it called a snake because it has a metal cable incorporating a coil at the end to capture the clog and pull it out? As it catches the clog and pulls out, it is called a snake as it does the same thing, catching its victims and pulling them out. There is another design of the snake is a plastic strip with prolonged edges to catch the clog and pull it out.How to use a Toilet Drain Snake

Why is the toilet drain snake a handy tool for your bathroom?

This is not used to unclog the toilet; rather, snakes are used to clean the sink, drain, water tubs, and showers. In this phase, I will discuss the pros and cons of the snakes,

Magnificent Advantages 

  • Drain snakes are easy to use, and you can operate them manually or with the supply of power.
  • The drain snakes are cheaper, lighter, and compact than the augers.
  • Snakes are versatile and multipurpose in case of their use. All types of sinks and showers can be cleaned using snakes.  

Minor Setbacks

  • It is very delicate and seems difficult to operate.
  • Snakes can not clean heavy clogs. Instead, it is compatible with using lightweight debris and impurities. 

How to use a toilet drain snake?

  • Take Off the Drain Cover

The first step to operating the snake is to separate the drain cover and plugs. There are several types of drain covers, but do not worry; each cover is made to allow the drain snake or auger to enter the drain pipe.

  •  Shove the Snake 

The next step is to enter the snake into the drainpipe. Insert the snake in a specific direction and start to rotate the handle slowly. Be careful not to rotate the snake too fast.

  • Detect the Clog 

As you push the snake cable deeper into the pipe, it starts to get stuck as it gathers a plug on the way to the pipe. Once the time comes when the snake won’t respond, going deeper into the pipe, when you feel that resistance, stop rotating the handle and pull the snake backward, it may feel stuck while pulling it back, but don’t worry, it’s because the cable catches the clog and carries it with it.  

  • Clean and Repeat the entire process.

Once you pull out the plug, your work is almost over. Clean the cable of the snake with a soft brush. Apply water pressure so that the remaining clog may wash away. 

Toilet Auger Vs Drain Snake: What are the Fundamental DifferencesDifferent between Toilet Auger and Drain Snake

Difference 1: Design and Construction

The working strategy is almost the same in both the auger and the snake, But we can encounter some differences. A regular drain snake has a 25 to 50 feet long metal cable with an open coil tip alongside a crank. This is almost the traditional model description of a snake, and the motored snake had a slight change in its design and construction. The Electric snake has an internal motor that runs the external drill. On the other hand, the auger is constructed with a cable cord, bowl protector, long shaft, and manual crank. The auger is bigger and longer than the snake, but the purpose is the same, which is to clean the debris and clog.  

Difference 2: Size and Shape

There are significant size differences between these two. As mentioned before, the auger is comparatively bigger than the snake. The cable cords of the auger are more robust than that of the snake, but the cable cord of the snake is much longer than the drill. The snake’s cable is not that strong and sturdy, but they are pretty much large enough to reach deep down the toilet pipe. So snakes can operate much more deeply and effectively to eliminate filth. If the length of the auger’s cable is less than the snake, the snake’s cable is much more hard and strong than it can thrust down the filth down the drainage hole. 

Difference 3: Comparison between the Cost

The pricing factor is one of the most critical factors that the customers choose to find their products. If we compare the prices, then undoubtedly, the auger is the costlier product than the snake, as the auger is miles away larger than the snake and the cable given in the auger is far more robust than that of the snake. Based on these facts, it is obvious that the auger tends to be costlier than the snake.  

Final Verdict: Which Cleans your Toilet more Efficiently?

Hopefully, after going through the whole article, I guess it has now become easy for you to choose which device you need. You can use the snake to clean the smaller drainage systems, like the sink, basin, water tube drainage system, etc. Actually, it is a multipurpose drainage cleaning device that can solve smaller clogging problems by pulling them out of the pipe. On the contrary, drills are designed to clean up gigantic clogs in toilet pipes. Their cable is much stronger, breaking the clogs into small pieces and pushing them to the outer drainage hole.

So now it is time for the million-dollar question: Which is the best of the two? Well, the answer varies with the change in needs and requirements. Some believe that an auger is much more helpful compared to a snake. But I will oppose this sentiment. This is absolutely not true. Though it is smaller in size, it does not mean that it is trivial in terms of usability. If you want to clean up your kitchen sink pipe or shower, the snake will be the most useful product for you. But in the case of a humongous clog, it is a must to use an auger. So the decision is completely yours. Which product will you choose to clean the drainage? I hope you found this article beneficial enough to have a fresh and clean drainage system.

Hi, this is Robert Crossan, the owner of this website, has 17 years of experience in the installation, maintenance, and repair of toilets and plumbing systems. After completing the Level 2 Basic Plumbing course in 2005, I started working in both domestic and commercial buildings as a professional plumber. So I can figure out the core difference between different toilet models and brands. It also helped me monitor their work performance and setbacks.

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