How to Snake a Bathroom Sink Drain

With the right tools and knowledge, snaking a bathroom sink drain can be quite easy. Before you start anything, there are some things you can try first that may clear the clog without the use of such a tool, like if the cause is just in the area before the pipe goes into the wall. But if it is deeper, then you will need a plumber’s snake.

1. Locate The Clog.

This is the first step to clearing a bathroom sink drain. You can try the following steps:

Check the pop-up assembly. Hair and other debris build-ups can easily get wrapped around the stopper, causing the sink to drain slowly or clog up completely. Remove the stopper, clean it and re-install it to see if the clog is cleared.

Check the trap. Disconnect the bathroom sink drain trap by loosening its nuts. Place a container sitting under the drain to catch any water that would spill down as you remove it. Check the part for anything that might be causing the stoppage and clear it out.

Check the trap arm. If there is nothing obstructing the flow of water in the stopper or the trap, then check the trap arm. Loosen its nut and pull it straight out of the wall, which will allow you to look into the drain and check if there is blockage visible in the pipe.

If there is no obstruction in these areas, then you know your bathroom sink drain will have to be snaked, with you being in the perfect position to get the job done.

2. Snake The Drain.

With the trap and its arm removed, you can already access the pipe to snake the drain. To run this device, position it and yourself close to the opening of the drain pipe. Wearing the right gloves, insert the end of the snake into the pipe and feed the cable into the pipe slowly, while keeping a firm pressure on it as it runs. Let the snake do the work of unclogging. The needed distance for the snake to run into the pipe will depend on the location of the clog, but usually, 10 inches are more than enough for your drain because the pipes will tie into the toilet before it goes outside.

3. Check The Drain.

After snaking the drain, put the trap and pop-up stopper back together to see if the stoppage is clear. If not, then you might need to snake the drain again and go further down the line to clear the clog. Once the bathroom sink drain flows freely, you can also check for leaks at all the joints by draining the sink all at once.

Important Tips When Snaking the Drain

Make sure your snake it close to the drain, as the more slack of the device would make it more difficult to control. Keep a rag handy to use in cleaning off the cable as you pull it back, as the sludge that it comes back with can make a big mess in your bathroom, saving you some unnecessary cleanup.

Skip to content