How To Snake A Kitchen Sink Drain Roots | Getting Nasty For Cleaner Drains

When life gives you lemon, your best bet is to make lemonade, but what do you do when you have a household problem that has been plaguing your drains?

And to make matters worse, if you are living in a house that is at least a decade old, you might find yourself in a pickle with a clogged kitchen sink.

While your first thought regarding the culprit might be grease, food scraps, or hair. But sometimes, the culprit is more insidious: tree roots. 

These thirsty invaders can infiltrate your pipes, creating a stubborn blockage that’s tough to tackle. If your kitchen sink is draining slowly, gurgling ominously, or emitting foul odours, you might be facing a root intrusion. 

Don’t worry, this comprehensive guide equips you with everything you need to know about how to snake a kitchen sink drain to remove roots, from identifying the problem to preventing future invasions.

Snaking A Drain? What’s That?

Don’t worry; this method doesn’t involve shoving anacondas down your drain! It’s a much more civilized (and less slithery) process using a specialized tool called a drain snake.

In fact, the name comes from its appearance and function. A drain snake is a long, flexible cable with a pointed or hooked end that’s fed into the drainpipe to break up and remove the obstruction, much like a snake slithering through grass but thankfully without the fangs.

It’s a far better and more effective approach as compared to cleaners and other chemicals, that you may use to open up a drain since not only is it safer for your pipes and the environment, but it also provides more thorough cleaning.

Since roots are mostly lodged deep within the pipes, a drain snake offers a more comprehensive solution, reaching the blockage and breaking it up for complete removal. it also directly combats the cellular structure of the roots, physically severing them and preventing regrowth.

So in one way, you could say you are pretty much hitting two birds with one stone.

How Would I know If I have Blockage Caused by Roots?

Tree roots naturally grow towards moisture and nutrients. Pipes, even those seemingly intact, can offer a readily available water source, making them prime targets. 

Keep in mind that older pipes made of clay or cast iron are especially vulnerable to root intrusion due to corrosion and cracking over time.

While the idea of using a drain snake might be tempting considering how effective and seemingly straightforward it is, it’s crucial to first confirm that tree roots are indeed the cause of your clogged drain. 

Misdiagnosing the problem could lead to wasted effort. Here’s how to tell if you’re dealing with a root problem.

1. Slow Draining

This is often the first noticeable symptom, usually, you would notice that water in the sink takes longer than usual to drain, sometimes leaving standing water in the sink. Especially if you are using the sink while cleaning something, the sink gets pooled easily.

2. Gurgling Sounds

Strange gurgling noises coming from the drain indicate trapped air and restricted water flow, often a sign of a substantial blockage like tree roots.

3. Foul Odors 

A persistent, unpleasant smell emanating from the drain suggests decaying organic matter, which can occur when roots trap food particles and other debris.

4. Recurring Clogs 

If your kitchen sink clogs frequently, even after using conventional drain cleaners, it could indicate a persistent root problem.

5. Lush Vegetation Near the Sink’s Drain Line 

If the area outside where your sink’s drain line runs has unusually lush or vibrant vegetation compared to surrounding areas, this could suggest tree roots tapping into a water source such as your drainpipe.

In some instances, these issues might arise due to a false flag, and you might not even have a drain clogging problem due to plant roots at all, in that case, you can try restoring to these methods before proceeding to snaking the drain.

i.Boiling Water

Pour a pot of boiling water down the drain. This can help dissolve grease and soap buildup, common culprits of minor clogs since they will melt and lose their integrity under higher temperatures.

iI. Baking Soda and Vinegar

This one is pretty simple and doesnt require you to put much of an effort, all you have to do is pour a cup of baking soda followed by a cup of vinegar down the drain. The chemical reaction can sometimes dislodge minor blockages.

iII. Plunger

Sometimes using a baking soda and vinegar mixture might not do the job very well, in that case using a sink plunger could work wonders.

Plungers further push the gunk and debris down, clearing the path for the water flow, just make sure there’s enough standing water in the sink to cover the plunger cup for proper suction.

Tools Needed to Snake a Kitchen Sink Drain

Before we jump into action and get our hands dirty, let’s gather some tools, shall we?

• A manual snake is sufficient for minor root intrusions, while a motorized snake provides extra power for tougher blockages. Consider the length and diameter of the snake cable needed to reach and effectively clear the obstruction.
• Protect your hands from bacteria and grime with heavy-duty, waterproof gloves.
• A drain auger can help remove clogs closer to the drain opening, which is particularly helpful before using a snake for deeper blockages.
• Root-cutting attachments fit onto your snake cable and have sharp blades to cut through root masses. Ensure the attachment is compatible with your snake.
• Make sure you have a bucket to collect debris and wastewater as you snake the drain; trust me, it’s going to get messy.
• Keep rags or towels nearby to wipe up spills and clean the snake cable.
• As always, you can expect some chunk of debris flying everywhere, so protect your eyes by weaning Safety glasses or goggles.
• Get your hands on a plumbing wrench, which might be necessary to disconnect or tighten certain drainpipe components, particularly if you have an older plumbing system.

Preparing to Snake a Drain

Let’s Explore some tips on Preparing to Snake a Drain.

Before diving in, take these crucial preparatory steps:

1. Shut Off the Water Supply by Locking the shut-off valve under your sink and turning it clockwise to stop water flow to the sink.

2. Remove any items stored under the sink to provide ample working space so you don’t topple anything while working your way into the sink.

3. Remove the drain stopper and inspect the opening for any visible debris that you can easily remove by hand. This often gets overlooked, so before reaching for big fixes, address that part thoroughly; oftentimes, some issues only require removal by your hands.

Snaking It Both Ways | Manual & Motorized Snaking

For root intrusions, use the plumbing snake. For lighter root issues, you may still need to employ snaking the traditional way, which works well as opposed to harder techniques involved in heavier blocks of root infiltration. That being said, here’s how to do snaking for lighter blocks:

Manual Snake

1. Insert the snake cable into the drain opening.

2. Rotate the snake handle clockwise while pushing the cable further into the drainpipe.

3. When you encounter resistance, continue rotating the snake to break through the obstruction.

4. Retract the snake, cleaning the cable as it emerges from the drain.

Motorized Snake

If you opted out for an electric model of snaking it’s the exact copy of the conventional manual type without having much knowledge of how it works on the inside it functions. Here’s a guide below for those interested to learn about it in detail.

Electric drain auger works the same way with cable fed and rotated as done manually in conventional types of augers; however, motorized augers make it an easy task and automatically push it inwards once there is no resistance after the motor hits something that might look a full stoppage for traditional methods involved in manual snaking or augering. 

The electric type will start slicing roots through its blades installed and keeps doing it until the blade encounters a major hindrance which needs manual addressing because it’s dangerous and must not be forcefully pushed forward to continue because that may end up breaking plumbing. 

The major obstacles and their assessment will be further in detailed discussion as well in their pros and cons as shown below

Additional Root Cutting Attachments For Motorized Snaking

These attachments often come installed in heavy-duty motorized root-removing equipment.

This comes in handy if the above steps aren’t as impactful on the blockage, which mostly requires extra muscle that is too big to budge its place through a mere twisting of blades done manually in nonelectrical motorized snakes or standard pipe drain snakes.

For heavier type, employ blades attached with chains similar looking as chainsaw and is heavy enough with a thicker head because that adds pressure making easier slicing in one go.

You must also keep in mind  that these attachments have the upside being quicker but not efficient and sometimes if the piping already has weak points can cause breaking and rupturing waterworks,

Final Thoughts

Dealing with tree roots in your kitchen sink drain can be a frustrating experience, but it’s a manageable problem. 

Start by identifying the issue with patience to apply some basic tips and techniques I have provided, along with the right equipment you successfully do on yourself within no time 

However, if that doesnt change I highly encourage professionally certified contractors to assess appropriately because a successful long-term plan requires not damaging underlying problems at bay during the whole procedure of extraction since an improper procedure and forcefully doing it yourself can negatively affect cost additional bucks from disasters caused after root elimination or create plumbing issues during cleaning.