If your toilet is clogged and you need a DIY emergency tool, here’s what to do:

To make a DIY Toilet snake you need to transform a wired coathanger into a hook that can break up a clog. If the clog is big, you might want to use a plunger after snaking your toilet to get the best results.

Keep reading to find out how to DIY your very own toilet snake.

How to make a DIY toilet snake

Materials needed to make a toilet snake:

• Wired Coat hanger
• Pliers
• Glue gun

How to DIY a toilet snake:

1. Make a cut right next to the hook of the hanger

Plug in your heat gun and let it heat up. Next, get your pliers and make a cut right next to the hook of your hanger.

2. Straighten the wire

Use your pliers to completely straighten the hanger.

3. Make a small hook at the end

Make a hook at the end of the straightened wire using your pliers. This hook will touch and clear the blockage.

4. Heat up the glue gun and put a dollop of glue on the end of the wire

Once your glue gun is heated up you’re going to put a dollop of glue at the end of the hook you just made. Chances are, the end is very sharp. You need to add some glue so that when you go in your toilet, you won’t accidentally scratch the glaze of your toilet.

Wait until the glue is completely dry.

5. Ready to use

That’s it! Once the glue has completely dried you are ready to start snaking your toilet.

How to snake a toilet using a DIY toilet snake

Now that you made your own DIY toilet snake, let’s use it. Since you’re working with toilets isn’t that hygienic, it is advisable to wear gloves.

Here’s how to snake a toilet:

1. Carefully place the snake inside the opening of the drain
   • Because we added a protective glue layer you won’t scratch the glaze of your toilet
2. Insert the snake all the way and rotate
   • Rotating will hook any waste and break it up
3. Look if the water goes down/Flush the toilet
   • Depending on your situation, either flush or watch the water go down
   • If the water goes down as normal, proceed to step 4
   • If the water still doesn’t go down, repeat step 2
4. Retract your DIY snake
   • You’re done!

If you’re dealing with a stubborn clog you might want to use a plunger as well. If that’s the case:

5. Grab a suction plunger, place it over the drain, and start plunging
• Use your plunger’s instructions

This should completely clear the blockage.

How to know if your toilet needs to be snaked

You know your toilet needs to be snaked when you have a blockage that is so deep you can’t reach it with a plunger alone. By snaking your toilet you’ll be able to get into those curves of your toilet drain.

For this, you can either use a DIY toilet snake or buy a toilet snake, which is often called a drain auger.

If you´re going to buy a drain auger, you can read here how to use it here.

Should you snake your own toilet?

You can snake your own toilet without getting help from a professional. You can either buy a specialized tool called a drain auger, or you can make a tool to snake your toilet yourself using a wire coat hanger.

A drain auger is simple to use. The blockage will be cleared in a matter of minutes.

The benefit of snaking your own toilet is that you won’t have to call a plumber. Calling a plumber will often cost you a couple of hundred dollars.

For something simple as clearing a blockage you can simply use a drain auger yourself.

However, sometimes it’s just better to call a plumber if you can’t seem to fix the problem yourself, or if you’re worried you won’t do a good job.

It’s up to you.

How do you manually snake a toilet?

To manually snake a toilet you need either a drain auger or a DIY-ed drain auger. You need to retract the cable into the auger and then insert the auger into the toilet. After that, you lower the cable and start rotating to loosen up the clog.

You can do this for a few minutes and then flush the toilet to see if the water properly goes down. If not, repeat the process.

When the clog is cleared, retract the cable before pulling out the auger. This is so you won’t damage the glaze of your toilet.

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^{You might also like: How to unclog a toilet in 5 minutes or less}

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Does a toilet snake work better than a plunger?

A toilet snake works better than a plunger because it can break up waste. But you can use a plunger in combination with a toilet snake to get the best results. After using a toilet snake you can use a plunger to get that final flush. Flush the toilet to see if the water goes down.

It’s especially advisable to use a plunger in combination with a DIY-ed toilet snake. A bought toilet snake, which is often called a drain auger, will mostly do the trick. They are heavier and more robust than a DIY snake.

What is the quickest way to unclog a toilet?

The quickest way to unclog a toilet is to grab a bucket of water and drop the water from a distance inside the bowl. The power of the falling water will often clear a mild clog. When that fails, another quick way to unclog a toilet is to add rewire a coat hanger and snake a toilet.

On both occasions, you’ll most likely have the items needed at home.

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_{Disclaimer: TheToiletSpecialist.com is not responsible for any damage caused to your toilet and surroundings by (wrongly) interpreting information found on this site. Please seek custom advice from a professional to evaluate your current situation.}

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