# DrainAugering.ca

> Find the clog, pick the right cable, and know when augering is the wrong tool. DrainAugering.ca is part of the HAUSE Sewer network — an independent Canadian information and service-request network (not a contractor). Contact: sewers@hause.ca, 403-679-3100.

Drain augering, or snaking, is clearing a blocked drain by feeding a flexible coiled-steel cable into the pipe and rotating it so the head bores through or snags the clog. It works best on hair, paper and wipes, and only when the cable is sized to the pipe. It opens a channel rather than cleaning the pipe wall, so grease, roots and scale tend to come back.

## Guides

### Auger Types
- [Auger cable size chart: choosing diameter and length by pipe size](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/auger-cable-size-chart/): Auger cable size chart for 1-1/4 to 6-inch drains: which cable diameter and length to use, why undersized cable kinks, and how to measure your reach.
- [Auger cutting heads, and which one to use for each clog](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/auger-cutting-heads/): Auger cutting heads explained: bulb, spade, C-cutter, grabber and root saw heads, what each clears, which risk damaging old pipe, and a head selection chart.
- [How to clean, dry and store a drain auger so it lasts](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/clean-and-store-a-drain-auger/): How to clean a drain auger or toilet auger after use: rinsing, disinfecting, drying and oiling the cable, checking for kinks, and knowing when a snake is done.
- [Which drain snake to buy: a spec checklist by job](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/how-to-choose-a-drain-snake/): Which drain snake should you buy? Match cable diameter, length, core, drum and drive to your drains, see what plumbers carry, and know which specs are worth it.
- [Toilet auger, plunger or drain snake: which one fits your clog](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/toilet-auger-vs-plunger-vs-snake/): Toilet auger vs plunger vs drain snake: what each tool does, which to try first on a toilet, sink or shower, and why a toilet auger will not clear a sink.
- [Types of drain augers, from a closet auger to a sectional machine](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/types-of-drain-augers/): Compare types of drain augers: closet augers, hand drums, drill-powered, drop-head, drum machines and sectional machines, with pipe sizes and reach for each.
- [What size toilet auger you need, and what to do when it will not go in](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/what-size-toilet-auger/): What size toilet auger do you need? When a 3 ft closet auger is long enough, when to choose 6 ft, and how to fix an auger that will not go in or gets stuck.

### Basics
- [What drain augering is, and how a spinning cable clears a clog](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/what-is-drain-augering/): Drain augering explained: how a rotating steel cable reaches, bores through and retrieves a clog, what it clears well, and where augering stops working.

### Decisions
- [How often should you snake your drains and main sewer line?](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/how-often-to-snake-a-main-line/): How often should you snake your drains or main sewer line? Why healthy lines need none, how to set an interval from your clog history, and when to repair instead.
- [Renting vs buying a drain auger, and when to hire it out instead](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/rent-or-buy-drain-auger/): Renting vs buying a drain auger in Canada: which tools are worth owning, what to check on a rental machine, planning costs and when to hire a drain cleaner.
- [When augering is not enough: roots, grease, scale and sags](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/when-augering-is-not-enough/): When augering is not enough: how roots, grease, cast iron scale, sags, offsets and collapse defeat a drain snake, and when jetting, descaling or repair fits.

### Diagnose
- [Why your drain snake is not working, and how to get it past the bend](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/drain-snake-not-working/): Drain snake not working? Why a cable will not go down the drain, stalls at a 90-degree bend, spins without clearing or gets stuck, and how to fix each one.
- [Main sewer line clog or branch clog? How to tell before you auger](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/main-line-clog-vs-branch-clog/): Signs of a main sewer line clog vs a branch clog: which fixtures react, the floor drain test, gurgling, toilet-to-tub tests and what each means for augering.
- [Why the clog came back after the drain was snaked](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/why-the-clog-came-back/): Why a drain clog came back after snaking: incomplete clearing, grease, roots, scale, sags, offsets, wipes and venting, with a repeat-clog diagnosis checklist.

### How-To
- [How to auger a main sewer line from the cleanout](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/auger-main-line-from-cleanout/): How to auger a main sewer line from the cleanout: opening it safely, house traps, machine setup, cable size, running technique and stop conditions.
- [How to auger a basement floor drain without fighting the trap](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/how-to-auger-a-floor-drain/): How to auger a floor drain step by step: using its cleanout, getting past the trap, backwater valve cautions, cable size and when the clog is really the main.
- [How to auger a toilet without scratching the porcelain](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/how-to-auger-a-toilet/): How to auger a toilet with a closet auger: seating the guard, cranking through the trapway, avoiding porcelain scratches and when the toilet must come off.
- [How to snake a sink drain from the trap arm, not the plughole](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/how-to-snake-a-sink/): How to snake a sink drain: pull the P-trap, feed 1/4-inch cable into the trap arm, get it down the tee, and handle double basins and garbage disposals.
- [How to snake a bathtub or shower drain](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/how-to-snake-a-tub-or-shower-drain/): How to snake a bathtub or shower drain: clear hair at the stopper, feed cable through the tub overflow, reach the shower trap, and spot a branch clog.
- [How to snake a drain from outside the house](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/snaking-a-drain-from-outside/): How to snake a drain from outside: using an exterior cleanout, why weeping tile and septic drain fields are different, and what to do when the line is frozen.
- [Snaking a drain from the roof vent: when it helps and when it does not](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/snaking-a-drain-from-the-roof-vent/): Can you snake a drain from the roof vent? When the vent stack is the right access, clearing a blocked or frost-closed vent, and the roof safety that comes first.
- [How to unclog a drain without a snake, and when you still need one](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/unclog-a-drain-without-a-snake/): How to unclog a drain without a snake: plunging that actually works, pulling the trap, wet-dry vacuums, hot water, and what to do after a chemical cleaner.

### Safety
- [Can a drain snake damage your pipes? Where the real risks are](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/can-a-drain-snake-damage-pipes/): Can a drain snake damage pipes? How cables and cutters harm old clay, Orangeburg, cast iron, plastic traps, chrome fittings and toilets, and how to avoid it.
- [Drain auger safety: how rotating cable injures, and how to stop it](https://drainaugering.ca/guides/drain-auger-safety/): Drain auger safety: how rotating cable injures hands and arms, the right gloves, foot pedal control, electrical and sewer gas hazards, and hard stop rules.

## Tools, costs and reference
- [Drain augering cost in Canada: what snaking typically costs in 2026](https://drainaugering.ca/costs/drain-augering-cost/): Drain augering cost in Canada for 2026: typical ranges to snake a sink, toilet, floor drain or main line, what raises the price and what a fair quote lists.
- [Auger Cable Sizer: pick the cable, head and machine before you start](https://drainaugering.ca/tools/auger-cable-sizer/): Auger Cable Sizer: choose the line, the distance to the clog and the clog type to get drum or sectional cable, length, head, machine class and a pro flag.
- [Clog Locator: find the blockage before you pick up a cable](https://drainaugering.ca/tools/clog-locator/): Use the Clog Locator to find where a drain clog sits (trap, branch, stack, main or lateral) and which auger class and cable size fits the pipe.
- [Drain augering in Calgary and Alberta](https://drainaugering.ca/calgary/): Drain augering in Calgary: how Alberta winters, older clay and cast iron laterals, backwater valves and City 311 shape clog diagnosis and snaking at home.
- [Drain augering glossary](https://drainaugering.ca/glossary/): Drain augering glossary: 54 plain definitions covering cable types, drum and sectional machines, closet augers, trap arms, cleanouts, laterals and bellies.
- [Drain augering FAQ](https://drainaugering.ca/faq/): Drain augering FAQ: straight answers on snaking sinks, toilets, floor drains and main lines, cable sizes, safety, costs, repeat clogs and when to hire a pro.

## Network
- [PipeCleaning.ca](https://pipecleaning.ca/): The Canadian field manual for cleaning drain and sewer pipes — by method, by material, by house.
- [SewerQuotes.com](https://sewerquotes.com/): What sewer work should cost, what a fair quote contains, and how to compare three of them.
- [SewerInspector.ca](https://sewerinspector.ca/): Sewer camera inspections, explained frame by frame — before you buy, renovate or dig.
- [SewerCleaners.ca](https://sewercleaners.ca/): Hiring a sewer cleaner, keeping the line clear, and stopping backups before they start.
- [SewerRoots.ca](https://sewerroots.ca/): Tree roots in sewer lines — why they get in, which trees are worst, and how to stop them for good.
- [SewerJetting.ca](https://sewerjetting.ca/): Hydro jetting, pressure by pressure — what it clears, what it can break, and when it is worth it.

## Optional
- [Full text for language models](https://drainaugering.ca/llms-full.txt)
- [Editorial standards](https://drainaugering.ca/about/)