That $80 plumbing snake I bought was a total waste

Bought a cheap snake from Home Depot to clear a tub drain in my rental in Chicago. Got stuck on the first bend, broke off inside the pipe. Had to call a guy anyway, cost me $250 to pull the pieces out. Should I have just rented the good one from the tool library instead?

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leow904mo ago

tbh a $15 rental sounds smart but your story also sounds like you just had bad luck with a shitty snake. sometimes the cheap ones work fine if you're not dealing with a nightmare clog.

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shane_wilson4mo ago

...and that's exactly why I ended up with a 40-foot chunk of cable wrapped around my leg in the basement once. I bought one of those cheap snakes from the hardware store to clear a main line, and it just kept looping back on itself. The thing had zero backbone, just floppy wire. By the time I gave up, I'd created a tangled mess that looked like a sad art project. The rental place charges like $15 for the good one that actually has some weight and spring to it. Saves you the frustration and the plumbing bill.

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