A blocked drain of any sort is an annoying problem for us all and if you have tried everything you can think of to unblock your drain either inside or outside then your final weapon of choice is the trusty “Snake” ( carried by all professionals like an Archway Plumber ). I recently tried this piece of equipment and found it very useful in my case as a first aid measure. A coiled spiral snake that’s usually about 1/4-inch thick with a handle on one end, the snake works in a totally different way to the common or garden plunger.You push the snake into the clogged drain and twist it to drive it further into the obstruction. The snake helps you gain access to the main bulk of the blockage so that you can break it up. Snakes are especially handy because they’re long enough to reach deep within your pipework. You may have to apply pressure when cranking the handle to get it to bend around the tight curve under for example a sink. After turning the curve, the snake usually slides through easily until you hit the blockage. Some snakes connect to an electric power drill which increases the power. The spinning action enables the tip of the snake to snag the bulk, hopefully breaking it up allowing you to pull bits out towards you and flushing the rest away. Of course a qualified Professional like Archway Plumber is always the best option especially if your blockage will not clear easily and is causing a potential flooding or health problem. Below are a couple of tips to prevent blockages:Use a sink strainer: A clogged kitchen sink is usually the result of foreign objects entering the drain. Use a sink strainer to prevent garbage and small items from entering the drainpipe.Take care of your garbage disposal ( if you have one): When using a garbage disposal, run cold water at full volume while the machine is chopping up the garbage, leave the water running for a full minute after you finish. This precaution flushes the garbage completely out of the small-diameter sink drainpipe and into the larger main drainpipe.Finally: Don’t put any foreign materials down your sink as they can harden and block the drain.