“This scenario is not that uncommon. If there is access, snakes can easily make their way up drains and pipes and into the home,” he said.
Sometimes the best way to unclog a shower drain is with a drain snake, sometimes called a manual auger or electric auger. If it's electric, you'll need a power drill to run the plumber's snake. If it's manual, you'll have to turn the handle by hand to operate it.
Is it an urban legend, a joke, or a valid concern? According to experts, unfortunately, it can happen. Not only can snakes come up through the toilet, but other critters like rats, squirrels, and tree frogs can too. However, this is not a very common occurrence, so you can breathe a sigh of relief.
A small power snake with a 1/4-inch cable is the preferred tool of choice for clearing a bathtub drain. These tools operate like a power drill, with a front-mounted canister that contains a coiled cable.
If your snake isn't unclogging your drains, it could be because the thumbscrew is loose, the clog is too severe, or the auger is dirty. Or maybe you just need a refresher on how to use a drain snake. A drain auger (snake) is a simple, inexpensive necessity for every homeowner.
Yes, but it's not common. Sometimes snakes will swim up through the pipes or enter a bathroom through an open window or door and coil up in a toilet bowl in search of a place to cool down during the hot, dry summers. However, this doesn't really happen in urban areas.
Snakes will hide behind the refrigerator, under the oven, under your bed, or inside cabinets. Snakes will avoid human activity. Some of the most common areas of the house to find a snake include crawl spaces, basements, garages, and attics (can snakes climb?)
In fact, it's fairly common for snakes to make their way into homes and commercial structures through small holes and cracks. Snakes can easily make a home in a crawl space, but they're also quite capable of moving into your attic or any room of the house for that matter.
Snakes in the Bathroom
The pests easily gain entrance to homes via cracks and gaps in building foundations or siding. Sometimes they get inside through windows or doors that have been left open. Once they've infiltrated homes, snakes maneuver through vents, ducts, and wall voids to reach bathrooms.
Bacteria, virus, parasites and fungi are in the drains and sewers, and the danger of becoming ill due to contact is possible.
To truly power through a heavy-duty clog or reach a back-up that starts inside of a wall or reaches far into your home's plumbing system, you'll need a power auger. This type of tool is one that only a trained, qualified professional should use.
If your drains are clogging every month, it's wise to get them cleaned right away. As for maintenance, we recommend cleaning them every two years, but we may suggest more frequent cleanings if you have a large household and use the sinks a lot.
On average, you will pay about $109 to $214 for clogs that occur in the shower, bathtub, kitchen, or bathroom. If you are looking to remove a clog from a laundry drain, then it may cost you a bit more, about $151 to $214.
Research has shown that cinnamon oil, clove oil, and eugenol are effective snake repellents. Snakes will retreat when sprayed directly with these oils and will exit cargo or other confined spaces when these oils are introduced to the area.
Remember snakes do not usually live in colonies, so you could have a solitary snake. Just because you saw one, there is no need to panic and think that you have a house infested with millions of snakes.
Keeping the vegetation around the house cut short can make the home less attractive to small animals and snakes. Other methods include screening all outside vents, making sure doors and windows fit tightly, and sealing cracks and holes around the foundation.
Snakes are most active at night and during early morning and late evening hours, the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension says. One of the most common species of snakes isn't venomous at all.
When snakes excrete waste, it is actually a mixture of feces and urine that looks white and is more of a liquid than a solid, much like bird droppings. The pests' waste may contain bones, hair, scales, and other indigestible materials leftover from meals.
Most snakes can fit through a 1/2-inch-wide crack. Fill cracks during the summer when snakes are not around, using tuck-pointing, expandable caulking, or other standard repair techniques.
If you find a dry, scaly sheet of the skin or a crumpled heap somewhere close to an entrance into the walls of your home or small space areas. If you are inspecting a dusty area or crawl space, you might notice slither tracks that indicate where a snake has traveled. Snakes have a distinctive smell that is noticeable.
In particular, snakes can get into your house walls through various small spaces and gaps and remain there for as long as it is cold outside.
Basking Spots: use heat lamps or heat pads to set up “basking spots” in various places around the home. As snakes use external heat to regulate their body temperature, they're attracted to warm areas. Thawed Rodents: some people advocate using pre-killed thawed rodents to lure escaped snakes out of hiding.