Alright, let me tell you about my little adventure with one of those sewer cleaning machines. It wasn't exactly planned, but sometimes you just gotta roll up your sleeves, you know?

The Problem That Started It All

It all began with the kitchen sink. Again. Draining slower than molasses in January. Then the gurgling started. Finally, total backup. Water just sitting there, mocking me. I tried the usual stuff – plunger, that nasty chemical drain cleaner – nothing touched it this time. I knew, deep down, this was beyond the simple fixes. The blockage was probably way down the line, somewhere dark and nasty.

Calling a plumber was my first thought, but honestly, the prices they quote sometimes... wow. So, I figured, how hard can it be? Watched a couple of videos online. Seemed straightforward enough, if a bit messy. Decided to rent one of those electric eel things, the big snake machines, from the local tool rental place.

Getting the Machine and Prepping

Went down there, and the guy behind the counter wheeled this thing out. Heavy beast! Looked kinda intimidating with its big drum of cable. He gave me a quick rundown – foot pedal for go, forward/reverse switch, be careful. Sounded simple, but I still felt a bit nervous handling it. Managed to wrestle it into the back of my truck and got it home.

First things first: preparation. This wasn't going to be clean. Pulled out my worst pair of jeans, an old sweatshirt, work boots, heavy-duty gloves, and safety glasses. Absolutely essential, trust me. Then, cleared everything out from under the kitchen sink to give myself room to work. Taking off the P-trap was the first messy step, letting out that trapped water. Ugh.

The Dirty Work

Positioned the machine, plugged it in. Took a deep breath. Okay, here we go. Started feeding the cable into the drainpipe opening under the sink. It goes in pretty easy at first. Then, I stepped on the foot pedal to start it spinning. The noise wasn't too bad, a steady hum. Fed more cable, nice and slow.

After maybe 15 or 20 feet, I felt it. Solid resistance. This had to be the clog. My heart rate picked up a bit. Okay, don't force it. Let the spinning cutter head do its job. Worked the cable back and forth gently. The machine bucked a little. You really have to hold onto that cable sometimes.

Felt a change. Like it was breaking through something. Kept it spinning, pushed a little more cable through. Then, I heard it – a definite 'whoosh' sound from down the pipe, followed by gurgling. That sounded promising!

Fed a bit more cable just to be sure, then switched the machine to reverse and started pulling the cable back. This is where it gets really messy. The cable comes back coated in... well, you can imagine. Had a bucket and old rags ready to wipe it down as best I could as it retracted into the drum.

• Feed cable slowly.
• Listen and feel for the clog.
• Let the machine work, don't force it.
• Retracting is the messy part.

Clean-up and Final Thoughts

Once the cable was all back in, I cleaned up the P-trap and put it back together under the sink. Tightened everything up. Then, the moment of truth. Turned on the kitchen faucet, full blast.

The water swirled... and disappeared straight down the drain! No hesitation, no gurgling. Success! Felt pretty good about that, not gonna lie. Like I'd conquered the plumbing beast.

Cleaning the machine itself before taking it back was the final chore. Hosed it down outside, wiped it as clean as possible. Still, it's a dirty job. Returning it felt like a weight off my shoulders.

So, was it worth it? Yeah, I think so. Saved a decent chunk of change compared to calling a pro. But it was hard work, dirty work, and took up a good few hours. You need a bit of strength and a strong stomach. Would I do it again? Maybe. But I'd definitely try every single other option first next time!