Hand crank snake not recommended for toilet drains?

I need to snake our basement toilet drain an when looking at 1/4” hand crank snakes, they generally all say recommended for bathroom and kitchen sink, tub, and shower drains, but *not* recommended for use with toilets. Why is that? I am planning on removing the toilet to snake directly into the drain.

 

The little hand crank snake you have is not nearly big enough for the 3" or 4" pipe you'll encounter once you pull the toilet. Bathroom and kitchen sink, tub, and shower drains typically could range between 1 1/4" to 2".

 

Look at the size of the tip on the end of hand crank auger. It's tiny especially when you stick it in a 3 or 4" pipe. There could be a partial clog and that small tip could easily go through the open part without ever doing anything to the clog.

But, a hand auger is still useful. Sometimes it can snag and break up a clog in a large pipe. You can also make a nasty snaggle for the end out of a coat hanger to better scrape the wall of a large diameter pipe. Just make darn sure it's securely attached because if your wire snaggle comes off in the pipe you will have to get it out somehow.

 

A major issue with the smaller snakes in a large pipe is that they can easily curl up on themselves. Not only does that make them ineffective, but they can get jammed up in the pipe. Stick with the right tool for the right job!

 

I would run an auger (a real toilet auger) thru the toilet first. The trapway in a toilet is much smaller and more convoluted than the pipe it's draining into -- most of the time the clog is in the toilet.

 

We had a clog that was in the toilet (or within six feet)- I used a 6 foot toilet auger (the kind with a rubberized L shape to stick in/around the first bend going in past the bowl). The toilet now flushes normally once or twice (not a full tanks worth of flush). But if I empty a full tank or more all at once the bowl will start to raise up towards the rim and take 30 seconds or so to drain down to the normal height. So I figure the clog is now further down.

 

I think you are correct. There is a clog further down the line. The volume of the drain pipe acts as a reservoir. How long it takes to fill up gives you a clue as to how far away the clog is located.