Although technically you can use a regular snake (instead of a toilet snake) to unclog a toilet you really should not. The reason being that a regular snake can damage the porcelain of your toilet bowl.

A toilet snake (aka toilet auger) is specifically designed to be used on toilets and will not cause any damage. If you don’t have a toilet snake, you can always try using a plunger first- this is usually the best way to unclog a toilet without causing any damage. If that doesn’t work, then you can try using a regular snake. Just be careful not to damage the porcelain.

Why Shouldn’t You Use A Regular Snake In A Toilet?

As we mentioned above, using a regular snake on a toilet can damage the porcelain. Now, you may think this is just an aesthetic issue but the truth is, this type of damage could degrade your toilet bowl faster resulting in you having to replace your toilet much sooner.

Besides that – if your home has older pipes, the regular snake could damage those pipes as well. It’s simply best to use a toilet snake to unclog a toilet.

What Is The Difference Between A Toilet Auger And A Snake?

The main difference between a toilet auger and snake is that a snake is designed to unclog drains, while a toilet auger is specifically designed for toilets.

Drain snakes and augers are both useful for removing clogs, but they do it in very different ways. A toilet auger is designed to force its way through an obstruction while a regular snake will typically just pull whatever’s blocking them out of the way with little effort on your part!

An auger is a type of snake that has a corkscrew-like head. It works by slowly feeding it down the drain until it meets the obstruction. At that point, the auger will start to turn and grind away at the clog until it’s cleared.

A regular snake is not specifically designed for toilets and can easily damage the porcelain of your toilet bowl. A toilet snake, on the other hand, has a soft, rubberized head that won’t scratch or damage your toilet. It’s also longer than a regular snake, so it can reach clogs that are further down the drain

How Do You Unblock A Badly Clogged Toilet?

If you’re dealing with a severely clogged toilet you’ll need to use a toilet snake. A snake, also called an auger, is a tool that’s used to clear clogs from drains. It has a coiled wire cable that’s attached to a crank handle. You twist the handle to rotate the cable and help it break through the clog.

You can buy a toilet snake at most hardware stores. Or, if you have a friend or family member who’s handy with tools, they may be able to borrow one for you.

How To Use A Toilet Auger

Very much like a regular snake, the homeowner feeds the cable wire on the auger through the toilet drain and continues to manually turn the handle on the auger which then pushes the wire further down as far as it can go.

Once it reaches the clog, it should (hopefully) be able to break through that clog and clear the pipe.

If the clog is further down the drain or you aren’t able to break it up then it’s time to call in a professional plumber to fix the problem.


If you have any questions about clearing toilet clogs or are having some problems with it, call Atlantis Plumbing today at 770-505-8570. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.