Step 7 · Retrieve Cable and Test Drain

This is the step most people slow down on. Take it one move at a time — there’s no rush, and you can rewind the clip as many times as you need.

Once you are confident the line is clear, it's time to retrieve the cable. Switch the auger's directional control to 'Reverse'. Activate the motor with the foot pedal and carefully guide the cable back out of the drain and into the machine's drum. It's highly recommended to have a garden hose with a spray nozzle ready. As the cable retracts, spray it down to clean off the sewage and debris, which makes cleanup much easier. After the entire cable is back in the drum, test your work. Run the garden hose at full blast down the open cleanout pipe for 5-10 minutes. Then, ask your helper to go inside and flush a toilet and run a sink simultaneously to confirm that the drains are flowing freely and not backing up.