how often do you tackle clogged drains yourself?

Yeah, those plastic snakes are handy for quick fixes. Baking soda and vinegar...eh, mostly hype in my experience. If a clog's stubborn enough to resist plunging and snaking, it's usually deeper or nastier than it looks. I've seen folks spend hours fighting drains only to find out later it was tree roots or grease buildup way down the line. Sometimes it's smarter (and cheaper in the long run) to just call someone with the right gear.

Haha, reading this thread makes me feel better about my own plumbing adventures. Last month I spent half a Saturday wrestling with a drain, convinced I was one YouTube tutorial away from victory...turns out it was roots. Lesson learned: sometimes it's okay to wave the white flag and call backup.