How Do I Get A Stuck Snake/Sewer Cable Out Of The Pipe On The Roof?

Your spouse says that one of your honey-do chores on the “list” is to make your bathroom sink drain because it is completely stopped up.  You’re pretty handy, so you say to yourself, I can fix that drain.  You either go and rent a sewer machine of you have some sort of a snake amongst all your cool tools.  Then you say to yourself, I’ve seen professional plumbers get up on the roof and unstop drains, surely I can do this.  You put your snake down the vent stack on the roof and turn it on and you are making progress,  the snake is going through the pipe.

All of a sudden, it binds, kinks, twists up like a pretzel, and you realize that this may be a bad idea.  You try to remove the snake from the pipe by reversing the machine, but it just twists and kinks the cable more.  Now your cussing, right?

What do you do?  Well, first let’s back up a minute and see what we should of done.

Competent plumbers have three to four different size sewer machines with different size cables.  Experience, will guide their choice of the size of cable and sewer machine selection , based on the size of the drain pipe.  Also, a knowledgeable plumber in Sarasota will know what cleaning head to put on the end of the cable to best clear the stoppage in the drain line.

So, you did not have all of this information and you just used what you had or relied on what  the rental store guy told you to do, and now his snake or yours is stuck in the pipe.

Sometimes if you are lucky, you can put a pipe wrench on the cable and pull it out. Don’t be afraid at this point. Make sure you have eye protection on. You will have to pull on it very hard. It’s going to have to give, bust or bleed. Just be careful that you aren’t the one bleeding.

If it gives, breaks free, and you get all of your cable out, including the head on the end of the cable ,Great!  Now you can use a bigger cable and sewer machine to do the job right.

If the snake just stretched out and broke off in the pipe, then you need to get a professional plumber in Sarasota to access the situation.  The plumber may still be able to get your snake out of the drain or recommend accessing the pipe below the floor to get the broken cable out.

A lot of times, it is usually cheaper and faster to just call Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air, and have them take care of any plumbing problems that are on your honey-do list.

We are available to help you or to answer your plumbing questions. Call 941-322-1911 or schedule online.