Have you recently had a plumber attempt to clear your sewer line after experiencing a back-up? Was he successful in clearing the sewage back-up or did he hit an obstruction in the pipe and even worse, the snake is now stuck in the pipe?
In this case it is important to understand what to do to avoid any further damage to your pipe as well as to avoid wasting any additional money trying to have the snake removed. It is important to understand that if the snake is stuck in the sewer line it is lodged in a joint or a broken section of pipe, and a fully functional sewer should not have a separation large enough for a snake to get stuck.
It is time to accept the fact that your sewer is broken and must get repaired however, many homeowners tend to enter a stage of “broken sewer denial” where they dont want to understand there is a problem and believe that the snake can be removed with force. Please make sure that you are careful at this stage and do not apply any additional force while trying to remove the sewer snake, this can end up making your broken or separated pipe even worse in addition to having the snake remaining in its current stage. It is OK to attempt to pull on the snake for removal but if you are questioning the amount of tension on the line and the possibility of creating a larger problem, it is probably best to go with your gut and stop!
If the first plumber was not able to remove his own snake the chances are that the next guy will not have any better luck. The plumber who now has his snake stuck in the pipe is more motivated to remove the snake to avoid losing the snake and the possibility of having to purchase a new one. It is suggested to continue and have the initial plumber take some time and effort behind removing the snake before wasting thousands of dollars to have two or three more plumbers attempt to remove the snake.
At this stage it is suggested to digest the fact that the sewer line is broken, the snake may never be removed, stop the bleeding and do not spend money trying to remove it. You very well may now have to excavate to repair the pipe and remove the snake. It is not time to start feeling bad that you hired the plumber who got his snake stuck and only for this reason you have to spend thousands to excavate and repair. Remember, the pipe was broken and this is the reason the snake got stuck. If you weren’t going to repair the pipe now it would have had to get done some time in the near future.
The repair process is really straight forward and can be completed in one day in most cases- Watch our video on the sewer repair process here
