How can I remove a stuck pipe snake?
Question:I used a hand-cranked pipe snake to clear a clock in the drain of my bathtub. It worked like a charm. Now I can't get the darned thing out. When I try to wind it up, it gets all twisted. Every time I try to get the twists out, I have to let go of the crank and more snake feeds out. The simple answer is to pull the snake out of the drain first, but there was now way to remove the drain cover so I fed the line through it. Now I have to twist it out. What can I do?
Answers:
I can't believe that you have a clock stuck in your drain. Twist and pull hard. Clockwise.
the drain cover screws into the waste pipe below. You may have to replace a part{new drain cover] by taking the old out, but better that than having a snake in the tub!
If you fed it through what they call the tub shoe or actual drain opening you have a big problem. One solution is that if your tub is on the second floor you can cut the drywall below and remove a section of pipe and pull it out that way. If it is on the ground floor you may want to call a plumber at this point.
give the darn thing a good pull.should come back out
Be patient and persistant. If it went in, it will come out. Have you tried tightening the feed screw to prevent the snake from playing out when you let go of the crank?
turn the drain line in the opposite direction than what it went in (counterclockwise) and pull. That's the way I remove lines that get stuck in the pipes. I use motorized machines though and don't know how it will work with the hand cranked one. I would get someone to help pull while you turn the line counter clock wise.
I had a larger one than yours and fed it through a 4" drain line down slope all the way to the street. It got tangled up in some roots and a couple of bends. Simple - 10 years ago - I guess it's still there. (Sorry I couldn't help, it is a tricky problem and there are several time consuming solutions that will work for you).
Good Luck ! ! !
More Related Questions & Answers...