Snake stuck in main outlet

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Darren.to

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hi everyone,
I recently had a sewage backup in my house in Toronto canada. A licensed and insured plumber came and snaked my main drain. It took a while to get rid of the blockage but when he tried to pull the snake back it was stuck. He had run about 60 feet of coil and. He then put his camera down and the snake has recoiled around itself and is stuck in the city drain.

My question is not how to get the snake out. ( probably only option is to dig a hole down to the pipe and pull it out the other end) but who is responsible for the cost of taking the snake out. Digging a 10 ft deep hole and fixing the pipe will probably cost about $5000.

My insurance does cover sewage backup but this problem is not not entirely part of the problem.
Tanks everyone
 

Cacher_Chick

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I would look at what harm might be done in pulling the snake out. We had a similar situation once and we were able to pull the snake out with a truck-mounted winch.
 

Darren.to

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I would look at what harm might be done in pulling the snake out. We had a similar situation once and we were able to pull the snake out with a truck-mounted winch.
I don't think that a winch would work because of the angle and location of the snake. It is in my basement around a corner from the door
 

hj

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A tripod and a "Come along". The responsibility is a tough one. If it were the proper snake, it should not have been able to "curl up", which would be the contractor's problem. But if there is a problem with the sewer itself which caused the coiling, then just removing the snake will not cure it and it should be dug up an repaired, which would be the homeowner or city's responsibility, depending on where it is and the city's protocol for lateral sewer connections.
 

Cacher_Chick

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We took out a concrete block and ran the cable through the wall.
There is always a way, it just might not be the one you were hoping for.
 

Cacher_Chick

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....to add- if the piping were anything but cast iron, I would never have considered it.
 
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MACPLUMB

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Any ideal what size cable ?
if it is smaller then .66 double wound magnum cable it is too small and that is why it most likely snarled up ,
otherwise maybe the plumber was not paying attention and it balled up on him, but then it could also be something wrong with the pipe you
HAVE TO REMOVE OR DIG UP
 
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