: I sure hope you can help me! My husband tried to snake our plugged drain this morning and made it worse. In an attempt to fix it myself I read some of your threads on plugged drains and removed the plug lever myself, then used a coat hanger with a "V" in the end to try to flip the plug thing I thought was there.

: Now I know I should have looked online to see what it looked like inside before inserting the coat hanger. Now that I have, I'm pretty sure the blockage is past where my coat hanger can reach.

: Now about 2 feet of the coat hanger is stuck in the pipes. Jiggling it as I rotate it doesn't get me anywhere. I'm guessing it got to the "T" that leads to the shower but I didn't want to force it to straighten the "V" without advice.

: Is there anything I could break in there by forcefully pulling the coat hanger out?

: I would have called a plumber, but we're trying to get by on one salary in Silicon Valley since I got laid off. Money is tight.

Reply:
Try pulling up on the wire hanger while moving it around, it could be caught on one of the fittings in the overflow waste but it should come out without causing damage to the assembly. You're right, the clog is probably further down the line, past the trap. It will need to be snaked and cleaned by a professional with the right equipment. Hire only a licensed, insured plumber for the job.
e-plumber