Drain snake stuck in pipe
Drain snakes can get trapped, tangled, or lost inside shared pipe systems, sometimes tunneling into adjacent apartment drains or getting left behind by previous contractors. This blocks the line completely and forces workers to cut into walls or pipes just to retrieve the trapped equipment.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 17.2× more often in r/Plumbing than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1cutting into walls or pipes to retrieve the stuck cableDid this help you?
- 2pulling back and forth on the cable from another unit or connectionDid this help you?
- 3Trying to remove the stuck snake pieceDid this help you?
- 4Descaling the line with a chain snake or a jetterDid this help you?
- 5Getting estimates to dig up and replace a section or all of the pipeDid this help you?
- 6Doing a DIY repairDid this help you?
- 7Pull the cable completely out of the machine outside and feed it back in.Did this help you?
- 8Unplug the machine and slowly spin it by hand in the opposite direction while straightening the kink and pulling the line.Did this help you?
- 9Spin the machine in reverse to relieve tension, then pull it out and push the loop back into the cage.Did this help you?
- 10Using a snake to clear the clog temporarilyDid this help you?
- 11Considering hydro jetting instead of snakingDid this help you?
- 12Getting a camera scope down the drainDid this help you?
- 13pouring hot water and liquid laundry detergentDid this help you?
- 14opening and cleaning out the P-trap pipesDid this help you?
- 15using a manual hand-crank drain snake or drill attachmentDid this help you?
- 16waiting for building management or a professional plumber to come with proper equipmentDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Working as a maintenance contractor at a hotel i was asked to unclog a urinal. Plumbers had come and claimed to have snaked the line and found the blockage under the floor. Said the floor would need tore up. 10k job. Owner asked me to take a look. I cut into the wall and took out a chunk of the 2in pipe. Found an old drain snake blocking the line only 12in from the urinal.”source ↗
“In 1999 I had my cable come up in the adjacent apartment’s bathroom sink after going down a back to back sink drain unknowingly. The tenant was home and in a moment of genius grabbed the cable and started jerking on it then after I paused he pulled the whole damn thing out into his apartment completely stripping it from my machine.”source ↗
“It over flows when the washer discharges.”source ↗
“The item in the pipe I believe is the tip to the snake from the plumber I hired to fix the problem.”source ↗
“I can’t seem to get the scope any further, does it look collapsed to you guys?”source ↗
“I rented this today and am stuck here. Any advice ?”source ↗
“Probably had 50 feet out and then it wouldn’t come out anymore.”source ↗
“I guess I could have just reversed everything, and returned it, but I have a wife who wants to take a shower and we haven’t been able to for day, so I started trying to get more out. Whoops.”source ↗
“I tried to use a manual drain snake (about 5 meters long) and it goes in but then there's resistance when there's a meter and a half left.”source ↗
“if the snake's jamming a meter and a half out, you're probably hitting a bend or a clog past the wall, nothing to do but wait for monday or find a neighbor with a longer snake and a stronger wrist.”source ↗
“Thanks, I'm afraid to wind it up with too much tension - it might whip around the kitchen and fling crap everywhere.”source ↗
“Thanks! I tried the drain snake a few times....doesn't do anything and there's so much tension winding it up, it's dangerous.”source ↗
“We have a kitchen drain that has clogged 3 times in maybe 18 months. Snake clears it everythings fine for a while and then it slowly starts backing up again.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 12Tree roots growing inside drain pipes
- 29Why does my sink drain keep clogging up?
- 3Flexible accordion tub drain buried in concrete slab
- 7How to get something stuck behind the washer drain filter out
- 5Why does the drain snake keep coming out the other drain?
- 19Main sewer line backed up right after moving in