When snaking out the toilet vent pipe from the roof, the snake broke and fell into the pipe. I've found suggestions to retrieve it that involve finding the vent pipe clean-out... how do we find the vent pipe clean-out? We live in a 1960s ranch with a basement. Two toilets on the main floor and one in the basement.

Thanks!

Hi Swake...

You are looking for the cleanout at the base of the vent pipe. If there is no cleanout there you want to look for the main drain cleanout and see if the snake got that far. The main drain cleanout is usually on the front of the house if you have city/town sewer or out by the back wall if you are on septic tank.

Check for these cleanouts and hopefully you will find the snake, too.

Another alternative would be to rent another snake, but this time get one with a RETRIEVER HEAD on it and send it down the same vent pipe. With any luck it will snag the broken cable and you can pull it back. Be clear, that here, you may need to fish for the broken snake many times before the retriever head grabs it... ;)

Finally, another option would be to cut a cleanout into the drain line at the base of the stack. If this interests you please let us know so we can walk you through the details to keep you and your plumbing pipes safe.

Back to you...

Mark