this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2024
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I had a drain coming from my HVAC get clogged. Figuring I could fix it myself and save a few hundred dollars by not call the HVAC repair, I stuck a pipe snake down there. As soon as it got to the u-bend, it got stuck. A couple of tugs later the head broke off.
This pipe goes from the HVAC in the attic into the upstairs bathroom, then down and out of the house. I knew if the head went down it could result in needing to punch a hole in a wall or ceiling if it got stuck again. So, I cut the pipe on either side of the bend. Sure enough the head of the snake was lodged at the bottom of the U.
No matter what I did I could not dislodge it from the bottom of the u-bend. This is around 7-8 PM on a Saturday. So I race out to the big-box hardware store, because they normally close around 9 PM. And they did not have a single piece of PVC with a u-bend that is the size I needed. And nothing even close. I go to the other big-box store across the street they don't have it either. But I did find the wise old man that works there, I explain to him what happened and what I need. He tells me I need to go to this specialty plumbing store a ways down the highway.
I looked up this plumbing store. They are closed for the day. They are also not open on Sundays. Okay I live in one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the US. There has to be a plumbing store open before Monday. Well there might be, but I couldn't find it.
Now this is Texas in August. There is no way my wife and kids should suffer for two days because of my dumb ass mistake. So I called the HVAC guy. They send some out at like 2 AM and the guy replaces the U-bend and installs a cleanable filter before it, so I can prevent that from happening again. In all a 30 second job that should have cost me nothing, cost me 7 hours of anxiety and $500.
Thank you for sharing this, it didn't disappoint. The die hard efforts we take to save a buck or exercise ingenuity mostly work out but when it comes to the wife and kids I usually throw in the towel.
I'll give you a short story in return in that same vain: woke up to a raccoon on our deck, he was obviously in a pretty bad way. Pacing, frothing, sparse hair, lice. We figured it was rabid and I just wanted to try dropping a brick on it from above or smashing it, but I knew it would've been messy. Went out and bought an $80 trap, set it, but the dang thing just wouldn't go in. Well she wanted her deck space back so ultimately we called someone to remove it, $200. Turns out it had distemper. Now I would've waited until it died and then bagged it up - would've been cheaper but I guess at least we ended its suffering.
I'm about to try un screw the ubend under my sink with 0 plumbing knowledge hoping I can somehow get the snake unstuck.
If it makes you feel better all the u-bends at the big box store were specifically for under the sink, so at least you'll have that going for you.