Please bear with me. This is not a hate post, just looking for pointers. Here is a background.
My kitchen sink backed up. Tried to snake it with 25ft snake (2" line), but quickly determined it is a grease. Every plumbing site tells you to call a pro, because it is hard, the machines are very dangerous, and it requires a special skill. Makes sense. I called a reputable & recommended local company - they spent about an hour going at it with a 1/2" with bulb, cuter and a Y-head. Told me it is impossible and the only option would be to jet it, but they do not know who can do it. Called around and was told nobody jets inside the house, only outside. Ok. Called a national chain company that does drains only. The guy who showed up was super knowledgeable and went at it with a 3/8" snake that had an old-school cut off and bent tip. After an hour or two, he told me there is nothing that can be done and my only option is breaking my concrete floor and replacing the pipe. Not willing to pay yet another guy $200-$600 just for trying (the first guy charged, but the second did not), I've got a drain machine and worked the blockage until it cleared up - probably 10-20 feet of grease in the 40ft secondary line. Probably spent 4 to 8 hours and rode it back and forth at least a few dozen times if not more, one time with a towel. To be fair, I got some ideas of how to approach it from reading professional forums and talking to yet another local plumber for unrelated reasons - may be he was the guy to go.
Now the question - why did the pros gave up on me? Didn't want to deal with the amount of work? Or other reasons? Why they did not try other things like a flush bag etc? Is inside jetting in a 2" line even a thing (I do see 1/8" machines for rent)? Finally, how do you find someone who can handle a specific job like this? Should I try to interview folks before scheduling a visit? I would appreciate any pointers!
My kitchen sink backed up. Tried to snake it with 25ft snake (2" line), but quickly determined it is a grease. Every plumbing site tells you to call a pro, because it is hard, the machines are very dangerous, and it requires a special skill. Makes sense. I called a reputable & recommended local company - they spent about an hour going at it with a 1/2" with bulb, cuter and a Y-head. Told me it is impossible and the only option would be to jet it, but they do not know who can do it. Called around and was told nobody jets inside the house, only outside. Ok. Called a national chain company that does drains only. The guy who showed up was super knowledgeable and went at it with a 3/8" snake that had an old-school cut off and bent tip. After an hour or two, he told me there is nothing that can be done and my only option is breaking my concrete floor and replacing the pipe. Not willing to pay yet another guy $200-$600 just for trying (the first guy charged, but the second did not), I've got a drain machine and worked the blockage until it cleared up - probably 10-20 feet of grease in the 40ft secondary line. Probably spent 4 to 8 hours and rode it back and forth at least a few dozen times if not more, one time with a towel. To be fair, I got some ideas of how to approach it from reading professional forums and talking to yet another local plumber for unrelated reasons - may be he was the guy to go.
Now the question - why did the pros gave up on me? Didn't want to deal with the amount of work? Or other reasons? Why they did not try other things like a flush bag etc? Is inside jetting in a 2" line even a thing (I do see 1/8" machines for rent)? Finally, how do you find someone who can handle a specific job like this? Should I try to interview folks before scheduling a visit? I would appreciate any pointers!