He went back to the article. Step 2: Use a sewer auger (aka a snake). Rent a heavy-duty one. Not the little hand-crank for sinks. You need a 50–100 foot machine with a cutting head.
The first results were optimistic: Chemical drain cleaners! But buried three paragraphs down was the warning: Acids can eat through old cast iron or react violently with standing water. Also, they just punch a tiny hole through sludge—the clog usually comes back in a week. Leo scrolled past. how to unclog main sewer line
Next: The hot water trick. Boil gallons. Pour down. Hope. He’d tried that on a sink once. It just made the backup warm. He moved on. He went back to the article
“Don’t flush anything,” Leo said. The mantra of every homeowner who has ever faced the abyss. Not the little hand-crank for sinks
It was 9 p.m. The rental shop was closed. Leo looked at the drain, then at his 25-foot handheld snake. He tried it anyway. It went in, wobbled, hit something soft, then stopped. He cranked. The snake coiled on itself. He pulled it out. It had a smear of black grease and a single, unidentifiable fiber. Not even close.