# strangest thing pulled back ?



## dclarke (Dec 22, 2012)

I was just wondering some of the strange things pulled back on sewer calls. One time I was in a lawyers office. The building was moved to its current location around 100 years ago. The place is ancient. Well there was a clogged upstairs toilet they always had issues with. We only had our small machine on the truck so we ran it and it worked fine. We got a call back and brought the big machine. We couldn't get the cable to go more than about a foot. The guy I used to work with reached his arm in and found plywood from the last remodel which they claimed was in the 60's. We got the plywood out and things were fine again. Then we get another call back so we run the big machine again....about 25' foot in and we hit dirt. We dont have a camera so unfortunately that's the last I saw of the place but whoever got to go back was going to hate life. The upstairs drop cones into the crawl, offsets then goes into the ground and with the amount of cable we were still under the building and not outside in a very shallow crawl.


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Pulled a drivers license out of a wc. Had to pull the wc and pull ut from the bottom. It was at a bar I worked at as a bar back when I was an apprentice and I knew the girl so the next nite a handed it to her and told her where I found it. She like to gag Lol.


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## dclarke (Dec 22, 2012)

Nice. The guy who reached his arm into the drain on above story said when he was younger at the bar and broke he would get the round cap off the kegs and flush them. Small enough to go through the trap but large enough to not leave the toilet. He said he looked like a hero every time and drank all night for free every time.


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## Plumberman911 (Dec 23, 2012)

Lmao. Wish I was smart like that


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## phishfood (Nov 18, 2012)

Ran a job last year. 3 buildings, 90 unit apartment complex. Got a call for a toilet that wouldn't flush. 30' downstream, I could tell the head grabbed something. Worked it back and forth, but the machine was still torqueing up a little bit, and it stayed that way all the way back. There was a plastic wrapper from a bundle of CPVC pipe wrapped around the head. I played it off like I had no idea what it was in front of the tenant. 

My supervisor at the time had raised a fuss with the GC about having to clean a drain, saying that we didn't put the drain pipe in clogged up, yadda, yadda.

I offered him the chance to buy the picture from me with beer, but he wouldn't pay up. So the next morning I sold the picture to the assistant GC for beer.:whistling2:

Before anyone gets all bent out of shape about me throwing my boss under the bus, we have all been working with those GC superintendants for a long time, and it is still something we all laugh about.


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## Fullmetal Frank (Jul 11, 2012)

Squirrel.


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## justin (May 14, 2010)

Crap load of carpet that someone thought they were throwing away." hey, lets stuff it down the toilet riser". 
Jackasses


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

Fullmetal Frank said:


> Squirrel.


We got half of one back a couple of weeks ago.


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## deerslayer (Mar 29, 2012)

Motorola Razr that had some gold plating and a $500 reward sign posted on every billboard in the factory looking for it. I found it and took it to him in a ziploc, but he wouldn't pay up:laughing:. Hey if it wouldn't have been in the toilet my closet auger wouldn't have damaged it!


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## plumberpro (Jan 1, 2013)

*strangest thing pulled back*

was on a call for clog up toilet used my auger and pulled out chicken feathers and entrials they tried to flush down a butched chicken it didnt work.


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## BuckeyeBowhunte (May 4, 2011)

i pulled back just the waistband of someone's tighty whites on monday. This was at one of those "super low rent" motels. :thumbsup:


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## dclarke (Dec 22, 2012)

That reminds me...one time I pulled back some bloody underwear at an autistic camp.


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## plumberpro (Jan 1, 2013)

*strangest thing pulled back*

once on a cloged toilet call pulled out feathers and entrails from a butched chicken the home owners had no idea how it got in the toilet?


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## drain surgeon (Jun 17, 2010)

Went on a clogged toilet call .There was a kid about 5 so I asked his Mom if there was a chance he flushed anything. She asks the boy who shakes his head no. Had to pull the toilet to get his rubber shark out. I looked at the kid and he starts crying saying "I thought he would swim"


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## Keefer w (Jan 26, 2012)

Numerous small plastic sandwich baggies that appeared to have held some illicit substance at one point. It was a rental. I think the tenants may have had to get rid of a bunch of "stuff" when the authorities knocked.


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## Dontbitenails (Oct 16, 2020)

A nice wooden and brass 4 foot level out of a cast iron stack . House was renovated a few years back . Still had the carpenters name on it . Homeowner said she was going to send him the bill


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

Dontbitenails said:


> A nice wooden and brass 4 foot level out of a cast iron stack . House was renovated a few years back . Still had the carpenters name on it . Homeowner said she was going to send him the bill


years back we did a bunch of new houses and the azzhole roofers thought it would be funny to drop 16 oz plastic bottles down the roof vent..they didnt laugh when the builder deducted the cost of cutting out all the areas the bottles got wedged in from the balance he owed to the roofing company....


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> years back we did a bunch of new houses and the azzhole roofers thought it would be funny to drop 16 oz plastic bottles down the roof vent..they didnt laugh when the builder deducted the cost of cutting out all the areas the bottles got wedged in from the balance he owed to the roofing company....



I had to go check a flat roof drain that was backing up right after a new membrane install. New guy had swept clippings and stuff into the drain when the cage was off. I don't think he's the new guy anymore lolz.

Roofer paid the bill to open the wall and get the stuff out because I couldn't get it with the snake. *He handled the issue well and they have continued to use him for other roof/carpentry stuff.

We all make mistakes. It's all about the recovery.*


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## The cable guy (Oct 31, 2020)

I pulled a onesie out of a sewer bout 5 years back. Landlord was pissed


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Whole squirrel, douche bag, lots of toys, jetted a raccoon out of a storm drain, adult diapers .... unfortunately no jewelry or anything of value.


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## Isaiah (Dec 6, 2020)

Pulled back a plastic aquaman action figure with my toilet auger not too long ago.


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## SC Plumbing Repair (Dec 7, 2020)

Commercial building, six months after opening, the company I worked for then had installed the plumbing.
After numerous complaint of a problem section we tried to run a cable through the line with no success. ended up cutting concrete and removing drain line to find a spud wrench used by the iron workers during construction.


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## Venomthirst (Jun 20, 2018)

Pulled this out about hour ago... 2 other companies there couldn't clear mainline.. took me longer to open sealed downspout than snake it... pulled back this


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

This one got me today. Dentist office said they had to plunge the toilet every third use for a few days. Used the closet auger to clear it. Tested with toilet paper and still backing up, ran auger a few more times and same thing. Pulled toilet and ran auger backwards to try and push out the blockage. I saw something bright white inside and was able to grab it with the hemo’s. It was a hotel key card.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Just ran into the same guy monday. A couple years back I was trying to auger his in-law apartment toilet above the garage. The whole apt. was only on a 1/2" copper line about 200' from the main house. He had ran the water himself decades ago and only ever intended to handwash his car with it. Toilet took ages to fill.

Ran auger several times and thought I got it clear, would try paper and still clogged! Pull toilet and camera waste line, clear. flip toilet over and find a couple handfuls of string beans. Wife had grown them in the garden, offered them to mother in-law. Mother in-law didn't want them, didn't want to schlep to dumpster, didn't want them in her kitchen garbage in case the wife saw them, thought she'd hurt her feelings.

I also had a priest put a plate of corned beef, cabbage, and diced potatoes & baby carrots down the toilet. Of course it never went anywhere and I had to shop vac it all out. Someone had given him the plate of food on st. patty's day and he didn't want it sitting in the garbage smelling. Also couldn't be bothered to cut it up. WTF.


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## sparky (Jan 8, 2014)

No pics but I pulled a pickle out of a toilet with auger,several women lived there and when I showed them the pickle they all got red faced and giggling so you know what that poor pickle had been used for lololololol I told the girl who used that bath the most,"what's the deal pickle"??? " lololololo


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## Logtec (Jun 3, 2018)

Pulled out of toilets;
Scissors, credit cards, expensive sun glasses, a t-bone from a steak, some Kate spade bangles, lighters, pens, toys, toilet paper holder, and Apple w/ a metal bracket 
and a foam letter “B”.

After I removed the foam Letter B, I told the client “this clogged toilet was brought to you by the letter “B”!


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Ball of wax, little kid melted some candles into a ball and flushed it. Last summer a little kid flushed his pajama t-shirt. A couple weeks ago a hair brush and 2-3 years a go some type of female contraception.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Tango said:


> ............ some type of female contraception.


It's called a "diaphragm". It's like a female condom.


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## sparky (Jan 8, 2014)

skoronesa said:


> It's called a "diaphragm". It's like a female condom.


Should have kept this tango lololololololo


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## WashingtonPlung (Jul 25, 2016)

Got my 7/8 sectional cable stuck in a middle schools sewer line. Eventually got it pulled back and it was gym shorts or boxers. Some kid must have done it at end of school year because we didn't find it till the start of the next.


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

Roots coming up from the slab and punching through the wax ring to clog the toilet.


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## Nazareth (Sep 30, 2017)

Debo22 said:


> Roots coming up from the slab and punching through the wax ring to clog the toilet.
> View attachment 130257
> View attachment 130258


Thought the shiny thing in the roots was a ferrule

Nope, that's corn


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## rooterboy (Jul 16, 2009)

Nice I pulled a few toilets that roots grew around the flange and back down the drain


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## The cable guy (Oct 31, 2020)

Nice had one of those a few weeks back but they didn't want to pay for the stool pull


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

rooterboy said:


> Nice I pulled a few toilets that roots grew around the flange and back down the drain


Same. I pulled one like 5 years back, the whole underneath the toilet was cedar roots, very pungent. It was a seasonal cottage, the roots went up the side of the cast iron, ~18" in distance from the dirt to the bottom of the joists.


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## DogGod (Jul 7, 2021)

This was a fun recovery


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

skoronesa said:


> Same. I pulled one like 5 years back, the whole underneath the toilet was cedar roots, very pungent. It was a seasonal cottage, the roots went up the side of the cast iron, ~18" in distance from the dirt to the bottom of the joists.


I’ve posted this one before


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## Logtec (Jun 3, 2018)

Debo22 said:


> I’ve posted this one before
> View attachment 130271


ive seen similar yet, not this bad!


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

I have run across about a half a dozen times over the years, both CI and ABS closet bends


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## goeswiththeflow (Feb 24, 2018)

Have yet to find that here, but probably because slabs are very rare. Most homes here have basements.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

goeswiththeflow said:


> Have yet to find that here, but probably because slabs are very rare. Most homes here have basements.


I've never had this happen on a basement or slab, just in houses with short crawlspaces. Any bit of water that trickles down the outside of the flange causes the roots to climb up slowly. Even just condensation if humid air goes through the crawl and condenses on the riser.

I did have to pull a toilet that had hundreds of ants coming out the bottom. It was on slab. They bedded the pipe in sand and the hole for the flange was terribly large. I had to cut the bolt ring off, cement the gap, and then use a repair ring. The building was only ~5 years old at the time.


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## rooterboy (Jul 16, 2009)

DogGod said:


> This was a fun recovery
> View attachment 130268


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## rooterboy (Jul 16, 2009)

Nice two rings. I once hat the root intrusion happen to back to back toilets they both had roots growing around the closet ring and into the drain


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## Logtec (Jun 3, 2018)

Pulled a diaper out of a toilet today, the clients toddler flushed an unused diaper, it got stuck and swelled up at the weir of the trap. Toilet auger grabbed it and I was able to pull it out.


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## Eddie77 (Nov 6, 2013)

2 stories worth of diapers & wipes. Every time we pulled more out, wed bag it & keep going. I think thats the most dirty ive ever been on a job.


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## rooterboy (Jul 16, 2009)

Eddie that sucks customers need to be educated on what not to throw down the sewer. Or possibly they don't care and are not paying the bills?


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## jakewilcox (Sep 3, 2019)

Years ago I pulled a crushed up porn DVD out of the water way of a toilet, one overly interested 13 year old watching me the whole time. His mom asked what caused the problem: “advanced toilet calcification,” was my answer and I heard an audible sigh from the other room. 

Poor kid nearly had a heart attack.


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## Nathan109 (Aug 5, 2021)

Some of the most unbelievable things I have come across all came from section 8 apartments/housing.
One complex in particular was always a gem for the entire sewer system backing up due to kids shoving soda cans, clothing, rocks, sticks, anything you can think of into clean outs. Luckily there was a manhole on the property could jet upstream from and pull it all back into. I also saw a bright yellow condom go by there that was no less than 12 inches long. 
One time I pulled a toilet for a good repeat customer that flushed her wedding band. Slab on grade house with city sewer. I was able to hook it with a 1/4 inch cable and camera no issue, but would you believe that job didn’t warrant a tip? Big diamond too, haha.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Nathan109 said:


> ......... I also saw a bright yellow condom go by there that was no less than 12 inches long.
> ............


My wife gets those for me because yellow is my favorite color


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

My wife used to buy the EX. LG. for me because anything else was too small, LOL.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

FB post by one of the companies I work closely with.


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## goeswiththeflow (Feb 24, 2018)

jakewilcox said:


> Years ago I pulled a crushed up porn DVD out of the water way of a toilet, one overly interested 13 year old watching me the whole time. His mom asked what caused the problem: “advanced toilet calcification,” was my answer and I heard an audible sigh from the other room.
> Poor kid nearly had a heart attack.


That is an awesome story. That kid has probably remembered that his entire life, and now probably LHAO every time he thinks about it. He might have even told his mother years later and had/has a good laugh with her over it, He probably has always had a special place in his heart for plumbers. If there is a heaven I think you reserved your spot.


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## goeswiththeflow (Feb 24, 2018)

rooterboy said:


> Eddie that sucks customers need to be educated on what not to throw down the sewer. Or possibly they don't care and are not paying the bills?


I have had customers who are the homeowner and are paying the bills get annoyed withy me for having the nerve to tell them not to flush them, no matter if it says flushable on the package. I tell them that yes, of course they are flushable, but they are not biodegradeable, and the wipe company doesn't care about them or their plumbing, all they care about is selling more wipes. One guy argued with me and told me that his doctor told him to use them. OK chief, see if the doctor is going to pay your plumbing bill or snake your lines. Same with recommending that they use single ply instead of quilted. Some of them act as if you offered to buy their 16 year old daughter.


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## goeswiththeflow (Feb 24, 2018)

OpenSights said:


> FB post by one of the companies I work closely with.
> 
> View attachment 130417


I know what they look like, but what are they, mushrooms?


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

goeswiththeflow said:


> I know what they look like, but what are they, mushrooms?


That’s what I was thinking. Never seen shrooms in a drain before!


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