I snaked the main sewer line and the spring extention broke leaving the 3′ bit in the line with the spring extention. I figure it is about 15′ or so from the cleanout. Do i have to break up the floor and pipe to remove or is there a chance of a miraculas and ingenious solution?
You can try using a retrieval tool to remove the part of the cable and head you left in the line. Be very careful though. It sounds as if you broke the cable because it is either stuck of overloaded. If that is the case you may well end up having to jackhammer the floor up to remove the obstruction.