DRAIN CLEANING TOOLS

PLUMBING

BY STEVE GOLDIE

THE CLINIC, located in a converted house in an upscale neighbourhood, would normally arrange service calls on days when they had no surgeries sched-uled. On this particular day however, I arrived to find the doctor decked out in full surgical scrubs.

He brought me to the sink in question and anxiously inquired how long I thought the job would take. Not having had the opportunity to fully diagnose the cause of the blockage I gave him the only answer I could; “Anywhere between five minutes and all day, you just never know with these things.” Looking annoyed and unim-pressed he hurried off.

Not wanting to annoy the good doctor any further, I went straight to work. I got under the sink and slowly loosened the union p-trap, draining the contents of the sink into a bucket. I was hoping to find that the trap was stopped up by a misplaced tongue depressor, the removal of which would allow me to be the hero, close to the five minute side of my estimate. An errant medical instrument seemed a likely cause in this instance, considering the sink was used to clean such things. Such was not the case as I soon discovered, the trap was free and clear, meaning the blockage was further down the drain line. Off I went, back to the truck to fetch my trusty top snake. Surely, whatever the obstruction, it would be no match for the 35 feet of 3/8” cable that would soon be spinning down the drain.

As I was setting up the snake, looking for an outlet to plug it into, the doctor reap-peared looking even more distressed than before. I told him the five-minute option was definitely off the table; again, he was not impressed. I suggested that maybe I could come back another time, perhaps when he was not so busy, but he dismissed this option, insisting that I press on.

I pressed on for more than an hour; I ran the full length of the snake in and out of that drain several times, but to no avail.

I felt a little uneasy about walking around the clinic unattended, fearing what I might walk in on, but I needed to trace the path of the offending drain line. The sink was on the second floor of the clinic, about 15 feet away from a bathroom. If the drain had been routed in that direction it would

DRAIN CLEANING TOOLS

GET TO THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM

have terminated in a larger stack close enough for the snake to have cleared it. I was also positive that the main stack could not be plugged at that point as the bath-room fixtures seemed to be unaffected.

Further investigation revealed that the drain ran down an interior wall to the basement and across the ceiling about 20 feet before terminating in the main stack. Removing the ceiling tiles in the basement provided easy access to the 1-1/2” drain line, the problem was there was no cleanout to open up and put a snake through. The drain had to be cut. Doing so was going to result in the entire contents of more than 35 feet of plugged drain pour-ing out on top of me. It was time to call in reinforcements.

As I waited for my two helpers to arrive the doctor finally returned. I asked him what exactly he had been putting down the drain. He was evasive, but I finally got the drift that liposuction could be to blame. I told him that after I finished solving the problem today, my solution would be to call the board of health if I got called back to deal with the same problem.

For the third time that day he left me with that same annoyed look on his face. The two reinforcements I had called in fin-ished the job. The horizontal run of drain pipe in the basement ceiling had to be cut out in sections and replaced. Each section that was removed was plugged solid...it was not pretty.

Every plumber who has ever done service work has his own favourite drain clearing horror story. One of my most memorable experiences (described below) was a call to clear a clogged drain in a cosmetic surgery clinic. Whatever the job, one of the keys to success is matching the

CONTINUED ON PAGE 24 right tool to the task at hand. At the

clinic the right tools turned out to be a sawzall, a large garbage can and a couple of raincoats improvised from

equipment offer a range of types and sizes suited to almost every situation, from handheld single purpose toilet augers, all the way to large power-driven rodding machines. The following is a look at what drain cleaning tools are available, and what tasks they are best suited to.

garbage bags. Most of the time howev-er, more conventional drain clearing equipment will do the trick.

Manufacturers of drain clearing

“Doing so was

going to result in

the entire contents

of more than

35 feet of plugged

drain pouring out

on top of me.

It was time to call

in reinforcements.”

MY

STOR

Y

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TOILET AUGERS

One of the most com-mon service calls is for the good old plugged toilet. Chances are, if the homeowner is call-ing in a professional, a plunger is not going to do the job. Toilet augers are specialty tools built for just one purpose; clearing plugged toilets. They are typically three-foot long, 1/2” cable snakes with a retractable handle and curved end that is designed to direct the snake around the toilet’s

integral trap.

The snake is fed through by turning the offset hand crank in a clock-wise direction. Most augers have a tapered bulb end which can grab hold of obstructions and allow them to be pulled out, or simply broken up and pushed through. I always carried two augers – the more conventional bulb end and one with a drop head to deal with a very popular, older style, toilet model that I just never had any luck getting the conventional auger through. The cable would always turn back on itself and spin right back out of the bowl. In that case a drop head auger always seemed to do the trick.

TOP SNAKES

Top snakes are designed for small 1-1/4” to two-inch drains. They are handheld and available in both manual and power drive. The cables are typical-ly 25 to 35 feet long, and are available with 1/4” to 3/8” diameter. Like the toilet auger most top snakes have tapered bulb heads. The cables are housed in a drum and driven by a hand crank, or a power drill type drive. This type of snake is available with or with-out an auto feed feature. Top snakes are great tools for clearing sinks, showers, bathtubs and urinals. The cables are small enough to permit passage through 1-1/2” to two-inch traps, yet

100 feet. They are able to accept a wide range of replaceable heads. Auger heads, retriever heads, grease cutter and root cutting heads in a multitude of styles are available, making these very versatile and useful tools. The larger drum machines allow for multiple cables to be linked together, enabling runs of up to 250 feet.

RODDING MACHINES

For the really tough drain blockages, nothing can really top a good rodding machine. Rodding machines, rather than having a continuous drum fed coil, have sectional coils, eight to 10 strong enough to be able to clear

25-35 feet of drain without kinking. A good quality top snake is perhaps one of the most versatile and well-used drain cleaning tools in the serv-ice plumber’s arsenal. Maintenance is minimal. Keeping the cables clean and regularly inspecting for kinks is all that is really required. The cables are replaceable and interchangeable. It is a good idea to carry at least two sizes for added versatility.

DRUM MACHINES

Drum machines are larger versions of top snakes, designed, naturally for larg-er drains. Thlarg-ere are a range of sizes and styles available. Manual and hand cranked models are available, but I would not recommend these except for the very occasional user. Drum machines are designed to be handled by and operated by a single person, with the larger models being mounted on wheels for easier transport. The vast majority of these machines have heavy duty motor drives, in a range of horse-power. These machines are ideal for clearing drains from two-inches through to six-inches. The cables are available in a large range of diameters,

from 3/8’ to 3/4” and lengths of 25 - CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

PLUMBING

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PAG E 2 2

Photos General Pipe Cleaners

Photo Ridgid

Drum machines are designed to be handled by a single person.

A power cable feed takes most of the muscle work out of drain cleaning.

PLUMBING

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PAG E 2 4

feet long. These larger, 1 1/4” diameter cables are attached to the feeder and wheeled in and out of the drain one section at a time. As with the smaller drum machines, mul-tiple head attachments are available.

The motors are more powerful, and turn at a faster rpm than drum machines, allowing for greater root cutting strength. The large diameter cable also allows for kink-free runs in pipe sizes up to 10” and runs up to 200 feet. The larger cable will not be able to pass through three- or four-inch traps. For these jobs a smaller drum machine would have to be used, but for longer, main sewer runs, a good rodding machine is hard to beat.

TAKING STOCK

Drain service work can be a very profitable business for those who have the stomach for it. Even the plumber who only does the occasional service call should make room in his truck for at least a couple of drain cleaning tools. The contractor who focuses on service work would be wise to invest in a variety of sizes and styles to cover the full range of jobs. These tools are a significant investment, but they are built to last many years.

For a more detailed look at what is available, give your local wholesaler a call, and do not forget to keep that rain-coat handy for those special jobs you are inevitably going to come across.

■Steve Goldie worked as a plumbing and heating contractor for almost 20 years before joining Noble Trade as manager of the heating department. In his current position Goldie focuses on product specification and system design solutions. He can be reached at [email protected].

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