# Interesting find in a sewer today



## AndersenPlumbing (Jan 23, 2010)

Today we were called out to a house with a total blockage, no flow. 

We ran our Spartan 300 out 100' with a spade on it and got nothing back but a small amount of roots, nearly nothing. 

Ran it out one more time with the spade since the water level didnt move at all. This time it dropped a little but not much. We pulled the cable back in and I found something I would have never thought I would have found in a sewer. :no: 

I found what appears to be drapes! Yes, it appeared to be one side of drapes for a window! I immediately thought the worst......Where the hell did my cable go???? 

I decided to run the cable in and go fishing again. This time I got the cable out 10' and heard the water drop and drain out. 

I got the camera out and found lots of root intrusions. It was clay pipe with many trees in the front yard. The customer at this point thought their sewer was a lost cause. 

I explained how you cant effectively clean 6" clay pipe going through a 3" opening in the basement. This is when I explained how a jetter works, and how much it costs to run it. 

They were very excited to see what it could do. We were on the job 4.5 hours and got the pipe about 98% clear. They had a spot where the line had a low spot in it and I couldnt get it 100% due to the pipe flooding out too much to get good cutting action with the Warthog. 

I showed them the results and they were amazed. They were happy to pay the bill and told me they were very happy with how I explained the difference between clearing a blockage and properly cleaning a sewer. This was in a very small farm town, everyone will know about what we did there today. We look forward to the future calls.


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## AndersenPlumbing (Jan 23, 2010)

Here is a pic of what we pulled out of the sewer. I have no idea how it got in there, or how it never causes a problem before!


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Now hopefully you charged them at least one months mortgage...


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## AndersenPlumbing (Jan 23, 2010)

OldSchool said:


> Now hopefully you charged them at least one months mortgage...


We charged them $99, thats the going rate for a proper drain cleaning, isnt it?


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

RedRubicon2004 said:


> We charged them $99, thats the going rate for a proper drain cleaning, isnt it?


God dam...

99 bucks wtf 

LOL

Something like that would have been close to 10 times that ...


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## AndersenPlumbing (Jan 23, 2010)

Just kidding, it was a little over $800.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

RedRubicon2004 said:


> Just kidding, it was a little over $800.


For some strange reason I don't believe you ...


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## AndersenPlumbing (Jan 23, 2010)

$240/first hour covers camera usage and cable/machine costs. 1 hour
$120/hour for rodding after first hour....1 hour 
$180/hr for Jetting....2.5 hours

$810

I could charge much more, but we try to be reasonable. We get a lot of referral work and repeat business on other plumbing services.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

RedRubicon2004 said:


> $240/first hour covers camera usage and cable/machine costs. 1 hour
> $120/hour for rodding after first hour....1 hour
> $180/hr for Jetting....2.5 hours
> 
> ...


Okay ... Now you are making sense for awhile I though you were a lost cause


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

No, no, no, it should only take a few minutes to snake that drain. The machine does all the work, I could rent one of those..............:laughing:


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

ChrisConnor said:


> No, no, no, it should only take a few minutes to snake that drain. The machine does all the work, I could rent one of those..............:laughing:


It should if we all used lye right away .. But we are in it for the money we can rip people off for ...
Let's used the snake first and lye if all else fails


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## breid1903 (Feb 8, 2009)

*it will be hard to match.*

by the way "the phantom done it." no one knows anything, but the phantom knows. billy


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## sburntx74 (Aug 13, 2012)

redrubicon2004 said:


> today we were called out to a house with a total blockage, no flow.
> 
> We ran our spartan 300 out 100' with a spade on it and got nothing back but a small amount of roots, nearly nothing.
> 
> ...


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## AndersenPlumbing (Jan 23, 2010)

sburntx74 said:


> View attachment 24763


 
Roots? Doesnt every old sewer have those? How many drapes ya gonna find in a sewer?


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## Epox (Sep 19, 2010)

I'm still curious how the drapes got in there. Seems would have been much easier to toss them in the trash.


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## johnlewismcleod (Apr 6, 2012)

RedRubicon2004 said:


> Roots? Doesnt every old sewer have those? How many drapes ya gonna find in a sewer?


LOL!...true dat! :yes::laughing:


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

Last time I saw something like those drapes in a sewer was unclogging a line at the YDC. They'd twist up a bed sheet into a rope and flush and shove it repeatedly until it disappeared.


What's the history of that house, how long had they lived there?

Had it been in foreclosure?


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

OldSchool said:


> It should if we all used lye right away .. But we are in it for the money we can rip people off for ...
> Let's used the snake first and lye if all else fails


Oh, now you confess!! 

Drill snake, indeed.


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## AssTyme (May 15, 2010)

RedRubicon2004 said:


> Today we were called out to a house with a total blockage, no flow.
> 
> We ran our Spartan 300 out 100' with a spade on it and got nothing back but a small amount of roots, nearly nothing.
> 
> ...





So far I've been super impressed with my Eel 4"x6" expansion cutter jobs which have been video verified. It does squish down to 3" but might be a problem on some cleanout openings.


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## AndersenPlumbing (Jan 23, 2010)

AssTyme said:


> So far I've been super impressed with my Eel 4"x6" expansion cutter jobs which have been video verified. It does squish down to 3" but might be a problem on some cleanout openings.


 
I do want one of those!


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## sburntx74 (Aug 13, 2012)

RedRubicon2004 said:


> Roots? Doesnt every old sewer have those? How many drapes ya gonna find in a sewer?


All root baby! I'm 6'3"


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## sburntx74 (Aug 13, 2012)

RedRubicon2004 said:


> Roots? Doesnt every old sewer have those? How many drapes ya gonna find in a sewer?


Really, showing it off because of the alien face seen in the roots. It's for sale. Any takers?


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## AlbacoreShuffle (Aug 28, 2011)

I once pulled a shower curtain out of a closet bend I was cabling. 
I thought it was strange but didn't think to much about it , until I got the call from the home owner the next day.
Somehow the cable ended up coming up in the toilet a bathroom on the other side of the house. 
I cant believe that none of us here that cable busting through the toilet and trashing around the bathroom until wrapped up the shower curtain .
Strangest part is the line was clear after I pulled it out.


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## Gettinit (May 9, 2012)

AlbacoreShuffle said:


> I once pulled a shower curtain out of a closet bend I was cabling.
> I thought it was strange but didn't think to much about it , until I got the call from the home owner the next day.
> Somehow the cable ended up coming up in the toilet a bathroom on the other side of the house.
> I cant believe that none of us here that cable busting through the toilet and trashing around the bathroom until wrapped up the shower curtain .
> Strangest part is the line was clear after I pulled it out.


Maybe just starting out with the rag on the blade would be better that reaching for it after you are already in the line. :laughing:


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## sburntx74 (Aug 13, 2012)

AlbacoreShuffle said:


> I once pulled a shower curtain out of a closet bend I was cabling.
> I thought it was strange but didn't think to much about it , until I got the call from the home owner the next day.
> Somehow the cable ended up coming up in the toilet a bathroom on the other side of the house.
> I cant believe that none of us here that cable busting through the toilet and trashing around the bathroom until wrapped up the shower curtain .
> Strangest part is the line was clear after I pulled it out.


Whistling......no I've heard of it though haha


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## breid1903 (Feb 8, 2009)

red and green pants and a flannel shirt. landlord asks me how?.... "well you evicted the last tenet." it then sat empty for a year then not that would of made a difference. nice clothes not my style. billy


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## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

breid1903 said:


> red and green pants and a flannel shirt. landlord asks me how?.... "well you evicted the last tenet." it then sat empty for a year then not that would of made a difference. nice clothes not my style. billy


Was the last tenant Red Green?


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## AssTyme (May 15, 2010)

RedRubicon2004 said:


> I do want one of those!




It's close to $300.00 

I held off on buying one for over a year. I should have bought it right away when I purchased my Model C.


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## phishfood (Nov 18, 2012)

RedRubicon2004 said:


> I do want one of those!


No you don't, the hangover could kill a cow.


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## AssTyme (May 15, 2010)

phishfood said:


> No you don't, the hangover could kill a cow.




:laughing:


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## kiddplum (Feb 7, 2010)

*interesting things found in a sewer*

customers toilet wouldnt flush ran the auger still no go
pulled the toilet turned it over found a bird stuck up inside the trap
couple of cats in the house but they never go outside bird had to come down the vent 

another time i pulled a toilet and found a right guard deodorant and a kids plastic ball auger would go right by them they were stuck right at the closet bend 

and then there was the time i found a round kids toy just big enough to go down a 2 inch vent line till it finally got stuck 
it was a multi story building seems the licensed ? plumber install 2 toilets on the 3rd floor and connected them to the 3 inch vent from the lower level he should have known it was a vent line as it had a 3x2 tee 
which was installed to pick up the vent from the hand sink the floor below
tee waqs installed correctly for a vent kids flushed the toy down the toilet it clogged the 2 inch sink drain below the floor toilet paper backed up in the hand sink


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## 504Plumber (Jan 26, 2011)

Chef shirt down a 2" line in an old kitchen... Strangest thing I've ever pulled out.


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## AndersenPlumbing (Jan 23, 2010)

504Plumber said:


> Chef shirt down a 2" line in an old kitchen... Strangest thing I've ever pulled out.


I remember seeing your posts on that! I was thinking of that when I saw this thing on my cable.


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## ianclapham (Jan 10, 2011)

truly amazing what turns up in a sewer and the homeowner always says someone else must have put that down!


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