# Ridgid K-500 comes thru, but at a price



## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

I unstopped a drain Wednesday, but all I did was move the clog downstream. Got called back today and I was pissed. I was able to get an apprentice, so I had him grab the K-500 and meet me at the plant. We pulled a toilet on the 3rd floor and I figured out how to work the rig, and I discovered that if you pull a toilet in a narrow stall, it's a 2 man job. Anyhow, we pop the drain, we are out 105 foot and I discovered that we couldn't pull the cable back. I had to go down to the first floor, open a cleanout, hook a comealong to the cable and pull it thru a 3.5" opening. After pulling a loop of cable out of the cleanout, I was able to pull the cable out by hand. I am extremely stiff and sore. The culprit was a frickin' plastic bottle


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## ROCKSTARPLUMBER (Dec 14, 2008)

Nice, thats when i say, "CHA CHING!!!"


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

You mean a little ol plastic bottle gave you all that trouble? Why couldn't you just tension up the cable and engage the clutch to inch it up the line. I've pulled many plastic bottles out of 3" cast iron lines using only a k-60.

Guess you just had a bad day huh?


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Sounds like Girly Man was snakin... :laughing:










I hate it when you have to work hard on a drain...

I prefer the ones where you just have to sit there for a while running the cable in the pipe so they think you had to earn your money...


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

When we put it in reverse and engaged the clutch, the weight of the cable in the line kept pulling the cable forward. The Spartan 100 with a retrieving tool would hook the bottle but the retrieval tool wasn't big enough to wind into the bottle all the way. I learned a lesson. The 500 stays on the ground, and goes thru a cleanout. It was 4" cast iron.


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## ToUtahNow (Jul 19, 2008)

My understanding is the K-500 was discontinued in favor of the K-1500 because the K-500 was too heavy for a one-man operation. It really is more of a plant machine for a large plant where you are not trying to drag it out of a truck and muscle it around. The K-500 is also a much more heavy-duty machine and if a K-500 can't get it you need to start digging.

Mark


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

That's my point. The 500 should be able to chew up and spit out a plastic bottle without even bogging down.


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## ToUtahNow (Jul 19, 2008)

I think the problem is some how in looped his cable in the 4" line. If he was using 1 1/4" cable that was quite a trick.

Mark


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

I didn't loop the cable. It's was because we were on the 3rd floor and had about 105 foot of cable out. The machine wouldn't pull the cable back up and neither could we. I opened a cleanout on the 1st floor, wrapped a comealong around the cable, tied off to some structural steel and pulled the cable thru a 3.5" cleanout opening. Once I had some cable out, I was able to pull it by hand.


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## ToUtahNow (Jul 19, 2008)

jjbex said:


> I didn't loop the cable. It's was because we were on the 3rd floor and had about 105 foot of cable out. The machine wouldn't pull the cable back up and neither could we. I opened a cleanout on the 1st floor, wrapped a comealong around the cable, tied off to some structural steel and pulled the cable thru a 3.5" cleanout opening. Once I had some cable out, I was able to pull it by hand.


Okay that makes more sense, thanks for the clarification.

Mark


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

I thank you for the comments about the Ridgid 500. It indeed came from an industrial plant. It was there for about 20-30 years until they closed it down.


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## ToUtahNow (Jul 19, 2008)

I have a little history with a K-500 as well.

Mark


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

Can you run any sectional downhill? Can the machine pull the cable back out of a vertical drop?


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## ToUtahNow (Jul 19, 2008)

I use to use my K-50 in a high rise and you always have to be careful about losing your cable down a long vertical stack and the weight in retrieving a 100' of cable hanging vertically. To be honest, I think a drum machine where you have the cable anchored to the machine is a better choice if the vertical line is more than 20' or so.

Mark


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

ToUtahNow said:


> I have a little history with a K-500 as well.
> 
> Mark


We have 2 K-500s at the shop, never get used though


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

Yeah,
the K-500 is a beast, but from now on, it gets used on horizontal runs, from ground level.


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

I have rodded from the roof of buildings with my K-500 and never had an issue bringing the cable back. Let it do all the work, leave it on forward and hold or push the cable against the edge of the pipe. It will start screwing itself out of the line kind of like an automatic feed. Same goes for feeding the cable in run the machine on reverse and hold or push the cable on the edge of the pipe and it will screw or feed itself into the line.

Which K-500 do you have, they made two of them one had the 1HP motor and the other which I have has a 2HP motor, which likes to blow fuses.


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

I used the K-500 last week in Romeoville. 150' off the ground. Through a roof drain. It pulled back several clogs and finally blasted thru the last one. Are you saying to run it out, to leave it in forward, and step on it to hold it against the pipe? I sure hope so, because you might have saved me a back blow out.


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

jjbex said:


> I used the K-500 last week in Romeoville. 150' off the ground. Through a roof drain. It pulled back several clogs and finally blasted thru the last one. Are you saying to run it out, to leave it in forward, and step on it to hold it against the pipe? I sure hope so, because you might have saved me a back blow out.


 You do not have to step on it, Just hold it where the wind of the cable is against the edge of the pipe I usually pull it towards me with a downward force then push the lever down as it spins it pulls itself out of the pipe.


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

yep. That's how it's done.


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## cajunplumberjoe (Mar 26, 2009)

have you ever noticed how bottles strangely appear in drains after a roofing job?i think it has something to do w/ the shingles maybe. i know a roofer would never do that. i had to push a glass bottle all the way to a cleanout w/ my camera and then break that dude into pieces to get it out w/ my wet vac. that bottle ended up costing almost $800.00


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

Just used the K-500 again today and I used Ron's tip about running in forward and holding the cable against the side of the c/o. Worked like a charm.


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

jjbex said:


> Just used the K-500 again today and I used Ron's tip about running in forward and holding the cable against the side of the c/o. Worked like a charm.


 Bet while you where bringing back the cable you where thinking to yourself "How come no one ever told this to me years ago!!!" 

My dad figured it out years ago using a Eel Model C,and figured if he pressed the cable where the wind hits the edge of the pipe like Eel does it should feed itself in on Reverse and pull out on forward.


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## UnclogNH (Mar 28, 2009)

I step on my eel cable Heel to cable drives it in everytime.
4 ft section step on it jump a house trap in seconds.


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