# Building a jetter



## Socalplumber (Jul 22, 2020)

I have been giving much thought into building a jetter in the back of my low roof kuv with the main 3/8 x 300’ hose reel coming out of the passenger large compartment door. I don’t want a trailer jetter as I can’t park one anywhere & I’m wanting a bigger motor than the brute. I’m thinking of a kohler command 38hp motor and wanting to get the upper limits of what a 3/8 hose can deliver( 10-12gpm I believe ) main reason for building is if I put the pieces together I can make it any footprint size I want. I would like to have full remote Capability ( water on/off , throttle up/down , on/off , hose reel in/out ) I have been trying to read and research as much as I can. If anyone has any tips or resources they Would be willing to share I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you and happy Friday


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Socalplumber said:


> ............ wanting to get the upper limits of what a 3/8 hose can deliver( 10-12gpm I believe ) ..............


Where are you going to put the water tank? It sounds like you're going to use more water than a garden hose could provide, even with your jetter pump sucking on it.


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## Socalplumber (Jul 22, 2020)

skoronesa said:


> Where are you going to put the water tank? It sounds like you're going to use more water than a garden hose could provide, even with your jetter pump sucking on it.


 Yes very similar to the brute cart jetter I would put in either one or two high pressure low volume Fill valves split those if I decided to use two with a Y and I have one solid three-quarter inlet feeding somewhere between a 50 to 80 gallon poly water holding tank. What I’m trying to figure out is the best way to connect pump to motor and literature for proper sizing as well as any diagrams showing how to run feed from water tank to pump and allow for a bypass etc., also any information regarding high-quality remote control set ups would be greatly appreciated


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Socalplumber said:


> ...........a 50 to 80 gallon poly water holding tank. ............


Okay, where would you put it?


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## Socalplumber (Jul 22, 2020)

skoronesa said:


> Okay, where would you put it?


I would mount everything far back towards the cab here


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## Socalplumber (Jul 22, 2020)

skoronesa said:


> Okay, where would you put it?


And then I would like to cut out the back of this bin and mount a hose reel right upfront so I can pull the Jetter hose out the door Right up to the property


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## The cable guy (Oct 31, 2020)

Seems like a dumb question but what about the exhaust?

If you don't want the headache of building your own unit mytana offers a van mounted unit that can either do 4400 psi @8gpm or 3000psi @16gpm and they have a remote you can do as an add on its the compact pro


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## Socalplumber (Jul 22, 2020)

The cable guy said:


> Seems like a dumb question but what about the exhaust?


Would go through floor and put back or opposite side of bin door Towards drivers side bin door


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## Toli (Nov 7, 2015)

The remote and all the goodies to make it work will cost you a small fortune.
That said, remote control is a must. Especially if you’re by yourself.


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## Socalplumber (Jul 22, 2020)

Toli said:


> The remote and all the goodies to make it work will cost you a small fortune.
> That said, remote control is a must. Especially if you’re by yourself.


Yes I know the remote control will cost money and I also know that it’s critical honestly my concern isn’t necessarily price it’s getting everything packed in a very small area and being able to just open one of the side doors Pullhose and start jetting With very minimal set up, here in Southern California parking can be very tight so pulling a trailer jetter isn’t always an easy thing to do, having it mounted in a van would make it a whole lot easier, I am honestly leaning towards getting a fully loaded broot cart jetter to start out with that way I can put it in and out of different vehicles and then later when I am able to hire more people and grow this business a little bigger I’d like to get a small box truck With a 10 foot box probably a supreme body with the rollup door in the back and then get a side door and have a jetter and fill real right there with the fill tank and components behind it and then the rest of the van used for lining And Apoxsee coating. Make that a dedicated sewer and drain van, but I was just seeing if it would be possible to do that with this smaller KUV. Honestly I bought this thing for an apprentice I am training right now to be able to do small service calls on his own once he’s ready and so he could drive to A job site and I could line him out and he would have tools and parts on his van after I showed him how to do it


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

The cable guy said:


> Seems like a dumb question but what about the exhaust?


That was my next question! I'm not trying to break balls, it's just something I've thought about before too and configuring the tank and the engine is the most difficult part. Putting the engine behind the cab like he wants will give him the least access to the engine for repair.

I would keep it all on one side of the van, mounting the engine in the cabinet behind the hose reel cabinet. Just make sure to put your other heavy stuff like pipe wrenches and acetylene tank on the other side of the van to even out the weight.

Putting the water tank behind the cab is a good spot for all that weight and it will stay the warmest during winter. Water is 8.34lbs per gallon. At 50 gallons you're talking 400+lbs!!!! I would pop rivet a 1/4" sheet of steel below the tank.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Gear junkie knows a lot about Jetters and building them. Goals and application.


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## The cable guy (Oct 31, 2020)

OpenSights said:


> Gear junkie knows a lot about Jetters and building them. Goals and application.


Is he still active here? I haven't heard from him in a long while


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

The cable guy said:


> Is he still active here? I haven't heard from him in a long while


He got fed up with certain people and ran his mouth, not sure if he was banned or suspended or just scolded and took off. He wasn't getting the praise he wanted about his DIY flexshaft class either. It's a shame because most of us really liked him and he knows his schit. I wish he'd come back.


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## The cable guy (Oct 31, 2020)

Back to original conversation, if money is no obstacle why not just go with a prebuilt skid unit that has the bells and whistles you need?








Skid and Truck Mounted Jetters


Compact. Affordable. We offer two truck-mounted high-pressure jetting units suitable for cleaning sewer lines up to 24″. These compact models are standard with 15gpm @ 4,000 psi, swivelling hydraulic reels and remote pressure and flow control. They can also be used for surface cleaning and...




www.mytana.com


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

The cable guy said:


> Is he still active here? I haven't heard from him in a long while


He’s trying to get a Facebook group together. I’m not on Facebook or I’d join.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

The cable guy said:


> Back to original conversation, if money is no obstacle why not just go with a prebuilt skid unit that has the bells and whistles you need?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



In his original post he says his main reason for building his own is controlling the footprint/configuration.

Presumably he's looked at those skids and doesn't like the size/shape. Although I kind of agree with you, buy a prebuilt skid, try it as is even if it ain't easy to fit in, and then if you like it disassemble and re-pipe so it fits the van the way you like.

Maybe money is an issue and he wants to buy it Johnny Cash style. Also, if he builds it himself it should be really easy to fix/service.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

skoronesa said:


> He got fed up with certain people and ran his mouth, not sure if he was banned or suspended or just scolded and took off. He wasn't getting the praise he wanted about his DIY flexshaft class either. It's a shame because most of us really liked him and he knows his schit. I wish he'd come back.


He’s been here and posted recently, but yeah, not as much as before. It’s been a couple years at least since I talked with him. I know he’s on other forums too. If you want to build a jetter, he’s the man to consult.


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## happy plunger (Jan 29, 2014)

Socalplumber said:


> I have been giving much thought into building a jetter in the back of my low roof kuv with the main 3/8 x 300’ hose reel coming out of the passenger large compartment door. I don’t want a trailer jetter as I can’t park one anywhere & I’m wanting a bigger motor than the brute. I’m thinking of a kohler command 38hp motor and wanting to get the upper limits of what a 3/8 hose can deliver( 10-12gpm I believe ) main reason for building is if I put the pieces together I can make it any footprint size I want. I would like to have full remote Capability ( water on/off , throttle up/down , on/off , hose reel in/out ) I have been trying to read and research as much as I can. If anyone has any tips or resources they Would be willing to share I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you and happy Friday


where In California I have bee thinking of getting one like skid. Which one are you getting?


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