# Cold climate jetter storage?



## PeckPlumbing (Mar 19, 2011)

Anyone have suggestions to keeping jetter gear from getting frozen? It gets in the single digits for a month or so at night. I don't do much drain cleaning but am slowly getting into it more, thus keeping all the cleaning equipment on my truck at all times. I'm switching back to an older 15' box truck to hold all drain cleaning stuff plus regular plumbing service parts etc. Ive got room for a full size compressor on the truck, thinking I would just blow it out every time.. kind of a pain though. What do you guys do? Thanks in advance. :thumbsup:


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## alberteh (Feb 26, 2012)

why not keep it warm?

get an electric heater with a thermostat and plug it in whenever there is a danger of freezing


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Our jetter has an anti-freeze tank...

Rarely used, we have a heated garage and recirculate running between calls...


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

If you are talking about a cart jetter the best way is to take a 5 gallon bucket
and fill it 1/2 full of anti freeze,
make yourself a pick up hose adapter that you can drop into the bucket
and run pulling anti-freeze though pump and run hose back into same bucket, run water out of hose on ground then when a/f starts run into 
bucket,


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## Unclog1776 (Feb 5, 2013)

I've never been a fan of winterizing anything. Store it in a warm area and start the engine weekly has always been my method


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## Shoot'N'Plumber (Apr 27, 2013)

Blowing it out would still be yur best option. It shouldn't be a pain if you set it up with all the quick connect fittings should literally take a few minutes as opposed to circulating antifreeze through it. If protecting your precious money making equipment isn't worth a few minutes, then don't get into drain cleaning. Sounds like you've got a cart jetter of some type if your keeping it on the truck or possibly a skid? Dunno if it will work but you can try taking a water heater insulating jacket and wrap it up for the night. We don't get much cold weather here so no experience, however, I blow out my cart jetter after every job and it takes like 90 seconds, just part of my routine...I learned to do that from gear junkie, he also blows out his jetter after each use.


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## Unclog1776 (Feb 5, 2013)

Electric space heater


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

My Spartan trailer jet has a Schrader valve on the pump to blow out the system. I still put 8 gallons of RV antifreeze in the tank and run the pump till I get the antifreeze out of the hose.

Our cart jetter I attach a short hose with one end cut off and put the cut off end in a gallon jug and run the pump till the gallon is empty, then do a second gallon, by the end of the second gallon the hose is emitting the antifreeze.


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## Shoot'N'Plumber (Apr 27, 2013)

SewerRatz said:


> My Spartan trailer jet has a Schrader valve on the pump to blow out the system. I still put 8 gallons of RV antifreeze in the tank and run the pump till I get the antifreeze out of the hose.
> 
> Our cart jetter I attach a short hose with one end cut off and put the cut off end in a gallon jug and run the pump till the gallon is empty, then do a second gallon, by the end of the second gallon the hose is emitting the antifreeze.


Do you have to do this every night Ron?


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

Shoot'N'Plumber said:


> Do you have to do this every night Ron?


I do it after each use of the jetter. Including in the summer just in case I don't get any work for the jetter in a while and the temps drop below freezing.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Shoot'N'Plumber said:


> Blowing it out would still be yur best option. It shouldn't be a pain if you set it up with all the quick connect fittings should literally take a few minutes as opposed to circulating antifreeze through it. If protecting your precious money making equipment isn't worth a few minutes, then don't get into drain cleaning.


:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:
Good thing you are in So Cal...
Considering how much money I've made over the years fixing leaks in houses that the winterized by "Having The Pipes Blown Out With Compressed Air"  thats the last thing I'd try with a jetter...

Using anti-freeze is the most effective and fastest method of protecting a jetter from freezing....:yes:

If ours were not stored in a heated garage and not kept busy doing multiple calls each day in the winter they would be protected by anti-freeze after each use. It only takes a few minutes to do and offers full protection...:yes:


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

SewerRatz said:


> My Spartan trailer jet has a Schrader valve on the pump to blow out the system. I still put 8 gallons of RV antifreeze in the tank and run the pump till I get the antifreeze out of the hose.
> 
> Our cart jetter I attach a short hose with one end cut off and put the cut off end in a gallon jug and run the pump till the gallon is empty, then do a second gallon, by the end of the second gallon the hose is emitting the antifreeze.


RON do you recirculate the antifreeze into a bucket or keep buying new 
anti freeze gallons ?


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

JERRYMAC said:


> RON do you recirculate the antifreeze into a bucket or keep buying new
> anti freeze gallons ?


I recirculate it, losing the last gallon, and adding a gallon of fresh.


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## Shoot'N'Plumber (Apr 27, 2013)

Redwood said:


> :laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:
> Good thing you are in So Cal...
> Considering how much money I've made over the years fixing leaks in houses that the winterized by "Having The Pipes Blown Out With Compressed Air"  thats the last thing I'd try with a jetter...
> 
> ...


Yea we definitely have it easy. I guess you guys got it locked down too a tee with yur setup, I just envisioned this huge ordeal.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Shoot'N'Plumber said:


> Yea we definitely have it easy. I guess you guys got it locked down too a tee with yur setup, I just envisioned this huge ordeal.


No basically we just switch a valve between the water tank and the antifreeze tank and pump, we reuse the antifreeze losing only a small amount of it.

Running between calls we'll stick the hose in the tank and leave it running unless we are in extreme cold weather with a long run....


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## Shoot'N'Plumber (Apr 27, 2013)

Redwood said:


> No basically we just switch a valve between the water tank and the antifreeze tank and pump, we reuse the antifreeze losing only a small amount of it.
> 
> Running between calls we'll stick the hose in the tank and leave it running unless we are in extreme cold weather with a long run....


Ahhh! I see now...E-Z-P-Z!


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## bulldozer (Jan 11, 2009)

I cant wait for the joys of winter jetting! Trudging through snow, getting stuck in driveways, And my all time favorite road salt all over everything! Priceless!


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

bulldozer said:


> I cant wait for the joys of winter jetting! Trudging through snow, getting stuck in driveways, And my all time favorite road salt all over everything! Priceless!


And don't forget the $$$$ from all those folks with leaking flappers, dripping faucets, and bellied lines...:thumbup:


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## Unclog1776 (Feb 5, 2013)

Did one last year I won't forget. 50 ft cast iron run from office building directly to manhole. At the end the service was barley 2 ft deep. Cause of the clog was a belly approx 20 ft long. We got it open in October after a few hours of jetting but they declined fixing it. Well come February the belly had frozen solid. Took about 6 hours with between warthog and deicing nozzle. I named it the "****sicle" sewer. The frozen chunks coming into the manhole were narly looking


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

bulldozer said:


> I cant wait for the joys of winter jetting! Trudging through snow, getting stuck in driveways, And my all time favorite road salt all over everything! Priceless!


Yes that is what I really miss about being down South after 10 Years in
the Northwest, Not to mention those cold mornings waiting for the truck to warm up enough to defrost the water frozen on the windshield


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## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

Unclog1776 said:


> Did one last year I won't forget. 50 ft cast iron run from office building directly to manhole. At the end the service was barley 2 ft deep. Cause of the clog was a belly approx 20 ft long. We got it open in October after a few hours of jetting but they declined fixing it. Well come February the belly had frozen solid. Took about 6 hours with between warthog and deicing nozzle. I named it the "****sicle" sewer. The frozen chunks coming into the manhole were narly looking



That 6 hours of jetting would have paid for the belly repair (possibly).


David


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Unclog1776 said:


> Did one last year I won't forget. 50 ft cast iron run from office building directly to manhole. At the end the service was barley 2 ft deep. Cause of the clog was a belly approx 20 ft long. We got it open in October after a few hours of jetting but they declined fixing it. Well come February the belly had frozen solid. Took about 6 hours with between warthog and deicing nozzle. I named it the "****sicle" sewer. The frozen chunks coming into the manhole were narly looking


My best one was an auto repair shop where he had his utility sink supply freeze, so rather than have that happen again. he decided to leave it running at a trickle over the weekend....

After the line to the septic tank froze he tried to clear it himself for a couple of days... No Luck! :laughing:

We had about 75' of pipe frozen solid...




JERRYMAC said:


> Yes that is what I really miss about being down South after 10 Years in
> the Northwest, Not to mention those cold mornings waiting for the truck to warm up enough to defrost the water frozen on the windshield


We have these remote starter gizmos these days that work pretty damn good...:laughing:


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## Unclog1776 (Feb 5, 2013)

dhal22 said:


> That 6 hours of jetting would have paid for the belly repair (possibly). David


I charged time and half because of the freezing conditions too. They still haven't fixed it to my knowledge


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