# History of Drain Cleaning



## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

The need to clean sewers led in the nineteenth century to a number of designs to flush sewers (see Flush Tank section), but in many cases, other methods were needed. "Pills" (round wooden balls pushed downstream by the sewage) were an early method. Larger sewers were cleaned by a bucket on wheels or a disk pulled through the pipe. 

When a sewer was entirely stopped up, a "sewer rod" was pushed into the obstruction. Early rods used short lengths of pipe or wood, which were assembled together and forced through the obstruction. Several tools were developed to be attached to the front end -- to remove roots, create an opening in the blockage, scrap out grit, etc.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)




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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)




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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)




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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)




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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)




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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)




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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

The bucket machines "Kuhlman machine" is still used till this day. Along with solid metal rods with different tools that are pushed into a sewer line. Also A J Coleman still makes flat tape rods, along with a turbine head, that you attach to various size hoses 3/4 to 2". for flushing lines.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)




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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)




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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Three-legged derrick for laying pipe​


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

It be easer to post the link http://www.sewerhistory.org/grfx/maint/swr_cln7.htm


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Another mechanism developed early on for cleaning sewers was a "disk," often made of wood. It was pulled through the sewer; as a result, the debris was scraped up and pulled along to the next manhole.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

SewerRatz said:


> It be easer to post the link http://www.sewerhistory.org/grfx/maint/swr_cln7.htm


Easier just to post pics for the guys to look at than them trying to go through that entire site


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## BuckeyeBowhunte (May 4, 2011)

cool thread... that was a different world.


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

Amazing what people used to do before all the machines and inventions of today. No wonder are society is in so much trouble, we are all lazy!


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## vinpadalino (Aug 27, 2010)

Amazing never thought it was dun like that..


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## KennethCastro (Oct 10, 2012)

Nice facts about drain cleaning history. I hope I can discover something that can help improve the present way of doing drain cleaning...


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## TallCoolOne (Dec 19, 2010)

Cool articles.....


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