# Sewer cable with no inner core?



## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

I have watched a few videos of the K-60 by Ridgid and in them the guy demonstrating the machine is using some weird cable that looks more like a spring similar to the image above. It has no inner core cable, just a coil. I have never seen a sewer cable like this. 

Maybe that isn't an actual sewer cleaning cable and its only used for demo purposes.

Why would you put a coil spring down a main sewer line to clear it? I can't see how it would even be effective? Maybe I am just ignorant about them and they work for certain clogs. I just don't see how.


----------



## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

Works great, and last longer than tight wind cable. The 5/8" is on par with 3/8" tight wind, 7/8" is on par with 5/8" tight wind, and 1.25" is on par with 3/4" tight wind.


----------



## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Is the 1.25" just as strong and effective at tearing up roots? Obviously it depends on a lot of things but on average how long do your 1.25" cables last?


----------



## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

My 7/8 cables are original to the machine and I bought it 6 years ago. Would 6 year old drum cable look this good?


----------



## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

How often do you use it and what type of sewer lines?


----------



## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Use it all the time and I use it on 3"-6" pipe.


----------



## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Good to know. Thanks for the info. Honestly, I'd never seen that and knew nothing about that type of cable.


----------



## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

I never used it or knew much about it tell i moved to Oklahoma. When I was in Texas, all people used was drums


----------



## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

I never saw solid cable except on rented machines.


----------



## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Interesting how different regions have such differing methods and tools for the trade.


----------



## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

I only know about it from the ridgid forum. No one around here uses it.


----------



## Letterrip (Jul 28, 2013)

That exact cable is pretty much all I use. Lasts just fine. Great for 2" k/s lines as well. I use it on 3 & 4" lines as well. I do VERY little 6", so I couldn't tell you about that.


----------



## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Thanks for the info guys. Its what I was looking for.


----------



## plungerboy (Oct 17, 2013)

Do you guys use these heads? If you do please comment on the performance.


----------



## PlumbDumber (Aug 7, 2013)

I have used those open wind K-60 cables for over 40 years. They will occasionally break, just as any cable will. But, I think that they are better than the solid cable & less likely to break. and, when they do break, they are easier to recover with a retriever head such as a funnel auger. You also only need to replace a 15 foot section.

They are also lighter to carry. :thumbsup:

They main draw back is having to clean the nasty accumulations that get wound up in that open space.


----------



## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Best Darn Sewer said:


> Interesting how different regions have such differing methods and tools for the trade.


I've never seen a cable with inner core.... 5/8 7/8 and 1 1/4 open cable is what we use


----------



## HSI (Jun 3, 2011)

I have both types. My drum machines sit in the shop and collect dust. Like my K-60 and K-1500


----------



## 3KP (Jun 19, 2008)

plungerboy said:


> Do you guys use these heads? If you do please comment on the performance.
> 
> View attachment 29548


 
Here is a thread on that head http://www.plumbingzone.com/f23/got-today-27628/. 

I used it on a clog kitchen sink. Worked great!


----------



## Tounces (Aug 18, 2013)

Will said:


> I never used it or knew much about it tell i moved to Oklahoma. When I was in Texas, all people used was drums


Probably because most houses have outside clean-outs in Oklahoma.


----------



## TerryO (Oct 12, 2012)

What I like about the open wound cables is that they are light. Many old homes here in West Texas don't have clean outs on the sewer line or they're buried and are hard to find. Try carrying a drum machine up on the roof to run the sewer line thru the 3" vent and you'll switch to a K-60 pretty quick.

I've had people say you can't cut roots with them but I figure if the root problem is that bad those folks need a new sewer line.


----------



## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Lol. I was on a roof today with the k 60. Ther as a co. But stoppage wasn't that far out. One basket down the 3" stack and boom I ws out of ther


----------



## HSI (Jun 3, 2011)

TerryO said:


> What I like about the open wound cables is that they are light. Many old homes here in West Texas don't have clean outs on the sewer line or they're buried and are hard to find. Try carrying a drum machine up on the roof to run the sewer line thru the 3" vent and you'll switch to a K-60 pretty quick. I've had people say you can't cut roots with them but I figure if the root problem is that bad those folks need a new sewer line.


I have cut roots several times with my K-60 without problem.


----------



## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Yup.....handles roots. Just gotta take smaller bites and dont force it like a drum machine


----------



## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

gear junkie said:


> Yup.....handles roots. Just gotta take smaller bites and dont force it like a drum machine


Nic


----------



## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

gear junkie said:


> Yup.....handles roots. Just gotta take smaller bites and dont force it like a drum machine


Nice. What blade? And why didn't you use the root ranger??


----------



## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Line was completely backed up so root ranger isn't a good choice as it has no foward cutting. This is a disadvantage running a smaller jetter.....all the jets have to dedicated for cleaning. So any completely backed up stoppage has to be opened first. 

For this job I use the 4" spiral saw and ground on it for about 5 minutes. Saw I wasn't getting anywhere so I switched to the reverse auger and pulled it right up. If I recall, I was only about 10' in. Short distances is where the sectionals really shine. Drums build torque way to quick.


----------



## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Can you post a pic of a reverse auger? I've never heard of one. So what you're saying about the ranger is if there is no flow than you cant use the ranger to tear out the roots slowly and penetrate to the end of the line? Is the issue that the water would back up into the house before you could open it?


----------



## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

Best Darn Sewer said:


> Can you post a pic of a reverse auger? I've never heard of one. So what you're saying about the ranger is if there is no flow than you cant use the ranger to tear out the roots slowly and penetrate to the end of the line? Is the issue that the water would back up into the house before you could open it?


Here's mine for K50, K60, and K1500. I just call them whips.

They are just cut off pieces of cable with a little bend. Some guys call them reverse augers because the cable is wound left-hand. Ridgid's actual auger heads are right-hand.

This allows for more control, greatly reduces the risk of getting the cable in a bind, and increases your chances of freeing the cable if it does get stuck.


----------



## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Best Darn Sewer said:


> Can you post a pic of a reverse auger? I've never heard of one. So what you're saying about the ranger is if there is no flow than you cant use the ranger to tear out the roots slowly and penetrate to the end of the line? Is the issue that the water would back up into the house before you could open it?


What Biz showed. I called it a reverse auger or Rick auger because the one who showed many of us this trick including myself was Plumber Rick on the ridgid forum. You run the machine in the forward setting until you hit an obstruction. During this time the auger won't catch anything and will skip by stuff. Put it on reverse once you get to the obstruction and it'll corkscrew into itself. Be careful, you can get stuck and like anything else you gotta feel the cable....can't just ram it. The one time I got stuck I came into the city main where the roots were growing right next to the tap. Basically I went 2' in the main and there were the roots. Got my cable free with the jetter and the city came and cleaned there line.

Yes you gotta get the sewer open before using the root ranger. It'll punch through a curtain of roots but when they're blocked thick, you gotta open the line first.


----------



## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

plbgbiz said:


> Here's mine for K50, K60, and K1500. I just call them whips.
> 
> They are just cut off pieces of cable with a little bend. Some guys call them reverse augers because the cable is wound left-hand. Ridgid's actual auger heads are right-hand.
> 
> This allows for more control, greatly reduces the risk of getting the cable in a bind, and increases your chances of freeing the cable if it does get stuck.


Whip is the term I am more familiar with for that. Thanks for the explanation.


----------

