# Keeping snake clean



## stecar (Mar 18, 2012)

Just trying to get some opinions on cleaning the snake. Summer time, I usually pressure wash every couple days. 
Being winter is a pain in the arse. What does eveeyone else do. No matter if i run water or not while pulling it back its always filthy.


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## UN1TED-WE-PLUMB (Oct 3, 2012)

I just knock the roll of k-50 cables on the pavement until all the dried crusty nasty comes off. I need to do a thorough cleaning and lubricate all the pins.


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## affordabledrain (Nov 24, 2009)

If I am in a flooded basement. I will pump it out. clean up the mess. Than use the laundry hook ups to wash off my cables. I see it has a perk of playing in their poo


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## deerslayer (Mar 29, 2012)

I run hot water in the drain and flush it while augering, my cable rarely comes back out dirty. I usually pull out 20 ft or so till it starts looking dirty and flush again with the cable spinning. I have a bungee loop around the leg of my k-50 that I can slip over the handle to keep it spinning and or keep it tight if I am augering a stack and concerned about the cable getting away.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

Coating them before they get funky helps them clean up quicker.

Take them to the do it yourself car wash and hit them with the soapy stuff if they are really bad.


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## Cuda (Mar 16, 2009)

deerslayer said:


> I run hot water in the drain and flush it while augering, my cable rarely comes back out dirty. I usually pull out 20 ft or so till it starts looking dirty and flush again with the cable spinning. I have a bungee loop around the leg of my k-50 that I can slip over the handle to keep it spinning and or keep it tight if I am augering a stack and concerned about the cable getting away.


I use my foot on the k60 lol.
But yea unless I did not get the line clear running hot water my cables are usually clean short of some roots to cut off the cable. I use a drywall knife on the roots.


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## deerslayer (Mar 29, 2012)

I teach my apprentices and anyone else who will listen the 2 biggest rules of drain cleaning.

If the the cable ain't spinning it ain't cutting, so back off the pressure and keep it spinning.

And if you ain't flushing a drain while augering you are just moving shiot around and poking a hole not cleaning the drain. (Obviously you wanna get the drain open before you start flushing)


I keep a short garden hose and an aerator adaptor within reach while cleaning sink drains and such. Not only can you flush the drain but you can tell when you have it open and don't have to keep putting the cable in and pulling it out.


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## affordabledrain (Nov 24, 2009)

I guess I am the only one that uses the customers sink to wash my k 50 cables :laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## deerslayer (Mar 29, 2012)

affordabledrain said:


> I guess I am the only one that uses the customers sink to wash my k 50 cables :laughing::laughing::laughing:


I use their toothbrush if they don't treat me right:laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## antiCon (Jun 15, 2012)

i use about a 1/2 cup of diesel fuel on my spartan 1065 and a 1/4 on my 100 machine.. and spin it a few times a day if im not using it.. cable last me 3 times longer than any of the other guys :thumbup:

PS... i hate that cable grease crap...


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Whatever you do...don't put them in the dishwasher....makes for a house where no one is happy.

I just run hot water like everyone else and spray down with wd40...the van doesn't even smell like a plumbers van.


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## TerryO (Oct 12, 2012)

I like General's Snake Oil. Just a small amount goes along way.

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." Winston Churchill


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## JK949 (Mar 18, 2009)

stecar said:


> Just trying to get some opinions on cleaning the snake. Summer time, I usually pressure wash every couple days.
> Being winter is a pain in the arse. What does eveeyone else do. No matter if i run water or not while pulling it back its always filthy.


Off color double entendre comment here.


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## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

JK949 said:


> Off color double entendre comment here.


Oh c'mon, double entendre's are my fave!!!


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## plumberpro (Jan 1, 2013)

I always run hot water while snaking a drain my cables on the job clean they should leave clean

Sent from my iPhone using PlumbingZone


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## johnlewismcleod (Apr 6, 2012)

deerslayer said:


> I use their toothbrush if they don't treat me right:laughing::laughing::laughing:


LMAO!!! :laughing::laughing:


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## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

Diesel fuel is a great way to keep your cable clean. I keep some in a spray bottle.

David


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

I keep my machines and cables clean and well-oiled. 

I worked for a company once that put me in the company van with their K-60 and cables. The bail of cables (7/8" & 5/8") was so rusty, it looked as if they were laying on the bottom of a river for some time. Just awful, covered with rust. How do you take cables like that into someone's home and feel good? I like my tools neat and clean.


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## AssTyme (May 15, 2010)

Keep it away from dirty old ho's


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

I have found that if in a building (such as a commercial office building) and you don't want the bail of 7/8" or 5/8" cable to drip on the floor, just transport the bail in the bottom of a 55-gal. steel drum. This prevents the wet cables from dripping on customer's floors until you get outside.


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## newyorkcity (Nov 25, 2010)

*Or...*



Tommy plumber said:


> I have found that if in a building (such as a commercial office building) and you don't want the bail of 7/8" or 5/8" cable to drip on the floor, just transport the bail in the bottom of a 55-gal. steel drum. This prevents the wet cables from dripping on customer's floors until you get outside.


Use a drum machine.


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## deerslayer (Mar 29, 2012)

newyorkcity said:


> Use a drum machine.


It is a drum machine, didn't you see the 55 gal drum


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## newyorkcity (Nov 25, 2010)

*Ha!*



deerslayer said:


> It is a drum machine, didn't you see the 55 gal drum


Good one! 
Do sectional cables spray water upon retrieval indoors? I want to buy a sectional, but everything here is done indoors, and mains from finished basements.


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

I like sectionals, but they belong outside. My Model N runs the same type of cable as the k50, yet it comes in its own drum..from the factory


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## damnplumber (Jan 22, 2012)

Use the pipe you cleaned to clean your cable. Like said several itmes in this thread, run the hot water while retracting your cable to clean it off. Diesel fuel works wonders afterwords.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

Tommy plumber said:


> I have found that if in a building (such as a commercial office building) and you don't want the bail of 7/8" or 5/8" cable to drip on the floor, just transport the bail in the bottom of a 55-gal. steel drum. This prevents the wet cables from dripping on customer's floors until you get outside.



Or just put them in a plastic bag.


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## CaberTosser (Mar 7, 2013)

I've recently started using a spray lube called Fluid Film that contains lanolin for lubing a few things. Its great on drain cables (the best I've found) as I've used it on a brand new General closet auger and for my Power Vee. It also works great on the door hinges of my Savana. Smells OK, distinctive scent.


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## deerslayer (Mar 29, 2012)

newyorkcity said:


> Good one!
> Do sectional cables spray water upon retrieval indoors? I want to buy a sectional, but everything here is done indoors, and mains from finished basements.


If you retrieve them quickly then you will get some water spray. I pull them out at a steady pace and rarely get much spray as most of it is slung off in the drain. Using a leader hose or piece of pipe behind the k-50 or k-60 type machines will keep the cable's from flopping all over the floor. I take a 7' piece of 2" pvc and put a gem cap on it to put my cables in as they come outta the k-50 I can get 5 cables in it at a time. The thing about a sectional is you can really slam the cable in and out as fast as you wanna work (if you aren't cutting) vs a powerfeed where you are limited by the machines speed of deployment and retrieval.


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## CaberTosser (Mar 7, 2013)

CaberTosser said:


> I've recently started using a spray lube called Fluid Film that contains lanolin for lubing a few things. Its great on drain cables (the best I've found) as I've used it on a brand new General closet auger and for my Power Vee. It also works great on the door hinges of my Savana. Smells OK, distinctive scent.


 
When I had an Electric Eel machine with the sectional cables and had to use it in an area that was finished, we'd shield everything with HD poly vapor barrier and I'd duct tape down some tarps to run the machine back and forth on to protect the finished surfaces.


Edit: I had meant to quote post #23 by newyorkcity when I inexplicably quoted myself here.


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## deerslayer (Mar 29, 2012)

CaberTosser said:


> I've recently started using a spray lube called Fluid Film that contains lanolin for lubing a few things. Its great on drain cables (the best I've found) as I've used it on a brand new General closet auger and for my Power Vee. It also works great on the door hinges of my Savana. Smells OK, distinctive scent.


Isn't fluid film very expensive?


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## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

Just plain Dove Men's body wash...
Oh wait... :laughing:


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

U666A said:


> Just plain Dove Men's body wash...
> Oh wait... :laughing:


I use lye :laughing:


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## CaberTosser (Mar 7, 2013)

deerslayer said:


> Isn't fluid film very expensive?


 I'll qualify that it might not be the most cost-effective for those of you doing drains day in and day out. I only do very intermittent drain work and just have my Super Vee and closet auger to lube, so the cost of a spray can doesn't really phase me as excessive. If I was running mains daily I'd probably find other means; this stuff just worked so nicely. I put it on brand new cables and they still look that way (disclaimer: just about 8 uses on each since though)


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## panchoblinky (Mar 11, 2013)

*Its diesel fuel,,,,*



CaberTosser said:


> I'll qualify that it might not be the most cost-effective for those of you doing drains day in and day out. I only do very intermittent drain work and just have my Super Vee and closet auger to lube, so the cost of a spray can doesn't really phase me as excessive. If I was running mains daily I'd probably find other means; this stuff just worked so nicely. I put it on brand new cables and they still look that way (disclaimer: just about 8 uses on each since though)



Diesel fuel guys,,,,,,,thats the answer
DD


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## Boundry (Jul 14, 2012)

All i use is diesel, on the drum machines i spool out and pressure wash then spool in. Throw a little diesel in the drum and let er spin


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## phishfood (Nov 18, 2012)

Hey panchoblinky, all of the established members on here appreciate a thorough introduction in the intro section.


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## Kevan (Jul 5, 2010)

For twenty three years I've used cold water when pulling cables back, unless I'm in what I call "a Crisco line." I don't remember ever oiling a cable, but my cables last longer than I can keep track of. Except for a two year stretch using Spartans, I've always run open reels where the water is slung off while I retrieve the cable. I carry at least one water heater box (with the top and bottom gone) in the truck, which I can set up as a barrier to catch the slung water on the rare occasions when I need it. I've never seen cables that stayed any cleaner than mine do.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Like this clean?


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

gear junkie said:


> Like this clean?


What are those grips. Wussy grips?? Lol jkn. Is it pex with cut in it


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

Looks like Flashsheild. Plus his cable is clean because he is too busy using is jetter to use old school cable. :yes:


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## Adamche (Feb 10, 2012)

I just smack mine on the side of the urinal


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> What are those grips. Wussy grips?? Lol jkn. Is it pex with cut in it


It is pex. 1/2 inside of 3/4. The key is to cut it on an angle and not lengthwise so it doesn't split from the weight of the basket. Cut the 1/2 one way and the 3/4 the other way.

The only lube I use on my cable is WD40. Buy it buy the gallon at HD and put it in a regulay spray bottle. Kills the smell as well.


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

I like to lube up my cables with kitchen grease, doesn't cost me a thing, in fact I get paid to do it:thumbsup:


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## panchoblinky (Mar 11, 2013)

Hey phishfood
Yes ,I want to do it,,,
please direct me to the introduction section or link
Thanks
Dave Doyle
Pasadena Calif


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

*Hello! Introduction Requested* 
An intro is requested from all new members. In case you missed it, here is the link. http://www.plumbingzone.com/f3/. 

The PZ is for Plumbing Professionals ( those engaged in the plumbing profession) 

Post an intro and tell our members where you are from, yrs in the trade, and your area(s) of expertise in the plumbing field. 

This info helps members who are waiting to welcome you to the best plumbing site there is. 

We look forward to your valuable input.


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## Kevan (Jul 5, 2010)

gear junkie said:


> Like this clean?


My cables (Duracable) are tightly wound, so I suspect that they have grease packed into the coils that your cables don't. Hard to do an in-depth comparison, but yours look cleaner than any others I've ever seen, including mine.


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## panchoblinky (Mar 11, 2013)

Thanks Tommy 
I finally figured it out 
I am very happy to be here
Best Regards
Dave Doyle
Pasadena Calif


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## panchoblinky (Mar 11, 2013)

I keep hearing Diesel Fuel so Yes,,,there must be some truth to that choice 
Also a trip to the steam cleaner pad at the full service Car Wash helps after a real nasty job,,,,
Finish it off with Diesel in a spray bottle
DD,,,,


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## retired rooter (Dec 31, 2008)

With open reel Gorlitz I used to stop at auto parts stores and buy the cheapest spray lub in a can I could find. Even sprayed the feeder with motorcycle chain grease. The machine looked dirty at times but that's what the pressure washer attachment on small general elect jetter was for.


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## theplumbinator (Sep 6, 2012)

U666A said:


> Just plain Dove Men's body wash...
> Oh wait... :laughing:


I don't like that stuff, dried out my skin.


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## Unclog1776 (Feb 5, 2013)

Replace every cable every three months. Sounds extreme I know but if you buy in bulk it's easy to include in your price. Pressure wash em once a week to keep somewhat clean but that's about it. 

I run all drum machines and spend more time cleaning the closed drums than the cables


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

When I ran a k-50 I would disconnect my cable with 6" sticking out the wall and reassemble the trap. Then I would fill the sink with hot water and a degreaser and let it rip. Then fill the sink two more times with just hot water. Cable always came out clean. Once it was back in the rand I'd spray it down with wd-40.

Drum machines, I spray with wd-40 about once a month.


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

"cleaning" sewer cable is kinda of oxymoron wouldn't you say?


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

I use mine regularly enough to not have to worry about the cables. I have a spartan 1065 and have used General Snake Oil to keep it lubed in the past but mine gets used daily so it doesn't rust up or get difficult to pull from the drum. My self feeder pulls it from the drum and seems to do it easily.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

BTW....not just clean but these cables are about 6 years old.


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

I was impressed when you posted that pic of them a while back when I asked about that type of cable. Looks good.


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## Drain Pro (Nov 3, 2013)

I never clean my cables. Use them so often it's not necessary. I run water 99% of the time while I'm snaking so that helps a lot.


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## theplungerman (Oct 26, 2011)

I almost never clean my cables. If it's a stinker job and rinsing off ain't a biggy then yeah maybe. 
When I change cables I clean out drum. 
With 250 available channels and Tivo I don't make time.


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## texplum0801 (Jan 19, 2014)

I too run water and spray with wd 40 after and my cables last for atleast 3-4 years


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