# What r these for ?



## hulihan (Aug 11, 2009)

I am trying to figure out how this would be used, take a sonde and push to stoppage or what is it for ? It is called a sewer tape


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

It's an old school tool for unclogging a line...
Better hope its a straight run and it won't do jack for roots....


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## Plumbducky (Jun 12, 2010)

I have one on the truck and use it on occasion. Used for clearing blockages in drain pipes.


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## user2090 (Sep 26, 2009)

I still see those being sold to this day. I can't imagine using one of those to clear a drain.

Back is my first year, our instructor took us to the shop he worked for, which has been around for over 90 years, they still had some of the originals hanging around. Seems they didn't like to throw anything away. :no:


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

I still see a lot of them riding on honey wagons.
The guys that didn't step up to getting jetters and drain cleaning machines.
A lot of them really don't want to get involved with line cleaning but will take a stab at it running from the tank back to the house before referring the work.


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## hulihan (Aug 11, 2009)

Thanks, kind of what I thought !


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

What are you guys talking about.... I have about 10 of those push rods....

Thats all we use to use.... worked fine back then....

We use to cut cloths hanger wire and wrap it around the head.... that use to pull everything out....


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## Proud Plumber (Sep 15, 2008)

*We use to cut cloths hanger wire and wrap it around the head.... that use to pull everything out...*


I always wondered how you guys retrieved with them. 

What did you do when you did not have a clean out? Could you use one from the roof? Sharp turns?


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

I still have flat tapes, Just part of the arsenal.


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## PLUMBER_BILL (Oct 23, 2009)

OldSchool said:


> What are you guys talking about.... I have about 10 of those push rods....
> 
> Thats all we use to use.... worked fine back then....
> 
> We use to cut cloths hanger wire and wrap it around the head.... that use to pull everything out....


When I started this trade that's all there was. Here is a story had a yard exit sewer about 80' from a basement rodding wye. the ball head had come off. Boss has bent a small loop on the end. Pound,pound,pound would not open. I took a hack saw and cut off the bosses loop, leaving a small right angle bend on the rod. I put that into a 1" pipe coupling and filled the coupling with lead. Down the pipe till I reached the blockage.
One pound with the weight I had on there and the sewer was open. Except the coupling with it's square rear edge dropped down and got caught in the 8x6 terra cotta wye at the main. About 4 hours later of pushing and bouncing the rod it jumped over the edge and I could get the damn thing out. Believe me that rod got lost the first chance I got.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Proud Plumber said:


> *We use to cut cloths hanger wire and wrap it around the head.... that use to pull everything out...*
> 
> 
> I always wondered how you guys retrieved with them.
> ...


There would always be a clean out most of the time... but if there was none we would cut the stack and put one in.....

The first time I ever heard of passing a snake from the roof was on the plumbing zone ....._ I was like _WTF :laughing: .... why would any one in their right mind climb to the roof to clear a drain.... when they can charge to install a clean out if one was missing. 

As for turns in the pipe you just had to rotate the coil and the rod would go around the bends...

We would always put a small bend at the beginning of the rod close to the head by stepping on it... this would get it around the first 90 at the base of the stack.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

PLUMBER_BILL said:


> When I started this trade that's all there was. Here is a story had a yard exit sewer about 80' from a basement rodding wye. the ball head had come off. Boss has bent a small loop on the end. Pound,pound,pound would not open. I took a hack saw and cut off the bosses loop, leaving a small right angle bend on the rod. I put that into a 1" pipe coupling and filled the coupling with lead. Down the pipe till I reached the blockage.
> One pound with the weight I had on there and the sewer was open. Except the coupling with it's square rear edge dropped down and got caught in the 8x6 terra cotta wye at the main. About 4 hours later of pushing and bouncing the rod it jumped over the edge and I could get the damn thing out. Believe me that rod got lost the first chance I got.


Back in the 70s my uncle got the roller on the end of a flat rod stuck in a line and could not get it out. Eventually they hooked it to a backhoe and still couldn't budge it. Several hours later my grandfather showed up and looked in the shallow manhole in the street. It was hooked on the edge of the terra cotta line. Just lifting it 1/2 an inch with the shovel freed it.lol

I worked for a guy in the 90s that only used flatrods with coat hanger. He'd charge the customer for us rodding it with a flat rod and if it stopped up again, he'd send out a sewer service biz and re charge the customer. 

I thought using the flat rod was the stone age, as other plumbers in my family used electric machines in the 70's.


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