# Sanitary Products



## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

Had a main line stoppage where I pulled back sanitary products (white mice....). Was using my 'C' cutter auger head. These sanitary products would get wound up on my auger head, I had to pull the cable back, clean the feminine products off, send cable back down; then pull cable back again, clean end of cable, over and over and over. It was many passes with the cable to eventually clear the stoppage.

What do others do in that situation? Is there a quicker way? I had the W/C pulled because there was no outside c.o.....(damn plumbers, unless it was buried) So when I pull the cable back without clearing the stoppage, the cable is of course wet and I'm pulling some water back into bathroom every time I retrieve the cable.....:furious: I added a charge to my bill called 'Problem Drain Line' which added some more to the bill to cover the extra work. But I would rather clear the stoppage on first pass instead of sending 75 feet of cable down (10) times.

A single mom lives in the house with (4) girls...! I told her not to flush anything but toilet paper.


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

Come on Tommy, that's just gross.


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## AlbacoreShuffle (Aug 28, 2011)

I would call an ambulance, with that much bleeding going on , someone needs a Doctor.:laughing:


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

I think ill skip lunch today.


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## drs (Jun 17, 2011)

Run a camera. There is a problem with that line somewhere to have them get hung up.


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

That's a lot of tampons :laughing:

sent from the jobsite porta-potty


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## AssTyme (May 15, 2010)

You were clearing the main line with a K-50, sink machine ?


You might want to try a decent main line machine next time. Preferably a drum machine to keep the mess down indoors.


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## DesertOkie (Jul 15, 2011)

Clean out or vent.


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## AlbacoreShuffle (Aug 28, 2011)

DesertOkie said:


> Clean out or vent.


Pretty sure he said he pulled a w/c


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

AssTyme said:


> You were clearing the main line with a K-50, sink machine ?
> 
> 
> You might want to try a decent main line machine next time. Preferably a drum machine to keep the mess down indoors.


 






Yes I was using my K-50. Ridgid states the K-50 will clear a stoppage in lines up to 4". I have taken a K-60 machine into homes before, but it's too large to be in someone's bathroom with. I like the compactness of the K-50.

AssTime, any tips on what auger head to use in this situation? I am not sure a retreiver head or funnel head would have had better results. 

I will agree with most guys that a K-60 with the larger cable (7/8") would be a better choice in a 4" main line. But with a little patience the K-50 will clear many stoppages.


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## PunkRockPlumber (Mar 26, 2012)

Tommy plumber said:


> Had a main line stoppage where I pulled back sanitary products (white mice....). Was using my 'C' cutter auger head. These sanitary products would get wound up on my auger head, I had to pull the cable back, clean the feminine products off, send cable back down; then pull cable back again, clean end of cable, over and over and over. It was many passes with the cable to eventually clear the stoppage.
> 
> What do others do in that situation? Is there a quicker way? I had the W/C pulled because there was no outside c.o.....(damn plumbers, unless it was buried) So when I pull the cable back without clearing the stoppage, the cable is of course wet and I'm pulling some water back into bathroom every time I retrieve the cable.....:furious: I added a charge to my bill called 'Problem Drain Line' which added some more to the bill to cover the extra work. But I would rather clear the stoppage on first pass instead of sending 75 feet of cable down (10) times.
> 
> A single mom lives in the house with (4) girls...! I told her not to flush anything but toilet paper.


Looks like Chinese Food.


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## AssTyme (May 15, 2010)

Tommy plumber said:


> Yes I was using my K-50. Ridgid states the K-50 will clear a stoppage in lines up to 4". I have taken a K-60 machine into homes before, but it's too large to be in someone's bathroom with. I like the compactness of the K-50.
> 
> AssTime, any tips on what auger head to use in this situation? I am not sure a retreiver head or funnel head would have had better results.
> 
> I will agree with most guys that a K-60 with the larger cable (7/8") would be a better choice in a 4" main line. But with a little patience the K-50 will clear many stoppages.



On my Spartan 300 I use C cutters, sometimes a half C cutter if it's a tough one. It can be a lot of ins & outs once the cutter gets covered with tampons/wipes and no longer has any cutting/ripping power.

On a normal cleanout I would use my 1.25" cable with a spearhead and rip right through it then finish up with a full sized blade.

Tampons and wipes can be tough, sometimes way tougher than your average root job. I think the K-50 is a bit weak for this application.


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## deerslayer (Mar 29, 2012)

With the k-50 I put a 7.5' piece of pipe right behind the machine with a cap on the end. As I pull each cable out it goes into this pipe and gets disconnected they also go back in 1 at a time spinning in the pipe. I can work with a small dropcloth and leave almost no mes this way. I would've also tried to poke a hole through it and drain the water.
However I would've prefered my large eel with the 1.25" cable but as you said it isn't always practical in a small area!


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## drain surgeon (Jun 17, 2010)

Wow Tommy those pics sure made my morning coffee taste a little off!
I was working on a main line clog with another guy . C.O. in the basement. Single Mom with teenage son and daughter. As my co worker is pulling back the cable there were condoms flapping all over the place. Mom and both kids were watching us work and the look on Moms face was priceless


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## MarkToo (Dec 17, 2011)

Looks like my cereal...

Unfortunately some of these products state on the box that they are "flushable" now. I've gone over this with more than a few customers. All you can do is educate and charge for your time.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

MarkToo said:


> Looks like my cereal...
> 
> *Unfortunately some of these products state on the box that they are "flushable" now*. I've gone over this with more than a few customers. All you can do is educate and charge for your time.


 






I showed the mother all the tampons and pads and told her not to flush them. Her response was, "Even if it says 'flushable'?" .......:laughing:


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## cjtheplumber (Mar 9, 2012)

I wasn't expecting this, I have a strong stomach most plumbers do. I was taking a sip at my coffee then I saw the pics for a minute at thought it was a picture of your lunch till I realized what it was.

Thanks to you my coffee don't look that good anymore.


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## plumberinlaw (Jan 13, 2010)

If I couldn't clear it in 1 or 2 passes and pulled white mice back both times probably would of changed to either a arrowhead cutter or better yet I have old openwind cable about 5 feet long the end has been removed it will power thru most blockages. that is for the k50. I personally would of used a 300 machine to start with.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

plumberinlaw said:


> If I couldn't clear it in 1 or 2 passes and pulled white mice back both times probably would of changed to either a *arrowhead cutter* or better yet I have old openwind cable about 5 feet long the end has been removed it will power thru most blockages. that is for the k50. I personally would of used a 300 machine to start with.


 








http://www.ridgid.com/Download/K50Cables.pdf

Is the arrowhead cutter for the K-50 5/8" cable?

I have a Ridgid catalog somewhere that shows the different auger head applications. But can't locate it now.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

It reminds me of a job I did at a home down by the beach on Long Island Sound at a home where the parents had moved out of the home to one right on the beach and left their 3 college aged daughters behind in the old home... :laughing:

Must be nice to have that kind of dough where you can leave the kids behind like that... :laughing:

Anyway I was clearing the line from the septic tank inlet working back towards the house and I kept bringing back more tampoons than I'd ever seen in a line before. As I cleaned off the cable getting ready to send it back in I kept referring to them as "Blind White Sewer Mice" when one of the girls asked, "Are those feminine products" to which I told her that indeed they were. She then commented that the package label said they were "Flushable" to which I said, "They are as long as you are ready to pay the price."

Their dad agreed and said he'd pick up the tab this time but next time it was on them, and I haven't been back since.

I did camera the line and the line's only defect was rust scale which would catch the strings. I agree that it would be a good practice to get the camera into any line that clogs with tampoons but would not agree that a defect which must be repaired at that time would be found. In most cases not flushing tampoons will suffice for the cure... :yes:


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## affordabledrain (Nov 24, 2009)

I use the k 50 with a retriever when dealing with tampons. 

Here what I did Last Friday night. The house was suspose to have 5 Grad students that were all male. Living in it:whistling2:


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

affordabledrain said:


> I use the k 50 with a retriever when dealing with tampons.
> 
> Here what I did Last Friday night. The house was suspose to have 5 Grad students that were all male. Living in it:whistling2:


Good thing you had the latex. :yes:


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

These threads about feminine hygiene products should have a warning/rating system.


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## AlbacoreShuffle (Aug 28, 2011)

affordabledrain said:


> I use the k 50 with a retriever when dealing with tampons.
> 
> Here what I did Last Friday night. The house was suspose to have 5 Grad students that were all male. Living in it:whistling2:


Looks like those 5 grad students have been having some " visitors " :laughing:


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

I refuse to moderate this thread any longer.


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## johnlewismcleod (Apr 6, 2012)

SlickRick said:


> I refuse to moderate this thread any longer.


LMAO! :laughing:

I sympathize :yes:


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

AlbacoreShuffle said:


> Looks like those 5 grad students have been having some " visitors " :laughing:


Either that or they're all pre-op transexuals.


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## AlbacoreShuffle (Aug 28, 2011)

Widdershins said:


> Either that or they're all pre-op transexuals.


This thread just keeps getting more disturbing.


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

AlbacoreShuffle said:


> This thread just keeps getting more disturbing.


I haven't even gone *THERE*, yet. You're not going to want to have any food in your stomach if I do.

One of these days I'll get around to describing the flat and bellied waste pipe we pulled out during a mortuary remodel. Of course that wasn't nearly as bad as the old clay side sewer we replaced for a fly-by-night liposuction clinic.


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## MarkToo (Dec 17, 2011)

Widdershins said:


> I haven't even gone *THERE*, yet. You're not going to want to have any food in your stomach if I do.
> 
> One of these days I'll get around to describing the flat and bellied waste pipe we pulled out during a mortuary remodel. Of course that wasn't nearly as bad as the old clay side sewer we replaced for a fly-by-night liposuction clinic.


Pics or it never happened...


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## Epox (Sep 19, 2010)

Was eating a bowl of cereal as I (quickly) viewed this thread. Uhgg,,,
Least I didn't see any brown slime mixed with it. Woot!:laughing:


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

MarkToo said:


> Pics or it never happened...


If it was only that easy to erase the memories. . .


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Widdershins said:


> If it was only that easy to erase the memories. . .


Yea... I haven't taken any pics of my funeral home drain cleaning experiences either.... 

But I do remember them vividly....
And they did happen....


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## Epox (Sep 19, 2010)

Trying to think what would come from a funeral parlors drain but will take your word for it. Pics of that nature could very well draw attention and questions one might not want.


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## gitnerdun (Nov 5, 2008)

Back to solutions for this problem, Tommy.

If I can't locate the co, I run the k-50 down a vent, leave it running, come down from the roof and listen for the cable rolling in the pipe outside the house. Use your probe to poke where you hear it, put your ear on the probe. you can tell by loudness how close you are. Dig up and hope there is a co, or you gotta put one there. Then you can run a larger machine up from there. I have also pulled the end of the 50 cable out and attached it to the 60 cable and pulled it up from the roof to help to be sure of the proper direction.

IMO a k50 is too small for the job, it may have got things flowing, but it is tough to be sure. A larger cable an head is where it's at. I have run the 60 from a few flanges if there was no choice. Usually only when I cant locate the co or cant get the cable to go upstream where I want it to. Lots of dropcloths and cardboard walls keep the mess down, and you can pull the cable from the outside cleanout, when you listen for it and open it up.


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## affordabledrain (Nov 24, 2009)

Majority of my customers are not willing to pay for a proper clean out. They are more willing to gamble. That the line will not bag up again within the next year. I offer no warranty on pulled toilets when using the 5 50 and when these products are the issue


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

gitnerdun said:


> Back to solutions for this problem, Tommy.
> 
> If I can't locate the co, I run the k-50 down a vent, leave it running, come down from the roof and listen for the cable rolling in the pipe outside the house. Use your probe to poke where you hear it, put your ear on the probe. you can tell by loudness how close you are. Dig up and hope there is a co, or you gotta put one there. Then you can run a larger machine up from there. I have also pulled the end of the 50 cable out and attached it to the 60 cable and pulled it up from the roof to help to be sure of the proper direction.
> 
> IMO a k50 is too small for the job, it may have got things flowing, but it is tough to be sure. A larger cable an head is where it's at. I have run the 60 from a few flanges if there was no choice. Usually only when I cant locate the co or cant get the cable to go upstream where I want it to. Lots of dropcloths and cardboard walls keep the mess down, and you can pull the cable from the outside cleanout, when you listen for it and open it up.


 




I tried hard to find an outside c.o. But I couldn't locate one. Even after I got things flowing, I left my cable in the line with the machine running and walked around outside of building trying to listen for my cable whipping around in the sewer, but I couldn't detect it. (some sewers are a mere couple of inches below grade here in Florida where they exit the building)

Some of the northern plumbers are probably scratching their heads about our dilemma of not finding an outside c.o. But such is life for the plumber who services the slab-on-grade buildings that have no basements.....


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## plumberinlaw (Jan 13, 2010)

Is the arrowhead cutter for the K-50 5/8" cable?
Yup! I have a couple of different sizes including one I ground down to 5/8"


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

All this going back and forward what to use

Just get your self a tampon remover


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## gitnerdun (Nov 5, 2008)

Tommy plumber said:


> I tried hard to find an outside c.o. But I couldn't locate one. Even after I got things flowing, I left my cable in the line with the machine running and walked around outside of building trying to listen for my cable whipping around in the sewer, but I couldn't detect it. (some sewers are a mere couple of inches below grade here in Florida where they exit the building)
> 
> Some of the northern plumbers are probably scratching their heads about our dilemma of not finding an outside c.o. But such is life for the plumber who services the slab-on-grade buildings that have no basements.....


Probably a large house on a corner lot of a noisy busy street with lots of dense bushes around the house and a deep stub out. Perfect. Was it raining too?


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