# Lack of?



## smellslike$tome (Jun 16, 2008)

Ok I don't really like doing this but when you don't know something you either ask someone or remain ignorant, so here goes.

I need to figure out which I have a lack of knowledge or skill.

This comes from another thread but I have extreme difficulty (in fact I haven't figured out how to do it) getting my cable to make the turn through a branch connection on a cast iron tee. I've tried using a variety of heads, reversing the direction of spin, finesse and brute force with no luck. This is almost always encountered in the event I have to pull a toilet in order to access the line. Occasionally it will pass right on through (the wrong way sometimes) but other times I have spent 30 minutes or more just trying to get past this point ultimately to simply give up.

Anybody have this problem and have any tricks. I am admitedly not a great drain cleaner probably because I am self taught.


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## user4 (Jun 12, 2008)

The problem may be the cable you are using is too stiff to make two turns close together.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Go through the vent or bend the tip of your cable and feed it down. What kind of cable is this happening with?


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## uaplumber (Jun 16, 2008)

Cable size?


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

If your using a drum machine try an 11/16 cable it will get you through bends pretty well. I also use a leader to help get direction.










If you know the direction you can even line it up just right and push it right into the turn...

If its further down the line often playing with the bend, and sometimes tryin pushing it in while running the machine in reverse will get you through it in a different direction.

Just wait until the day you get sent to a hotel with multiple back to back backed up tub drains their staff maint guy has been working on so hard he wrecked 2 different cables... It's showtime Baby!:thumbup:

You do an in your face drop each one in about 2 passes. Note the first pass is to feel the drain between the 2 tubs and the second one is when you know where the drop is... The money shot watch their jaw drop! Where's the next one?:whistling2:


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## smellslike$tome (Jun 16, 2008)

uaplumber said:


> Cable size?


5/8" cable on a General speedrooter 91. I like this machine otherwise and really don't think it's the machines fault anyway. 

Unless I'm pretty sure it's roots and have an accessable clean out I usually like to start with a spear head bit just to knock a hole in it and then run another pass with either spiral root blade or dual scraping blade.

When I come to the back of a c.i. tee all it ever does is bang off the back of the tee. I could probably make the turn with my mini rooter but the cable is not big enough to do anything with roots.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Flexible leader with a bend at the tip. don't turn on the machine, turn the drum by hand and you'll feel the tip wack around, When it free's up, you're probably down and it'll handfeed in real easy. If you're going up, then it'll catch but it'll feed in there but it'll want to come back at you.


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## That One Guy (Sep 14, 2008)

I always keep the cable end bent and I align the cutter (3" double cutter) flat with the bend so feeling my way through by hand and turning the drum accordingly makes it smoother. I also use an 11/16" cable wich makes it easier for me. I used to do it like the drawing Redwwod posted because I knew wich way my bend was facing by the position of the blade. Good stuff!


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