# Before and during jetting videos



## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

I finally learned how to use Youtube to upload my videos. Here is a before video of a 3" ABS main under a house with a major sag. 





Here is the video of me jetting upstream towards the kitchen line but still in the main 3" line under the house. After I cleaned all the main buildup out of the 3" I was able to locate the wye for the kitchen and washer and guide the hose all the way to the 2" kitchen cleanout. This is what I love to see when I am jetting:


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## Unclog1776 (Feb 5, 2013)

Wow that was worse than a lot of restaurants I have cleaned. Does the family deep fry everything or what ?


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Unclog1776 said:


> Wow that was worse than a lot of restaurants I have cleaned. Does the family deep fry everything or what ?


Haha. Could be. I am assuming that the belly in the line was there since day one. That was 30 years of accumulation and only ever a cable run up the line and I would imagine only a 3/8" cable at that. For the last 8 years or so that's all that was done. The pipe sagged about 3-4 inches over the span of 17'. The build-up was just the symptom.


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## Leach713 (Nov 1, 2013)

Best Darn Sewer said:


> I finally learned how to use Youtube to upload my videos. Here is a before video of a 3" ABS main under a house with a major sag. Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bETQQnyvb9E
> Here is the video of me jetting upstream towards the kitchen line but still in the main 3" line under the house. After I cleaned all the main buildup out of the 3" I was able to locate the wye for the kitchen and washer and guide the hose all the way to the 2" kitchen cleanout. This is what I love to see when I am jetting: Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJGmTlvckoA



That was some nice jetting.
But when a truck a line is that bad with a belly especially of ver 17' there no need to just clean it or jetted ..
That line should be replace !! 
They have to tunnel that home and fix it
I see no benefit for a homeowner to always have a drain tech come out yr after yr when they will still have the same issue.


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## Leach713 (Nov 1, 2013)

That belly could of been there since day one or also that trunk line could of been run to a concrete bream un sleeved and since the house settle is creating the belly


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Leach713 said:


> That belly could of been there since day one or also that trunk line could of been run to a concrete bream un sleeved and since the house settle is creating the belly


Thanks for the compliment and you could be right about the line going thru a beam. I have tunneled a lot of homes to find the line going straight thru the beam. In this case I did leave the customer with an estimate to tunnel and replace for around $8K. 

I agree that jetting isn't a solution but it is better than just rodding. A coworker had gone out a month earlier and rodded the line on an after hours emergency call and it backed up again...for obvious reasons. They have had it rodded twice a year for 8 years. The first ten years they lived there they had no issues. 

I am hoping that i bought them some time to put the funds together because they said they didn't want to finance it.


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Leach713 said:


> That was some nice jetting.
> But when a truck a line is that bad with a belly especially of ver 17' there no need to just clean it or jetted ..
> That line should be replace !!
> They have to tunnel that home and fix it
> I see no benefit for a homeowner to always have a drain tech come out yr after yr when they will still have the same issue.


I agree except each time all that was done was rodding. At least jetting will give them a few years of relief...hopefully. My warranty is for one year.


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## Hoosier Plumber (Nov 28, 2013)

Thanks for the video. 

What is the camera and jetter you use?


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Hoosier Plumber said:


> Thanks for the video.
> 
> What is the camera and jetter you use?


Spartan 727 gas powered cart jetter and ridgid CS10 monitor with 200' mini reel...or whatever they call the one right below the 300' self leveling reel. 

I am buying both of these pieces of equipment for my company before I start. I know their quirks and they're good quality.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Best Darn Sewer said:


> I agree except each time all that was done was rodding. At least jetting will give them a few years of relief...hopefully. My warranty is for one year.


Really great video. You a gave a 1 year warranty on the line? I never give a warranty when a structural issue is present. I might give a "footage warranty". EX I had a customer with bad roots out to 30 but a broken clay pipe at 90ish feet which is in the middle of the street. I gave a 2 year warranty on 0-30'. If his line backs up, I'll run 30' of cable....water drops....it's on me. Run 30' of cable and the water stays then it's probably an issue with the collapsed pipe.

What kind of nozzle are you using? Your hose length is 200? What's the furthest you've ever been able to push out? Do you mark the distances on your hose? Do you camera afterwards? When you buy nozzles.....what size do you buy? Asking because that crazy spartan labeling of 9/16. Do you also inspect going downstream to make sure everything flowed out? Hold off on buying a 727. It's got a price tag of 5k.....I made mine for about 1k and we're almost identical specs.


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

gear junkie said:


> Really great video. You a gave a 1 year warranty on the line? I never give a warranty when a structural issue is present. I might give a "footage warranty". EX I had a customer with bad roots out to 30 but a broken clay pipe at 90ish feet which is in the middle of the street. I gave a 2 year warranty on 0-30'. If his line backs up, I'll run 30' of cable....water drops....it's on me. Run 30' of cable and the water stays then it's probably an issue with the collapsed pipe.
> 
> What kind of nozzle are you using? Your hose length is 200? What's the furthest you've ever been able to push out? Do you mark the distances on your hose? Do you camera afterwards? When you buy nozzles.....what size do you buy? Asking because that crazy spartan labeling of 9/16. Do you also inspect going downstream to make sure everything flowed out? Hold off on buying a 727. It's got a price tag of 5k.....I made mine for about 1k and we're almost identical specs.


Yes, you better believe I run the camera down after I clean the line. I run it from beginning to end. My sales pitch is that there is no guess work. I figure if I get all that crap out then they should be good for a few years even with that major of an issue. If not than I will jet again under warranty and than convince them its time to tunnel and repair. The likelihood of having to re-service the line is slim being i got it as clean as the day it was put in but worse case i would have come back maybe once.

I like to try and do everything possible to get the line open, assuming there are no breaks, so they see that I care about them and I'm lot just trying to sell them a big job...also I am tenacious as hell and can't stand a clog beating me. Haha. 

If I can clean the line enough then I can see any breaks or major issues more clearly. I do mark my hose so I know when I am about to pull past a wye I am trying to stay in. I guide the hose and camera in together from the main CO and find where the kitchen wyes into it. Then I mark my hose, pull the camera and get to it. 

On this particular job I would normally use my 4r nozzle but it was warped due to too many CI jet jobs. One port was destroyed and not allowing water to flow so I used a heavy duty brass 3r that has wider streams and won't warp from slamming into CI fittings like the SS one will.

The place I bought the last nozzle was limited. All they had was one 4r for the 9/16". They are a supply house and Spartan rep so they sell and repair my equipment. I was assuming the size was 3/8" when I last bought one but now I am not sure. All I know is that it fit my red hose. 

Yes, I have used the total 200' of hose before at a bowling alley for a 4" CI line with a 4r nozzle. The line was full of asphalt from the parking lot being resurfaced. It took me three damn hours of jetting with a camera upstream so I could see as I jetted. It was a recall on me being i didn't get all of it the first time. I accessed the line from the site well 200' down from the first cleanout. It took two of us. A major PITA but I got it all out. It took the full length of hose w/out a problem.


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

The customer also said that they had lived there for 20 years and had no problems for the first 10. So I figure they have at least 10 yrs because I brought them back to brand new.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Best Darn Sewer said:


> The customer also said that they had lived there for 20 years and had no problems for the first 10. So I figure they have at least 10 yrs because I brought them back to brand new.


Makes perfect sense and I do the same thing. Just keep in mind of foundation settling and shifting soil.


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

gear junkie said:


> Makes perfect sense and I do the same thing. Just keep in mind of foundation settling and shifting soil.


I hear ya. The sag will get worse and probably has steadily gotten worse since day one. 

I had one the other day where the line was about one foot below the center line. As it exited the house it basically went uphill for 20' before it crested and went downhill. 
Our soil here is type c soil. Its gumbo and allows for foundation companies to flourish. Houses on slabs float. I jetted and jetted and finally got all the build up to push down to where the line finally has some slope. While I was running the jetter upstream from the CO all it did was fluctuate but never suck out of the CO. The water just stayed about 10" above the top of the pipe in the stand pipe for the CO. Job security.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Best Darn Sewer said:


> On this particular job I would normally use my 4r nozzle but it was warped due to too many CI jet jobs. One port was destroyed and not allowing water to flow so I used a heavy duty brass 3r that has wider streams and won't warp from slamming into CI fittings like the SS one will.
> 
> Yes, I have used the total 200' of hose before at a bowling alley for a 4" CI line with a 4r nozzle. The line was full of asphalt from the parking lot being resurfaced. It took me three damn hours of jetting with a camera upstream so I could see as I jetted. It was a recall on me being i didn't get all of it the first time. I accessed the line from the site well 200' down from the first cleanout. It took two of us. A major PITA but I got it all out. It took the full length of hose w/out a problem.


Maybe the port was clogged? I use a ox acetlyne tip cleaner to clean the jetter nozzles. 

So you got 200' down the drain? I run 200' of 1/4 hose but also have a pressure loss of about 1300 psi so I'm only getting about 2200 psi out the nozzle. If I switched to 3/8 hose I'd have a pressure loss of 200psi leaving me with 3300 at the nozzle. Never pulled the trigger because 3/8 weighs twice as much and I wasn't sure if it would pull the entire length. Sounds like I need to get an order of 3/8 hose asap. thanks for the heads up.


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Now that I have a YouTube channel I will post some more before and after vids. I have a few that are just night and day.


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

gear junkie said:


> Maybe the port was clogged? I use a ox acetlyne tip cleaner to clean the jetter nozzle.


I was going to try that tomorrow morning. I also need to get my sonde replaced for my camera. I will need to be more careful with this stuff when it becomes my money repairing all this high end equipment. Haha. Funny how that works, huh?


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Haha....definitely right. An employees perspective vs an owners for equipment purchase and care is way different.


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## Qball415 (Nov 20, 2010)

What is minimum charge on this? Seems like a bunch of time is used!


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Qball415 said:


> What is minimum charge on this? Seems like a bunch of time is used!


$515 for the first 2 hours when I jet from the main. $415 if I jet from the outside kitchen CO only. Island sinks run $515 w/ elec jetter inside. $225 each additional hour after first two. I usually get it done with clean up in 2. I don't rush. I just love jetting.


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## Qball415 (Nov 20, 2010)

I tried rod drain cleaning my first year in business. Realized it wasn't for me! 
Whatever floats your boat. Sounds good for billable hour.


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Thank you. Yes, it's quick money and very little parts if any. Just maintenance for your equipment.


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Qball415 said:


> I tried rod drain cleaning my first year in business. Realized it wasn't for me!
> Whatever floats your boat. Sounds good for billable hour.


What's funny is that for the first ten years of my career I loathed drain cleaning. I thought only guys who weren't good plumbers did that. Boy was I naive and arrogant. I used to be licensed in back flow testing, I've done lots of leak detection work. I used to never turn down repairing a high end faucet, or any job for that matter. When I lived in Montana for two years I got to learn about hydronic heating, which I really liked. I was the top diagnostics guy at my company in Houston, where I've spent the bulk of my career, for leaks and oddball stuff no one else could figure out. I was under the delusion that I was God's gift to plumbing. I no longer think that. Haha. A lot of my ability is in my tenacity more than some great understanding of plumbing. It just became stale and unfulfilling. 

I loved leak detection for a few years but I ended up getting screwed because guys started setting up any old leak for me merely because they were too lazy to look for it. I would end up working late on Saturday, when I was supposed to get off early, because I would have to go to home warranty leak detection calls or BS leaks. 

I specialized in sub slab copper leaks but never had a helper. I would prefer to train others but my company is more concerned with quantity and not proper training. 

I got to the point to where I was searching for more challenges and was tired of trying to impress coworkers or bosses. I finally realized that trying to do that was unfulfilling. I now believe that I am the only one I need to impress or my customers being that they are the ones I work for and not the company. 

The man who I work for on the side teaching CPE classes and prep courses for the master and j-man exams got me into plumbing originally and he is my mentor. He would always say if he were to start another plumbing company he would focus on drains only due to liability and minimal head aches. After much thought and consideration I finally came to the same conclusion. After doing a few jet jobs I decided to get my Masters and start my own company and focus on jetting and sewer replacement.

I don't want to do another water heater as long as I live or a damn repipe. I don't mind a garage replacement for a WH but even so I would prefer to just jet. My boss hates it because he would prefer me to do more plumbing diagnostics still. Now I do nothing but drain calls and special drain jobs others can't or won't do and he pays me even if its a freebie being I work on straight commission. 

My company split our plumbing dept into a drain dept and plumbing dept which has made it nice and sales have increased dramatically, too since the split.


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## Shoot'N'Plumber (Apr 27, 2013)

Best Darn Sewer said:


> What's funny is that for the first ten years of my career I loathed drain cleaning. I thought only guys who weren't good plumbers did that. Boy was I naive and arrogant. I used to be licensed in back flow testing, I've done lots of leak detection work. I used to never turn down repairing a high end faucet, or any job for that matter. When I lived in Montana for two years I got to learn about hydronic heating, which I really liked. I was the top diagnostics guy at my company in Houston, where I've spent the bulk of my career, for leaks and oddball stuff no one else could figure out. I was under the delusion that I was God's gift to plumbing. I no longer think that. Haha. A lot of my ability is in my tenacity more than some great understanding of plumbing. It just became stale and unfulfilling.
> 
> I loved leak detection for a few years but I ended up getting screwed because guys started setting up any old leak for me merely because they were too lazy to look for it. I would end up working late on Saturday, when I was supposed to get off early, because I would have to go to home warranty leak detection calls or BS leaks.
> 
> ...


DAMN! You and I share the almost the exact same background within our companies and our tenacity for perfection. I've been officially on my own since October this year so very early, what sucks the most is not actually doing as much work as a result of growing, but my work is much more rewarding as I don't have to deal with bosses who are only investors and I can actually focus on my passion for problem solving. Great work:thumbsup:


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Haha. Well, that is why we are best working for ourselves or for our customers, really, instead of a corporation. Its very refreshing to be around those who think similarly. I had to come to the realization that I can't change the culture of the company. All I can do is change my position and myself. Now all I worry about is if my customers are happy and when I will be quitting so I can start my next career. I am so much happier now that I no longer focus on impressing others I work with and focus on doing the best job I can without concern as to how others do their job. Ahh, maturity.


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

I know I posted this on another thread but it fits here, too. More jetting videos of before, during, and after.
This is a CI kitchen drain with what looked to be crude oil coming out. It took me 45 minutes to clear it all.


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Here is a before and after video that is night and day with the benefits of jetting. If you read the caption on the video and listen to my awesome narration you will see what I did. The light on the camera is bright as hell so I try not to look at it directly for fear of blindness. 

Before:






After:


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Here is a video where I ran my camera and jetter hose up the line from the main 4' cleanout to clean the kitchen and washer drain. I guide the camera and hose upstream so that way I can more effectively and safely hydro jet the line.






Here's the after but it was tough to get the camera to go into the wye so that is whats happening when start to fight with it a little bit around the 1:00 min mark.


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Here's my favorite series of "before, during, and after" videos. All self explanatory.

Before:






During:






After:






The customer was standing next to me when I made the last video of the line after jetting.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Great job cleaning that out. Is PVC always rippled like that?


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Seems like all I see is. Thank you for the comment.


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## 4Aces Plumbing (Aug 26, 2011)

Hmm, we should talk more sometime.. Right now, kinda curious where in MT?


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

I'll take any steam boiler problems over plumbing problems..


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

rjbphd said:


> I'll take any steam boiler problems over plumbing problems..


I take any sludge and grease filled line over a leaking water heater in an attic any day. And that's saying a lot for me. I used to be the opposite. What happened??


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

4Aces Plumbing said:


> Hmm, we should talk more sometime.. Right now, kinda curious where in MT?


Anytime. I try to be accessible. I was in Bozeman for a year and then Helena for a year. I managed a satellite office for a plumbing outfit out of boze-angeles. Loved living there. Great people, weather, geography, scenery, and all around a bad a$$ place to live. Can't wait to move back some day.


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## 4Aces Plumbing (Aug 26, 2011)

"Bozo" is a great place, I worked Yellowstone club, Spanish Peaks, and some private dwellings.. Economy tanking really hurt the BIG $$ in MT.


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

4Aces Plumbing said:


> "Bozo" is a great place, I worked Yellowstone club, Spanish Peaks, and some private dwellings.. Economy tanking really hurt the BIG $$ in MT.


 Welcome back, 4Aces.... how's the SubwaY there???


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

4Aces Plumbing said:


> "Bozo" is a great place, I worked Yellowstone club, Spanish Peaks, and some private dwellings.. Economy tanking really hurt the BIG $$ in MT.


Ditto. The only way a lowly peasant such as myself could ever hope to enter the golden gates of Yellowstone Cub and its stepchild Spanish Peaks would be to do work there. Of course, I always had to be escorted thru the back service entrance.

I didn't care what the call was when I went because I just loved being there. I went to Warren Miller's house in the winter time a couple times, which was right below Lone Peak, and it was jaw dropping. I was born and raised in southeast Texas so seeing those mountains and all that snow was new to me. 

Anyways, I gotta stop talking about it before I do something dumb like buy a one way plane ticket! Haha.


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## Leach713 (Nov 1, 2013)

Best Darn Sewer said:


> I take any sludge and grease filled line over a leaking water heater in an attic any day. And that's saying a lot for me. I used to be the opposite. What happened??


You like that easy $$$$
Groundwork is easy pop and go unless there a serious issue 
Them tunnels pay and sewer pay good in service


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## Leach713 (Nov 1, 2013)

In the attic it be around 135 degrees and feel like a oven and out side it can 100 plus but you some times get that breeze of cool air ,
Plus who doesn't like getting a lil muddy eh?


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Yup. And I don't do the excavations or installation. I supervise it. But I do all my other work. Jetting, pipe repairs on the yard, toilet work, etc. I have done it before but just don't have to anymore.


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## 4Aces Plumbing (Aug 26, 2011)

Best Darn Sewer said:


> Ditto. *The only way a lowly peasant such as myself could ever hope to enter the golden gates* of Yellowstone Cub and its stepchild Spanish Peaks would be to do work there. Of course, I always had to be escorted thru the back service entrance.
> 
> I didn't care what the call was when I went because I just loved being there. I went to Warren Miller's house in the winter time a couple times, which was right below Lone Peak, and it was jaw dropping. I was born and raised in southeast Texas so seeing those mountains and all that snow was new to me.
> 
> Anyways, I gotta stop talking about it before I do something dumb like buy a one way plane ticket! Haha.


I hear ya! I enjoyrd the work, and scenery, both the females and the mountains (and some of the female's "mountains") 
The circular dive to SP was the absolute most miserable job I have ever done! Two fractured ribs on my left, bent over, tying down 3800' of 3/4" pex snow-melt..


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Was that the same job where the crane fell over? I helped for a few days doing the rough in for some floor drains at what I think was going to be a parking garage. A union contractor was doing most of the other work.


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## Leach713 (Nov 1, 2013)

Best Darn Sewer said:


> Here's my favorite series of "before, during, and after" videos. All self explanatory. Before: Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqHbuyEh5ek During: Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8tNu33t034 After: Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REr27zZCDQg The customer was standing next to me when I made the last video of the line after jetting.


Just subscribe to your channel 
Ju


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## Leach713 (Nov 1, 2013)

Wow I been looking at more jetting videos And I thought I knew what I was doing 
And not I am no where near some of thing thing I saw on you tube ,,
That warthog nozzle is a freaking BEAST!


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

Leach713 said:


> Wow I been looking at more jetting videos And I thought I knew what I was doing
> And not I am no where near some of thing thing I saw on you tube ,,
> That warthog nozzle is a freaking BEAST!


Yeah, when I started researching jetting I was amazed and it got me amped to get into it more. The videos on "The Jetters Edge" YouTube channel are some of the best. Check them out and check out The Root Ranger nozzle videos. Very impressive.


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