# General 91? Do you ever tie two 100' cables together? Normal?



## ibeplumber (Sep 20, 2011)

Is it normal practice to cable a mainline over 100' with only one clean out? I hate to but I had a main 135' long yesterday on New Years eve.
Pulled back a 5 gallon bucket of wipes and roots. Never could clear it we are digging it on Tuesday morning.:thumbup:
just wondering? We used to only jet a line over 100' until our jetter was sold. So do you guys ever use two machines? or two drums? Just seems risky to me, and hate doing it


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## AlbacoreShuffle (Aug 28, 2011)

I use to carry two baskets of 11/16 x 75' and when needed would run both baskets.


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## ibeplumber (Sep 20, 2011)

Maybe that's what we should do. Carry a 2nd drum with a shorter cable.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

Just carry the extra hundred, just in case.


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## ToUtahNow (Jul 19, 2008)

We carried 2-100' cables of 3/4" on each truck because a second cage would often be needed. Our record one night was a main line stoppage at a Mann's Theater. I had two trucks and 400' in the line and had to send my other guy back to the shop at 2 in the morning to get a fifth cable. Just shy of 500' I had a soft stoppage but the machine could hardly turn the cable. We spun the drum by hand and cleared the stoppage.

Monday morning I called the plumber who did the remodel which added 10-theaters. He told me the cleanouts must have been covered when the parking lot was resurfaced. I gave Mann's a price to find/add the cleanouts and they declined. Six years later they sold the building and it was converted to a church. We never had another stoppage in the main line.

Mark


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

YES I HAVE DONE THIS MANY TIMES OVER THE YEARS ! :thumbsup:

I WOULD NOT THINK OF SETTING UP A DRAIN TRUCK WITHOUT THE ABILITY

TO RUN AT LEAST A 150' TO 200' MAINLINE STOPPAGES, :thumbsup:

IN A IDEAL WORLD 100' WOULD DO THE JOB,

BUT THIS IS FAR FROM A IDEAL WORLD AND I WOULD NOT DREAM OF 

TELLING MY CUSTOMERS THAT THEY HAD TO CALL SOMEONE ELSE


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## Hillside (Jan 22, 2010)

I've got 200' in my 68 hd reel daily and a extra 150' at my place ready to go, it's terrible when u work ur a55 off and figure out your short and have to tell the customer to call someone else and u walk away, come to find out it was 5 more feet and u could have cleared it


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

HillsidePlumbco said:


> I've got 200' in my 68 hd reel daily and a extra 150' at my place ready to go,


200' in one reel?


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## Hillside (Jan 22, 2010)

ChrisConnor said:


> 200' in one reel?



Srry, Not in my 91, I used to use a 91 with 2 100 footers, 200' in my gorlitz at all times


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

YES MANY LARGE OPEN BASKET MACHINES HANDLE 200' EASY ENOUGH,

JUST MAKES IT HARDER TO ROLL THOUGH SNOW AND MUD :thumbup:


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## JK949 (Mar 18, 2009)

Done it a few times. Typically another tech would be called over with their mainline machine, hook up to the end of the cable and send it down. Two machines make it a little easier but not realistic for a small outfit. Extra cables just make sense in case you kink one.


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

I have two 25' sections of general cable, I can add to the 100' cable 1 at a time. If 150' won't clear it customer really needs another c/o.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

'


JERRYMAC said:


> YES MANY LARGE OPEN BASKET MACHINES HANDLE 200' EASY ENOUGH,
> 
> JUST MAKES IT HARDER TO ROLL THOUGH SNOW AND MUD :thumbup:


I put 200' of 3/4" in the Gorlitz only once, I was unclogging a sewer at a Hardees and it was about two a.m. and I was tired and was trying to save ten minutes of putting the empty reel back on.

The last bit got kind of squirrelly putting that much cable in. Maybe 11/16" would go in better.

I always figured that having a basket full of extra cable just wore out the cable that you didn't use without cause and just added the extra weight. 

I wouldn't want to drag an extra hundred pounds if I didn't have to, but I think 150' would be "ok" if the majority of your drains called for it. 

Twenty years ago, I'd say bring it on, but I have a few friends with active, but less strenuous lives who've had back surgery and just can't do do stuff like they used to. Just my opinion.


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## drs (Jun 17, 2011)

Anything over 75 feet gets a new clean out or the line gets jetted. If customer does not want to pay for clean out, then it's a Jet job.


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

176' is the longest I have gone in my Model C, and it was not struggling at all and could handle much more. I've only had the Model C for about a year now. I use 8' sections of 1.25" cable. I'd think it could go out 300-400 foot with no issues, but that would be a rare scenario and I sure would be pushing the cleanout install or jetter.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

I'm set up to go 200' with 2 reels of 11/16" for the k-7500...

I usually sell the jet when we are going out past 1 reel. If you are going to be hauling back roots and wipes it really is counter productive to waste time swapping reels...


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## retired rooter (Dec 31, 2008)

HillsidePlumbco said:


> Srry, Not in my 91, I used to use a 91 with 2 100 footers, 200' in my gorlitz at all times


 I carry 175' of 11/16 in my GO68 HD gorlitz. Extra reel has 150' but rarely use it anymore.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

retired rooter said:


> I carry 175' of 11/16 in my GO68 HD gorlitz. Extra reel has 150' but rarely use it anymore.



Eddie, How often do you need more than 100'?


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

For lines just over 100' I set my drum I keep on the machine up with a 25' anchor cable so I can reach a little further...


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## Hillside (Jan 22, 2010)

I'm in over 150' multiple times a week, some of the houses,condos & apartments around here in (Palos verdes estates, rancho palos verdes and rolling hills estates) are huge multi-million dollar homes and super deep with no access, I get them up and running at the time and usually sell the job, sometimes there is a house on a hill that has been built for 70 years and there was no house below before and now there is, I run into a lot of customers with there sewers running into there neighbors yard all the time


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

I DID 380' WITH A SPARTAN 1065 ONE TIME 

IT TAKES 3 MEN AND A STRONG BOY TO PULL THAT MUCH CABLE BACK OUT 

OF A 6" CLAY SEWER LINE :thumbup:


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