# Used a jetter for the first time today...



## Flyout95 (Apr 13, 2012)

A Ridgid KJ-2200 to clear slurry and debris out of a 4" line. It went pretty well I think...


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Kinda tiny for a 4" line...:laughing:

Musta took a while...


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## Flyout95 (Apr 13, 2012)

paid by the hour....


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## AssTyme (May 15, 2010)

Flyout95 said:


> paid by the hour....




Sad.............. :no:


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## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

AssTyme said:


> Sad.............. :no:


Charge enough and it isn't sad. Commercial should run $450 an hr with a 2 hr minimum.


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## AssTyme (May 15, 2010)

dhal22 said:


> Charge enough and it isn't sad. Commercial should run $450 an hr with a 2 hr minimum.




Customer pays up because shop runs an undersized jetter on a line that probably could have been cabled ?


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## Flyout95 (Apr 13, 2012)

AssTyme said:


> Customer pays up because shop runs an undersized jetter on a line that probably could have been cabled ?


customer was our own company. The job was on a remodel of a news paper printing facility being remodeled into a data center. The contract is worth over 50 million to our company that does plumbing as more of a "we also do plumbing" in addition to pipefitting and HVAC. 

As for the machine being undersized to move sludge, I'm sure it was, But considering it was a 200yd plus section of 4" that, in time is being eliminated they were mostly concerned with a temporary fix. 

I'm sure even a drum machine would be exhausting after 200 yards.


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## AssTyme (May 15, 2010)

Flyout95 said:


> customer was our own company. The job was on a remodel of a news paper printing facility being remodeled into a data center. The contract is worth over 50 million to our company that does plumbing as more of a "we also do plumbing" in addition to pipefitting and HVAC.
> 
> As for the machine being undersized to move sludge, I'm sure it was, But considering it was a 200yd plus section of 4" that, in time is being eliminated they were mostly concerned with a temporary fix.
> 
> I'm sure even a drum machine would be exhausting after 200 yards.




Hey it was a loaded post, clearing a main with a squirt gun and giving no other details I had to comment


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## Cajunhiker (Dec 14, 2009)

Tell'em @Fly, it's not the machine, it's the operator! Lol


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

dhal22 said:


> Charge enough and it isn't sad. Commercial should run $450 an hr with a 2 hr minimum.


We charge a G-Note for 1 man and a jetter to show up as a 2 hour minimum...

Make it 2 men and a jetter its $1300....


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Redwood said:


> We charge a G-Note for 1 man and a jetter to show up as a 2 hour minimum...
> 
> Make it 2 men and a jetter its $1300....


What kind of advertising does your boss do to keep the jetter busy? Word of mouth? Service contracts?


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

gear junkie said:


> What kind of advertising does your boss do to keep the jetter busy? Word of mouth? Service contracts?


We advertise for plumbing and drain cleaning...
We have service agreements with quite a few of the larger customers...
When calls come in the ones that sound like obvious jet calls will be assigned to the jetter...
Others come from the cable guys as referrals...

The jetters do stay quite busy...


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Redwood said:


> We *advertise for plumbing and drain cleaning*...
> We have service agreements with quite a few of the larger customers...
> When calls come in the ones that sound like obvious jet calls will be assigned to the jetter...
> Others come from the cable guys as referrals...
> ...


Where is the advertising done? Online, radio, internet?


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

gear junkie said:


> Where is the advertising done? Online, radio, internet?


Not as much as you'd think...
It is an old established business...
He's got a crappy website and is in the phonebooks...
The trucks are rolling billboards...


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## SchmitzPlumbing (May 5, 2014)

i am happy for fly. i have been plumbing since feb of 98. i have never run a jetter. just be happy for a fellow plumber learning something new in our trade. it doesnt matter how he got it done, just that he got it done. good job.:thumbup:


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## sierra2000 (Sep 19, 2011)

Anyone in California getting any pushback when you hook up your jetter to the customers hose faucet? 
My city is going to fine us $5 for every unit of water we go over. Hooking up a 300 gallon jetter to the customer might make them pretty upset when they get the next water bill.


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## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

The customer supplying the water is part of the price. Anything else just drives up the cost.


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

sierra2000 said:


> Anyone in California getting any pushback when you hook up your jetter to the customers hose faucet?
> My city is going to fine us $5 for every unit of water we go over. Hooking up a 300 gallon jetter to the customer might make them pretty upset when they get the next water bill.


I hadn't thought about that issue but it does warrant concern. I heard about the new laws for water restriction are pretty harsh. Necessary, but harsh.


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

sierra2000 said:


> Anyone in California getting any pushback when you hook up your jetter to the customers hose faucet?
> My city is going to fine us $5 for every unit of water we go over. Hooking up a 300 gallon jetter to the customer might make them pretty upset when they get the next water bill.


Sounds like a good opportunity to market yur Big Brute as "green". You can compare yur setup to being 50% more efficient compared to many trailer jetters out there (the 4018 comes to mind)!


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## Plumbus (Aug 4, 2008)

sierra2000 said:


> Anyone in California getting any pushback when you hook up your jetter to the customers hose faucet?
> My city is going to fine us $5 for every unit of water we go over. Hooking up a 300 gallon jetter to the customer might make them pretty upset when they get the next water bill.


$5 isn't much of a deterrent. 
As for an upset customer, I'd give them two options; "Pay the fine or **** in your hat".


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