# Cleanout Retrieval



## SC Plumbing Repair (Dec 7, 2020)

New construction plumber installed one of these as a cleanout for a 4" sewer riser in the middle of a concrete driveway!
Can you guess what happened?
That's right, it was broken and dropped into the 4" combination and is wedged in it about 3' below the driveway.
At this point the first thing I can think of to keep from cutting up his driveway is to use my 3/4 cable with a cutting head on it and hope that I can grind away at it enough to get it to pass into the city main 12' away.
Any other suggestions?


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Retriever. A few years ago I had a 6” clean out plug lodged exactly like that. Since it was 6” I used my k1500, but 4” and a 3/4 cable and a retriever, you should be good. Have a camera, position the retriever by hand just right, pull the camera, and bump it a few times. camera and pull out by hand.


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## SC Plumbing Repair (Dec 7, 2020)

OpenSights said:


> Retriever. A few years ago I had a 6” clean out plug lodged exactly like that. Since it was 6” I used my k1500, but 4” and a 3/4 cable and a retriever, you should be good. Have a camera, position the retriever by hand just right, pull the camera, and bump it a few times. camera and pull out by hand.


I considered the retriever but was concerned that it would hook onto the plug and then I would not be able to retrieve it.
I have not used a camera on this line but the company that the HO first called did; HO says plug is intact and wedge into the combination at turn. 
When you say retriever I assume you are referring to this:


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

How far in is it? I would try a retrieval head but cut down a bit on the end of a short piece of cable chucked in a RA drill so you can really control it, easily switch between forward and reverse.

Or use the same setup but with a fresh set of thin root cutter blades, maybe sharpen the teeth to real cutting edges.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

SC Plumbing Repair said:


> I considered the retriever but was concerned that it would hook onto the plug and then I would not be able to retrieve it.
> I have not used a camera on this line but the company that the HO first called did; HO says plug is intact and wedge into the combination at turn.
> When you say retriever I assume you are referring to this:
> View attachment 127339


Yes. In my case it was a normal plug with the protruding square nut. The snow plow broke the nut off two of them, only one had been knocked down into the wye. It acted like a check valve, but mostly in reverse. I lucked out and got it out in a few minutes.


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## The cable guy (Oct 31, 2020)

Can you get eyes on it? I have different meathods but id need to see it. You could always try using a 4” pear and pushit into the main with your 3/4 cable. If its in the a combo wye used for a cleanout and you cab get eyes on it ya may try grabbing with mechanical fingers. Or you could try hitting it real hard with a piece of 1” galvy to break it. just dont miss and break the line. Good luck


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## Logtec (Jun 3, 2018)

How about a Shop vac?


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## hewhodigsholes (Oct 28, 2020)

If it isn't too stuck, a blow bag might do the trick. Or it might wedge it in harder.

"That's what she said!" - Michael Scott 😏


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Logtec said:


> How about a Shop vac?


Suction wouldn’t be enough.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

OpenSights said:


> Suction wouldn’t be enough.


It will if he can knock it loose.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Logtec said:


> How about a Shop vac?


How about a septic pumping truck?


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## hewhodigsholes (Oct 28, 2020)

I've also heard of tack welding a self tapping screw on the end of an old flexshaft and running it into the fragment with a camera in the line.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

hewhodigsholes said:


> I've also heard of tack welding a self tapping screw on the end of an old flexshaft and running it into the fragment with a camera in the line.


That would be surgery and with that comes with a new title, Doctor!


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## hewhodigsholes (Oct 28, 2020)

Tango said:


> That would be surgery and with that comes with a new title, Doctor!


Dr. Plumber does have a nice ring to it!


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## Logtec (Jun 3, 2018)

OpenSights said:


> Suction wouldn’t be enough.
> [/QUOTE


what actually broke off and fell into the C/O?
Was it the top of the c/o cap???


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## Logtec (Jun 3, 2018)

hewhodigsholes said:


> Dr. Plumber does have a nice ring to it!


I put an ad in a local seniors paper with a play on words saying
“the *___* Doctor” or something like that, in October, wow did that ever pay off.. $$$ 
thanks corona pandemic.


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## Dontbitenails (Oct 16, 2020)

I had a customer that had a rock garden circled around the 6 inch sewer clean out opening in back yard . Clay tile up to ground with 6 inch clay disc laying in hub that was flush with grade. Kids took lid off and dropped a 5 inch rock down cleanout. Rock got lodged at bottom and clogged line . I looked at it and said dig it up . 8 feet deep. Nieghbor lady who looked rough around the edges overheard and said she could get it out. She came over with a piece of conduit and some jb weld .Top of rock was dry enough to adhere conduit to rock with a glob of jb weld.10 minutes later rock was on top of ground and I looked like an idiot


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## hewhodigsholes (Oct 28, 2020)

Dontbitenails said:


> I had a customer that had a rock garden circled around the 6 inch sewer clean out opening in back yard . Clay tile up to ground with 6 inch clay disc laying in hub that was flush with grade. Kids took lid off and dropped a 5 inch rock down cleanout. Rock got lodged at bottom and clogged line . I looked at it and said dig it up . 8 feet deep. Nieghbor lady who looked rough around the edges overheard and said she could get it out. She came over with a piece of conduit and some jb weld .Top of rock was dry enough to adhere conduit to rock with a glob of jb weld.10 minutes later rock was on top of ground and I looked like an idiot


Oh man! I'm gonna have to remember that trick!


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Had one years ago. A kid through a bunch of rocks down the outside clean out at an apartment building. Did everything we could to shopvac out the rocks one by one. Ended up having it dug up.

The kid that did the crime belonged to the maintenance guy.


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## RichardBull (Jan 7, 2021)

I’d try to knock it loose and push it out to the city 😬


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## SC Plumbing Repair (Dec 7, 2020)

Logtec said:


> How about a Shop vac?


It is wedged.


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## SC Plumbing Repair (Dec 7, 2020)

OpenSights said:


> Had one years ago. A kid through a bunch of rocks down the outside clean out at an apartment building. Did everything we could to shopvac out the rocks one by one. Ended up having it dug up.
> 
> The kid that did the crime belonged to the maintenance guy.


Been there, except it was the HO's kids.


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## SC Plumbing Repair (Dec 7, 2020)

hewhodigsholes said:


> If it isn't too stuck, a blow bag might do the trick. Or it might wedge it in harder.
> 
> "That's what she said!" - Michael Scott 😏


Blow bag will just send pressure to inside of home.


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## SC Plumbing Repair (Dec 7, 2020)

hewhodigsholes said:


> I've also heard of tack welding a self tapping screw on the end of an old flexshaft and running it into the fragment with a camera in the line.


It is about 3' deep and the sewage is backing up the riser. Hard to see.


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## SC Plumbing Repair (Dec 7, 2020)

skoronesa said:


> How about a septic pumping truck?


I don't know if you were joking or not but that might actually be a good idea.


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## SC Plumbing Repair (Dec 7, 2020)

Logtec said:


> what actually broke off and fell into the C/O?
> Was it the top of the c/o cap???


The entire cleanout, the lip was broken off by the car and dropped into the combo. See picture at top of discussion for type of cleanout.


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## SC Plumbing Repair (Dec 7, 2020)

Dontbitenails said:


> I had a customer that had a rock garden circled around the 6 inch sewer clean out opening in back yard . Clay tile up to ground with 6 inch clay disc laying in hub that was flush with grade. Kids took lid off and dropped a 5 inch rock down cleanout. Rock got lodged at bottom and clogged line . I looked at it and said dig it up . 8 feet deep. Nieghbor lady who looked rough around the edges overheard and said she could get it out. She came over with a piece of conduit and some jb weld .Top of rock was dry enough to adhere conduit to rock with a glob of jb weld.10 minutes later rock was on top of ground and I looked like an idiot


Doesn't JB Weld set up under water? May be on to something.


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## SC Plumbing Repair (Dec 7, 2020)

RichardBull said:


> I’d try to knock it loose and push it out to the city 😬










I plan to try one of these on my 3/4 cable and hopefully after some grinding time I can get it to pass to the city.


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## Plumbus (Aug 4, 2008)

Dontbitenails said:


> I had a customer that had a rock garden circled around the 6 inch sewer clean out opening in back yard . Clay tile up to ground with 6 inch clay disc laying in hub that was flush with grade. Kids took lid off and dropped a 5 inch rock down cleanout. Rock got lodged at bottom and clogged line . I looked at it and said dig it up . 8 feet deep. Nieghbor lady who looked rough around the edges overheard and said she could get it out. She came over with a piece of conduit and some jb weld .Top of rock was dry enough to adhere conduit to rock with a glob of jb weld.10 minutes later rock was on top of ground and I looked like an idiot


You still do.


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## The cable guy (Oct 31, 2020)

If the line is holding water your best bet is to send a cable without a blade and a cobra bend in first to drain the water down. You’ll get the cable past it and then you can decide best course of action afterwards. Good luck


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## SC Plumbing Repair (Dec 7, 2020)

The cable guy said:


> If the line is holding water your best bet is to send a cable without a blade and a cobra bend in first to drain the water down. You’ll get the cable past it and then you can decide best course of action afterwards. Good luck


I have not heard of a "Cobra" bend, do you have a picture?
I plan to spin the plug to let the sewage pass before I start working.
As Open Sights stated regarding his similar situation, this one is wedged just right as to almost create a check valve. I will get it to spin before I start work.


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## SC Plumbing Repair (Dec 7, 2020)

I want to thank everyone for their tips and ideas, I am sure that one way or another I will get it out without having to cut the driveway.
This job is scheduled for Friday, I will let you know how it turns out.
If I remember I will take some pics.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

On the particular one I had, I had a clean out up steam. I knocked it loose with a 300 first so I could see what my cable was doing. That job I was dreading, but the darn thing came out super easy.

I’ll see if I have some pics of it and another spanner plug and toys from a different location.


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## WashingtonPlung (Jul 25, 2016)

Just had a similar problem at one of our new schools. It was a chunk of 4" pipe cut into a triangle and dropped down the pipe. A rooter contractor was able to use his Spartan 1065 with a retriever head and a camera to pull it out. It took some effort but he pulled it over 40 ft out.


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## Nazareth (Sep 30, 2017)

I'm curious to hear how this goes


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## RichardBull (Jan 7, 2021)

I’d use a spearhead and a stiff cable.


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## WashingtonPlung (Jul 25, 2016)

WashingtonPlung said:


> Just had a similar problem at one of our new schools. It was a chunk of 4" pipe cut into a triangle and dropped down the pipe. A rooter contractor was able to use his Spartan 1065 with a retriever head and a camera to pull it out. It took some effort but he pulled it over 40 ft out.


To add more to this. I tried a similar trick to get keys out of a drain line. The drain cleaning tech's that do it daily sure make it look easy. But it wasn't lol


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

I wonder if any company has thought about making a screw type cutter with a replaceable pilot drill bit. Could come in handy in a case like this. I’d imagine you’d have to push it to the blockage by hand as to not damage the good pipe/fittings.


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## SC Plumbing Repair (Dec 7, 2020)

OpenSights said:


> I wonder if any company has thought about making a screw type cutter with a replaceable pilot drill bit. Could come in handy in a case like this. I’d imagine you’d have to push it to the blockage by hand as to not damage the good pipe/fittings.


Might make you a Millionaire..... Just Sayin'


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## Sstratton6175 (Jan 10, 2021)

I can’t wait to see how this works out!!!


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

I sent this thread to my Spartan rep, Patrick. Great guy! He sent me this:


”These are really popular.
Expensive but popular.”

















Spartan Tool 32' Grabber - 2370000001US


Looking to be able to grab things up to 32' down? Order the Spartan Tool 32' Grabber now from Spartan Tool for quick shipping! - 2370000001US




www.spartantool.com






$2340! In the past 5 years I could’ve used it 3 times. So $1k per job in 5 years to pay for itself. $1k is cheaper than a dig in most cases out here.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Sstratton6175 said:


> I can’t wait to see how this works out!!!


Right! Just one more reason to look for the end of Friday! Just glad it’s not me doing the job. This is the type of job that can be done in a half hour or half a day.


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## Sstratton6175 (Jan 10, 2021)

OpenSights said:


> Right! Just one more reason to look for the end of Friday! Just glad it’s not me doing the job. This is the type of job that can be done in a half hour or half a day.


Seriously though... I have a ton of respect for all these guys that do drain cleaning work. In my opinion it’s like mastering a 2nd trade on top of your plumbing work. I don’t do very much service work, mostly construction jobs. So I’m super interested in the outcome of this job.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Sstratton6175 said:


> Seriously though... I have a ton of respect for all these guys that do drain cleaning work. In my opinion it’s like mastering a 2nd trade on top of your plumbing work. I don’t do very much service work, mostly construction jobs. So I’m super interested in the outcome of this job.


In Michigan you don’t need a master’s license to do drain cleaning like some states. I can do everything but “change the plumbing system”. I can change most fixtures, repair a leak....

I like to compare plumbing a drain cleaning to automotive mechanics aNd automotive body repair. Same thing I tell customers. Do you want your mechanic fixing your fender? Do you want your body repair guy wrenching on your engine?

I know there are those that can do both, like me, but I’m not licensed. I’ve hired my master to oversee a few jobs. He’s on site, works and pulls permits. I pay him T&M.


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## SC Plumbing Repair (Dec 7, 2020)

*SUCCESS!!!!! and Failure.....*
I used a retrival head first to try and dislodge the plug so that the sewage would go down for a clear camera image.
Sewage went down and I was able to get my camera in but could not see a cleanout plug, what I couls see was that the bottom of the 4" wye was missing the bottom section and I was looking at mud. The camera nor the cable would make the turn because they want to get caught in the missing portion of fitting.
This wye is at the bottom of the sewer tap riser and is 6' deep (unlike the 3' that I was told), I questioned the existance of an entire cleanout plug in the line but the HO swears he saw it personally on the other guys camera.
Nothing I did could have even come close to breaking the fitting so I am left believing that the broken fitting was just a hidden part of the original overall problem, (A PVC cleanout riser in the middle of a concrete, residential driveway that was run over multiple times by a 3,000 lb object).
Digging a sewer that deep with all of the utilities that are around is a job that is larger than I want to take on so I referred him to another company.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

That sucks for the HO! I hate it when I have to tell a customer that their only choice is to dig, especially when you know that they don’t have the money.


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## sparky (Jan 8, 2014)

Dontbitenails said:


> I had a customer that had a rock garden circled around the 6 inch sewer clean out opening in back yard . Clay tile up to ground with 6 inch clay disc laying in hub that was flush with grade. Kids took lid off and dropped a 5 inch rock down cleanout. Rock got lodged at bottom and clogged line . I looked at it and said dig it up . 8 feet deep. Nieghbor lady who looked rough around the edges overheard and said she could get it out. She came over with a piece of conduit and some jb weld .Top of rock was dry enough to adhere conduit to rock with a glob of jb weld.10 minutes later rock was on top of ground and I looked like an idiot


Learn s omething new everyday don't we lolololol


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## RichardBull (Jan 7, 2021)

I had one similar to that but it was a dirt/shell parking lot. 

I hired day labor and we hand dug it with shovels. 

I found every old water,sewer,gas main used over the past 100 years. It was ridiculous, we didn’t know what was in service or what was discontinued.


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## SC Plumbing Repair (Dec 7, 2020)

RichardBull said:


> I had one similar to that but it was a dirt/shell parking lot.
> 
> I hired day labor and we hand dug it with shovels.
> 
> I found every old water,sewer,gas main used over the past 100 years. It was ridiculous, we didn’t know what was in service or what was discontinued.


It is hard for me to do but sometimes it really is better to walk away.


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## goeswiththeflow (Feb 24, 2018)

OpenSights said:


> This is the type of job that can be done in a half hour or half a day.


Try explaining that to some dispatchers, esp those who are not plumbers, when that half hour does turn into the half day.


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## goeswiththeflow (Feb 24, 2018)

OpenSights said:


> I like to compare plumbing a drain cleaning to automotive mechanics aNd automotive body repair. Same thing I tell customers. Do you want your mechanic fixing your fender? Do you want your body repair guy wrenching on your engine?


I compare it to physicians. Do you want your GP doing surgery, delivering your baby, treating your cancer?? No one can do it all. I've seen guys that we recently hired sent out on residential service calls for things they haven't seen in the last 20 years that they were working commercial, because the mentality in the office was that he's a licensed plumber so should know how to do it all. Then they wonder why we get a call back. The guy was set up to fail.


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