# Rrman



## rrman (Oct 29, 2008)

Got stuck in 4" claenout 130 feet running 11/16 cable .I tied drum spun it backword ,could'nt get it out.No manholes in sight .Any other tricks from you guys?


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Cut it off with a grinder or sawsall eventually the cable will rot out


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

rrman said:


> Got stuck in 4" claenout 130 feet running 11/16 cable .I tied drum spun it backword ,could'nt get it out.No manholes in sight .Any other tricks from you guys?


Use a come along to pull it...

If that fails tie it to the mini-excavator when you dig the line...


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

Send a sonde down the line. Locate the sonde and dig up the line and replace the bad section of pipe. 

Also, in the future you should use heavier cable in that size line. You should be running a retriever head down first to see what you are up against. If the line is crushed or blocked with something that the cable doesn't have enough torque to remove, the retriever head will just break off in the stoppage point and you can pull all of your cable back.

Drain cleaning is not as simple as feeding a snake into a pipe and turning, contrary to popular belief that is.




rrman said:


> Got stuck in 4" claenout 130 feet running 11/16 cable .I tied drum spun it backword ,could'nt get it out.No manholes in sight .Any other tricks from you guys?


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Clamp it in your pipe vise on your truck and pull it out and then throw away the drum and get a sectional machine... I do agree cleaning drains does take know how


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

How stuck are you? How long did the cable tell you to quit before you did? Will the cable spin at all or is it locked up good? 

I have only had to dig up a cable one time because I got stuck and I was actually able to get the cable to come back about 30' before it hung up again. I don't think this is because I'm some drain cleaning guru. I just have a real hard time giving up. I have known a lot of plumbers that were way to quick to throw in the towel and cut the cable. Once you do that, you're 100% dependent on a come-along or pulling it out with your truck. If that doesn't work you're diggin'. 







Paul


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

Protech said:


> *Also, in the future you should use heavier cable in that size line.* You should be running a retriever head down first to see what you are up against. If the line is crushed or blocked with something that the cable doesn't have enough torque to remove, the retriever head will just break off in the stoppage point and you can pull all of your cable back.
> 
> Drain cleaning is not as simple as feeding a snake into a pipe and turning, contrary to popular belief that is.


 
I run 5/8" in 4" lines all the time and I know a bunch of folks run .55 magnum cables in the same size lines and they're even thinner.







Paul


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> Clamp it in your pipe vise on your truck and pull it out and then throw away the drum and get a sectional machine... I do agree cleaning drains does take know how


Would you like a deal on some sectional cables that I pulled out of a sewer last week? 

I ran my 11/16" down with a retriever tool on the end grabbed them and they came right out... I'm not even sure what they were stuck on... Came out easy!


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## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

rocksteady said:


> I run 5/8" in 4" lines all the time and I know a bunch of folks run .55 magnum cables in the same size lines and they're even thinner.
> 
> Paul


So what you're trying to tell us is that 5/8(.625)>0.55???

:laughing:

Just kidding you Paul!


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## AssTyme (May 15, 2010)

rocksteady said:


> I run 5/8" in 4" lines all the time and I know a bunch of folks run .55 magnum cables in the same size lines and they're even thinner.
> 
> 
> Paul





What he said^^^^^^^^

I run .55 magnum cable. Drain cleaning isn't all about raw power, it's more finesse & art.


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## AssTyme (May 15, 2010)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> then throw away the drum and get a sectional machine...




Ha Ha Ha Ha 


:no:


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

U666A said:


> So what you're trying to tell us is that 5/8(.625)>0.55???
> 
> :laughing:
> 
> Just kidding you Paul!


 
The craziest thing is that 3/8" is even smaller! Weird huh?


:laughing:




Paul


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## rrman (Oct 29, 2008)

*rrman*

Update.Went home and took the kids camping .Came back to job Monday and it relaxed or something but i just reached in rizer and grabbed it and it came out.Cut off bad cable (7)feet,spliced it on reel and and retrieved it.Cameraed the line it went 3 feet to 8" line then 90 and 87 feet to buried manhole.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

You need to keep customer in the loop. Tell them it's going to be more money than earlier qouted because now you are looking at more than just a drain cleaning job. If they sense any lack of confidence on your part ( I'm not saying they do) they'll bail on you and hire another company. Trace out the line and give them the option of either 1) replacing broken section of sewer or 2) replacing the entire sewer.

Keep us updated, preferably with pictures.


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