# Rodding coal wash down drains



## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

I do a lot of service plumbing at a coal burning power plant, and on Friday I was asked if I could rod some wash down drains for them. The coal travels on conveyors and loose bits fall off and get washed into floor drains. They have another contractor who jets those drains. Well, the other guy couldn't jet them. I brought our 2 other guys back on Monday, with our old Ridgid K500, and 2 baskets of open wind cable. Bob got 60' in at the start of the run and moved to the next one. He ended up flipping the cable twice, he is a very experienced rodder, and said that he didn't know he flipped it. The line is 8", and the floor drains are all 4". I went to Rental Max and rented their Electric Eel, because they have inner core cables, and a 4" bar cutter, which did the trick. The silo room is about the worst place to rod, it's wet, cold, dark, dirty, and loud! I am very proud that Bob and Tony crushed that job! It made us look good, because that is the first time we did that job, and it's not what we usually do there. Bob's theory is that the 8" has probably been mostly full for years, and the jetter just skimmed along the top. I am moving into SewerRatz camp that rodding and jetting each have their place, and this isn't a place for jetting.

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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

The others in the jetter is good for every drain will eventually learn this lesson.

I have been using jetters ever since they started making them small enough to do 1 1/2 lines and up. I say at least 20 years, I also own one of the first root rangers that hit the market. I was like many on here thinking jetting was the only way to go. I jetted bath tubs, showers, lab sinks kitchen lines, never bothered taking the rod off the truck.

I quickly learned that jetters have their place and the line should be power rodded first to ensure nothing solid was in the line, then jet it.


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