# Rodding sewers in the rain.



## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

Anybody here run their electric sewer machines in the rain?

I have before, but I won't do it anymore. I pissed a lady off today because I told her that I'd be there when the rain stopped. She told me that the last guy would run it when it was raining, so I asked her why she didn't call him, she said his phone is disconnected. She's waiting nevertheless.


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## service guy (Jun 26, 2008)

I had one today I was worried about, but the cleanout access was in the warm, dry crawlspace out of the rain. Brought the k-60 down there and had it done quickly. I don't think I was ever so happy to have to go into a crawlspace!:laughing: It was cold and rainy outside.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

How do you handle the deluge of crap that comes out of the cleanout? I quit using the K-60 sectional under the house because of sewage cleanup liabilities. Now I only use it from the roof vent.


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## service guy (Jun 26, 2008)

ChrisConnor said:


> How do you handle the deluge of crap that comes out of the cleanout? I quit using the K-60 sectional under the house because of sewage cleanup liabilities. Now I only use it from the roof vent.


I got lucky...
There was none, the customer had let it drain down overnight.:thumbsup:


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

service guy said:


> I got lucky...
> There was none, the customer had let it drain down overnight.:thumbsup:


What about if it's not drained down? Do you still do it from the crawlspace?


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## service guy (Jun 26, 2008)

ChrisConnor said:


> What about if it's not drained down? Do you still do it from the crawlspace?


No. I would have had to pull a toilet since it was raining and there was no outside cleanout.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

That's something I try to avoid, too many back to back fixtures to fight. I'd rather do it from the vent, but that's just me. Ideally, it's rod from the roof, locate, then install a clean out on the ground or try to sell them a new sewer, unless they like to have backup surprises.


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## service guy (Jun 26, 2008)

ChrisConnor said:


> That's something I try to avoid, too many back to back fixtures to fight. *I'd rather do it from the vent*, but that's just me. Ideally, it's rod from the roof, locate, then install a clean out on the ground or try to sell them a new sewer, unless they like to have backup surprises.


But it was raining, I am not going on the roof in the rain.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

Again the word is "rather". I won't rod one from a ground level cleanout in the rain, much less from a vent in the rain. Although it snowed on Inauguration Day 2008 and I was rodding kitchen sink drain from a vent, but I was standing on the ladder and reaching over the ladder to do it. 


I have taken cleanouts off under houses and funneled the drain water from the pipe to the outside with a fernco reduced down to a two inch carpet cleaners hose. A little spillage, but nothing to worry about. You gotta be quick though.


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## user2090 (Sep 26, 2009)

I will snake if it is a light rain. Heavy downpour and forget it. All out snakes have GFCI on cord. Large trash containers work good for catching sewage. Take a pump with a flex hose to pump back in drain when its open.


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## UnclogNH (Mar 28, 2009)

No outside snaking during rain or lightning for me. The snake can become a 100 foot ground. Basement or not no snaking during a lightning storm.
If it's raining most of my work is in basements anyways. Back to back toilets are no problem just a few extra minutes on the job thats all.


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

No power tools in the rain here, GFI or not. They just have to wait.


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## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

You pull the toilet and clean a 100' sewer? I'd quit plumbing and sell all my equipment before I did that. Locate,excavate and install a cleanout. If its raining my mom wont let me go out to play so cleaning sewer in the rain is just not an option. They can call Roto Neuter:laughing:


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## Ron (Jun 12, 2008)

None of you better move to Oregon then cause your business won't survive here.


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## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

Rain, sleet, snow, hail, fire, brimstone, whatever. We get it done. 

You usually can catch a break throughout the course of a day.


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## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

Ron The Plumber said:


> None of you better move to Oregon then cause your business won't survive here.


 Yours seems to be doing well,why would the rest of us fail in Oregon? The inspectors are nice enough:thumbsup:


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

I have one of them telaphone company tents for rodding in the rain. I hate to turn away jobs.


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## Ron (Jun 12, 2008)

Business don't close here cause of the rain, and we get lots of rain here, get the rain gear on and get-er done.


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## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

Ron The Plumber said:


> Business don't close here cause of the rain, and we get lots of rain here, get the rain gear on and get-er done.


 Lots of rain and alot of rain at one time is two different things. Yesterday and lastnight we got around 7" of rain. When its raining 1" an hr or better nobodys doing anything outside in a rainsuit or not. We have thunderstorms with intense lightening...its dangerous and not worth the cheese you get.


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## pauliplumber (Feb 9, 2009)

As an apprentice I used to always have to pound the hole through the foundation of the house for the drain pipe leading to the septic(with an electric jackhammer). More times than not I was standing in a puddle of water:blink::no:. My boss was a maniac and I was too afraid to say anything about it. So I would grab some plywood to stand on and have at it. Looking back, I'm lucky I'm still here.


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## waldrop (Dec 18, 2009)

*pull toilet*

put them off till rain stop or if not busy charge them to pull toilet & reset it .but most HO are to cheap they will wait ,


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## dankman (Nov 19, 2009)

SewerRatz said:


> I have one of them telaphone company tents for rodding in the rain. I hate to turn away jobs.


+1, if my GFCI is potentially exposed I place it on a dry platform and wrap it in a 3 mil garbage bag.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Hell, I've rodded lines outside in a snowstorm this is a wus thread....:laughing:


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## Cuda (Mar 16, 2009)

I live in Seattle If I didn't work in the rain I would go broke. Plus most of the old houses are combination SS/Waste lines and the rain is what makes them back up and show their reduced flow. GFI cord is my only real defence, but when I do camera work in the rain I have a little canaopy set up I use as the camera stuff can't take the rain. And it had better be a flat roof or very slight pitch and a bonus to go on a roof in the rain but I have done it.


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## pauliplumber (Feb 9, 2009)

Redwood said:


> Hell, I've rodded lines outside in a snowstorm this is a wus thread....:laughing:


You forgot to mention you walked up hill both ways with the drum machine strapped to your back .....:laughing:


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

SewerRatz said:


> I have one of them telephone company tents for rodding in the rain. I hate to turn away jobs.


Here is something like the one I have. Its pretty neat you push on the circles on the inside and it pops open real fast and folds up just as fast.


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## Ron (Jun 12, 2008)

This thread should have been names *Rodding sewers in severe weather* and not just in the rain, then I could see the hazards with rodding out sewers.


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## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

Seattle really didn't get that much rain last year.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

Redwood said:


> Hell, I've rodded lines outside in a snowstorm this is a wus thread....:laughing:


I rodded a kitchen sink drain from the roof in the snow (it NEVER snows here) on January 20, 2008 (inauguration day) I figured Hell had frozen over so I had better get used to working in such climate.:laughing:


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## Cuda (Mar 16, 2009)

TheMaster said:


> Seattle really didn't get that much rain last year.


Seattle it is not the amount of rain it's the fact that it rains all day.


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## Ron (Jun 12, 2008)

Cuda said:


> Seattle it is not the amount of rain it's the fact that it rains all day.


Same here Willamette Valley gets soaked for days on end, Portland get more then us.


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## UnclogNH (Mar 28, 2009)

SewerRatz said:


> Here is something like the one I have. Its pretty neat you push on the circles on the inside and it pops open real fast and folds up just as fast.


Ron do you charge a tent set up and usage fee? :thumbsup:


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

UnclogNH said:


> Ron do you charge a tent set up and usage fee? :thumbsup:


 Only if I have to use my torpedo heater with it. I used this tent when I used to hand dig holes in the winter. i set the tent on one side of the hole and the torpedo heater on the other side blowing across the hole and into the tent. Man that was sweet. People come by and see me working in a t-shirt when it was only 5º out.


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## JGrif (Jan 19, 2010)

SewerRatz, 

Working in the tent with a heater is classic. I can see the look in peoples faces when they see the plumber with no shirt. I have it pretty easy in California with the mild climate and all. You guys who work in the freezing ass cold...much respect.


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## uaplumber (Jun 16, 2008)

We have basements, code calls for cleanouts at the base of every stack.

We have to haul the machines over carpets etc alot. It really sucks, but better then being wet.


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

pauliplumber said:


> You forgot to mention you walked up hill both ways with the drum machine strapped to your back .....:laughing:


barefoot


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## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

Bollinger plumber said:


> barefoot


 in a blizzard...


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

SewerRatz said:


> I have one of them telaphone company tents for rodding in the rain. I hate to turn away jobs.


 You got a link for that tent? I have been looking for one.


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

Bollinger plumber said:


> You got a link for that tent? I have been looking for one.


Here is the green one http://airdistributionconcepts.thomasnet.com/item/all-categories/hvac-tent/item-1005?&forward=1

and a slightly larger version from an ebay store http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280444627240&rvr_id=&crlp=1_263602_263622&UA=%3F*I7&GUID=54289f011260a0266b50f2c0ffc4052f&itemid=280444627240&ff4=263602_263622

Here is a decent work tent as well. http://www.labsafety.com/ALLEGRO-Fi...889/Confined-Space-Acces_24531271/?CID=9PP001

Here is a video of how easy these tents go up.The second tent that he shows how to set up is the one I own. http://www.allegrosafety.com/video_v2/video_flv.php?video=CSE_Tents

http://greensafetysupply.com/allegrostandardworktent9453-661tent.aspx


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## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

Ron The Plumber said:


> Same here Willamette Valley gets soaked for days on end, Portland get more then us.


Have a look at this info.
http://www.weatherbill.com/assets/LandingPageDocs/Top-10-Rainiest-Cities-Summary.pdf
Tampa has the most lightening strikes.......you dont get in tents down here on the coast in a thunderstorm and thats how we get most of our rain. 30-50mph gusts are common.


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## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

JGrif said:


> SewerRatz,
> 
> Working in the tent with a heater is classic. I can see the look in peoples faces when they see the plumber with no shirt. I have it pretty easy in California with the mild climate and all. You guys who work in the freezing ass cold...much respect.


 They cant take the heat and humidity down here......new people from the north move here and almost die unloading the moving truck. Had a guy from Buffalo,NY move here last year and he almost died unloading the moving van. The very high humidity keeps the prespiration on your skin and doesn't allow you to cool off. Its a very tropical enviroment during the summer months.


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## pauliplumber (Feb 9, 2009)

That's me. I'll take 94 with crisp dry air over 70 and humid.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

pauliplumber said:


> You forgot to mention you walked up hill both ways with the drum machine strapped to your back .....:laughing:


No but it was a line almost 200' long so I had to disconnect the cable and put a second drum on the machine...

I was out there in the snowstorm wearing long johns, work uniform, insulated coveralls and my Carhartt coat with a fur trimmed add on hood with a watch cap underneath... Plenty warm!

The customer kept wanting me to come in for hot chocolate...

That's the last thing I wanted to do...
come in and have all the snow melt...
Soaking my coat and turning me into an ice cube...
I wasn't coming in until I was done and the bill was written....
Then I was going to slip n slide home!:whistling2:


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

Redwood said:


> No but it was a line almost 200' long so I had to disconnect the cable and put a second drum on the machine...
> 
> I was out there in the snowstorm wearing long johns, work uniform, insulated coveralls and my Carhartt coat with a fur trimmed add on hood with a watch cap underneath... Plenty warm!
> 
> ...


But did you look as fashionable as I do in this pic.:laughing:
View attachment Winter time=say no to fashion.bmp


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## retired rooter (Dec 31, 2008)

I agree with WALDROP from GA the first thing I ask customer over phone(rain or shine) is"have you had this done before" if they dont know I go out and look for cleanout.If its yes, big with cap in yard next to bushes.I then ask them if they want to remove cap to let sewage out of their house so they can use it .I let them know I will have to remove it anyway to clean sewer If they are elderly or I feel they cant get cap off, I will go pop the cap for them..YUK customer says, I ask very politely had'nt you rather have that mess out on the ground than in your home,Like I said I will have to do it anyway to clean the sewer, and it will do same thing when I take cap off.They usually relent and agree to take it off.Thats when I spring it on them, I cant run the elect sewer machine, for safety reasons, until the rain stops ,they agree and as soon as rain stops I arrive and do my thing.Then they want me to fix cap so it will come up in yard next time instead of in house.I explain our code wont allow it, but they can buy their own at so in so supply house.Some times when it happens again I find big hole bored on top old cleanout cap.I warn them about kids poking sticks.rodents,snakes ect then they go get a proper pop up cleanout I will never run my machine on roof, or on ground,when its raining .Sinks are no problem unless my 50 ft cable wont reach, I will stick a blow bag down stack, if I can get it past kitchen and nothing else is on the line below kitchen My regular customers are very agreeable ,(its the know it all) price shoppers that pitch a hissy.If they have no cleanout, I ask would they just stop using tub ,no washing clothes,flush only every hr or so.I wont risk my life or ask anyone else to do so this is just my opinion and I dont expect everyone to agree (and yes I have lost calls to someone braver than me)


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## retired rooter (Dec 31, 2008)

Ron The Plumber said:


> None of you better move to Oregon then cause your business won't survive here.


 I will stay in alabama even if it means staying in same town as the master :laughing:


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