# nightmare on elm street



## jtrooter1 (Nov 30, 2011)

So one of our techs got 120 feet of 5/8" cable stuck in a 3" ci vent stack thru a wall cleanout on the tenth floor of an upscale condo building...we got part of the cable back with a retriever on another machine from the roof but are unable to get it to spin freely in order to remove it or keep cable in the reel from rolling over (using a rr machine dm55). Is there a durable retriever that will latch onto 5/8" in order to remove? thought about cutting the cable off at the roof vent and trying a winch setup to pull it back? just too much weight/distance/cant pinpoint with the the camera what the head is stuck on. any ideas would be helpful before we start tearing into walls and eating drywall and cosmetic cost... FML...


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

Is the line unstopped?

Did he just run all the cable out for the heck of it?


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## UnclogNH (Mar 28, 2009)

is your 5/8 machine an open reel? If so use a pair of vice grips as tight as you can get them onto the 5/8 cable just before the cable enters the arm. "Don't use Power feeder" turn machine on machine will try to pull itself into the pipe Pull on machine you my get lucky and it will pop free.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

I do the same thing, but I use a five foot digging bar at the front of the machine to lever against the yoke and pry it out. 
Pry about three feet, then stop the machine ,loosen vice grips, move machine closer to the cleanout, reapply vice grips, lever out again while the machine is turning. Keep that up till it's free.


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## UnclogNH (Mar 28, 2009)

That does work good. Do you use C1 chucks for cable Ends Chris? I like them because you can put the machine in reverse when all else fails and spin free the C1 chuck from the cable end leaving the blade and get your cable back in a pinch :thumbsup:


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## Epox (Sep 19, 2010)

Maybe this is the incredibly obvious question but have you tried reversing the machine and pull like crazy so the cable can back itself out of it's jam? Of course have to be very careful as cable may rollover in drum. A dab at a time as you tug on it. You may get the feel from he cable it's unwinding from it's kink or bind.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

UnclogNH said:


> That does work good. Do you use C1 chucks for cable Ends Chris? I like them because you can put the machine in reverse when all else fails and spin free the C1 chuck from the cable end leaving the blade and get your cable back in a pinch :thumbsup:


The only time I use screw connectors is for my curved leaders that are followed by a blade, even then I use another nut and lockwasher to secure it. Just my preference. 

Sometimes I use a sharply bent, stiff leader as a scrub tool to tear into heavy roots, when I hit the roots, I'll let it scrub in forward and in reverse rotation, it helps the long "horse tails" break loose from the way they are tightly pressed against the pipe walls. It kinda "parts" them down the middle of the strands and also tears them loose. Then I follow up with a blade and/or hook retriever to pull the masses out.

Regular cutting head is slipjoint. If I get stuck, I usually work it until it pulls free and/or one or both sides of the blade break off.


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## DesertOkie (Jul 15, 2011)

Does the building have a pump pit? If so......


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

If it's unstopped, it might just be the sheer weight of the cable keeping you from pulling it back.

I had a hard to pull out cable in a four story building while rodding a line through a cast iron test tee and the machine retriever wouldn't pull it out, so I took a ball joint tool and used it to pry the cable up, inch by inch, using the inside of the test tee as the fulcrum and a helper holding the cable tight. 

After I pulled back the first fifteen feet of stuck cable, it came back pretty smoothly.


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## Cuda (Mar 16, 2009)

Just for kicks a couple of bottles of dish soap never hurt on these problems maybe more depending on the building size.


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## Hillside (Jan 22, 2010)

Can u energize the cable with say ridgid brick or something like that so u can locate it so u don't have to play the guessing game?


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## drs (Jun 17, 2011)

Why so much cable? Is that the only Clean out you can get your hands on?

How did you make out?

Just remember STRESS lets us know that we are still alive. Hang in there you will get it.


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## justin (May 14, 2010)

any ideas would be helpful before we start tearing into walls and eating drywall and cosmetic cost... FML...[/QUOTE]

why would u be responsible for costs. should u or shouldnt u? i would live to hear some input on this. im sure it has been a topic before. maybe not. i will not say how i would handle situation , but i dont see that being 100% your fault. it is a sticky situation. but .......


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## bizzybeeplumbin (Jul 19, 2011)

I'm trying to figure out why 120' of cable is in a 15 story building. is it a long building? multiple fixtures stopped up? couldn't be multiple floor stopped up.....

Camera is going to do you well. I suspect the line is clear, the cable is hanging down and there is a ton of tension it from the fittings.

I have a DM65, Duracables largest machine, great machine, I originally purchased the 55 and it wasn't big enough for my needs. I bet part of the problem is the height then the number of fittings it went through.


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## Plantificus (Sep 17, 2009)

if you have to rig up a steel tripod with a block and tackle that has a hook that can be bolted around the cable and winch it till its free-


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## MarkToo (Dec 17, 2011)

DesertOkie said:


> Does the building have a pump pit? If so......



Very good point!

Worth a check and double check. Had this problem once on a church that had no logical reason to have a pit and no one knew there was one. Found it in a small broom closet. Drain wasn't plugged - pump had failed...


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## jtrooter1 (Nov 30, 2011)

thanks for the ideas guys. its stuck in the vent stack right at the base before it ties into the waste stack we think from what we can tell. all though the guy should of known better before trying to clean all that distance straight down the maintenance person was a real prick and threatened to kick him off the job if he didnt do what he wanted..i know we're fighting the weight of the cable but think the blade holder is just catching on an edge. im scared to try to go all the way down line with the retriever and try to loosin it up and get that one stuck too.


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## jtrooter1 (Nov 30, 2011)

we havent gotten it out yet. we're going to try the tripod and winch setup from the roof and see what happens. will let you know how it turns out. thanks again for the input!


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## justin (May 14, 2010)

jtrooter1 said:


> the maintenance person was a real prick and threatened to kick him off the job if he didnt do what he wanted..i


they are not maintenance men, they are " ENGINEERS" . lmao!! thats what they call themselves here. big joke.


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## RealCraftsMan (Dec 27, 2011)

justin said:


> they are not maintenance men, they are " ENGINEERS" . lmao!! thats what they call themselves here. big joke.


Building Engineers! Ah a 8 hour class and you earn the title of "Engineer!"


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