# Draining/opening C.O.'s



## Toli (Nov 7, 2015)

You guys spending hours draining down overhead sewers need to take a look at the zip drain. 

https://www.zipdrain.com/

May not work in every scenario but it will in most.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Toli said:


> You guys spending hours draining down overhead sewers need to take a look at the zip drain.
> 
> https://www.zipdrain.com/
> 
> May not work in every scenario but it will in most.



Take a trash bag and tape the open end around the c.o.. Cut a good sized hole in the other end. This is your "hose" which will direct the sewage into the barrel. Or you can use a 3'x5' drop cloth which is what I usually do. Loosen the cap with your channellocks. Then gripping the c.o. through the drop cloth/bag begin to open it. This way you can slowly let out the sewage and it's guided into the bucket. When the barrel is 2/3rds full begin to screw the plug back in. It takes a little practice but I do it many times a year and it doesn't cost 500$.





Do you actually own and use one of these regularly? It seems like a great idea but for those of us who know what we are doing it isn't that much of an improvement. I would put this up there next to the rectorseal pipe shredder. Very expensive, use it a couple times a year, can get by without it.


Most of our lines are cast iron and many that need to be snaked have been snaked before so they have those italian fitalli plugs. I ain't gonna drill out a fitalli plug with a hole saw.


In a case like this I just pull a toilet. I also have a temp sump pump on the van which I have used exactly as he did to empty a barrel back into the sewer, it's a real handy idea.








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## Toli (Nov 7, 2015)

skoronesa said:


> Take a trash bag and tape the open end around the c.o.. Cut a good sized hole in the other end. This is your "hose" which will direct the sewage into the barrel. Or you can use a 3'x5' drop cloth which is what I usually do. Loosen the cap with your channellocks. Then gripping the c.o. through the drop cloth/bag begin to open it. This way you can slowly let out the sewage and it's guided into the bucket. When the barrel is 2/3rds full begin to screw the plug back in. It takes a little practice but I do it many times a year and it doesn't cost 500$.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Whatever blows your hair back. Don’t care. I put it up as an alternative solution. 


Sorry to hijack your thread, Ben.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Toli said:


> Whatever blows your hair back. Don’t care. I put it up as an alternative solution.
> 
> 
> Sorry to hijack your thread, Ben.





I didn't expect you to personally care. This isn't a pissing contest. I admit that my line "those of us who know what we are doing" sounded like a dig at you but it wasn't. I should have said "those of us who snake drains regularly". Don't take it personally. I snake roughly 5 main lines a week averaged over the year. I didn't know you were a drain snaker as I haven't seen you post much. You also didn't mention if it worked well so I assumed you didn't know. If you know then you know, if you don't then you don't. Either way our jobs go on.



And my question of your experience with that product was sincere. Have you actually used one of those? It seems like a great idea but only one or two guys online have used one more than once and then told us how well it does or doesn't work. It pops up in plumbing/drain snaking forums once every couple years but has yet to actually catch on. I would guess this is because it really isn't worth it and is just that much more crap you have to lug around.






And it's only a hijacked thread until @Tango moves these posts to a seperate thread titled "Draining/opening C.O.'s". :biggrin::biggrin:









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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Here you go.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Pricey for sure, but great idea! I usually tell people they can pay more to pull a toilet or save money and clean up the mess made from opening the high wall clean out. As long as there’s a tub with a stopper, a shop vac is all you need.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Talking about sewage where the hell do you put it if you have to pull a toilet and your shop vac pail is full? Go buy more pails and pile them up outside and bring them back in and flush it down the toilet once it's cleared?


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## V.A Hydro-ooter (Oct 14, 2018)

Tango said:


> Talking about sewage where the hell do you put it if you have to pull a toilet and your shop vac pail is full? Go buy more pails and pile them up outside and bring them back in and flush it down the toilet once it's cleared?


 If there is already sewage in the tub then I'll just pour it in there. If not then I take it outside and dump it into the manhole. 
I have a decent size shop vac so it can usually handle whatever is in a toilet without having to dump it until I reset the toilet. I also have a second shop vac just in case. I honestly can't remember the last time I needed to dump my primary shop vac though. 
I always go from above the clog if there is excessive sewage. Sometimes that means removing a toilet on a higher level, going on a roof or cutting the wall and installing a cleanout.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

V.A Hydro-ooter said:


> If there is already sewage in the tub then I'll just pour it in there. If not then I take it outside and dump it into the manhole.
> I have a decent size shop vac so it can usually handle whatever is in a toilet without having to dump it until I reset the toilet. I also have a second shop vac just in case. I honestly can't remember the last time I needed to dump my primary shop vac though.
> I always go from above the clog if there is excessive sewage. Sometimes that means removing a toilet on a higher level, going on a roof or cutting the wall and installing a cleanout.


Manholes here are full blanks so I wouldn't try dumping into the 1" slots. In the winter they're under snow and you can't see them.

Then if you dump it in the tub it'll overflow out from the toilet flange when you need to pull the toilet. I freaking hate those dirty jobs.


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## V.A Hydro-ooter (Oct 14, 2018)

Tango said:


> V.A Hydro-ooter said:
> 
> 
> > If there is already sewage in the tub then I'll just pour it in there. If not then I take it outside and dump it into the manhole.
> ...


 That's why you put the stopper down so that doesn't happen. I also carry a spare stopper for those tubs without one. 

If I'm dumping into a manhole then I take the cover off. Most of the manholes I run into have a cover underneath anyway. Dumping it into the hook opening would not work in those. Luckily we don't get too much snow around here and when it does snow the streets are cleaned off pretty quickly. 

I don't dump sewage into the yard because there may be that nosey neighbor watching who will report me.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

You guys are hacks! WTF do you think storm drains are for!


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## V.A Hydro-ooter (Oct 14, 2018)

OpenSights said:


> You guys are hacks! WTF do you think storm drains are for!


 Hahaha. 

One of my co-workers got narc'd on for doing that once. He denied dumping anything at first. When the boss told him the narc had video of him doing it then his story changed to it only being clean water. He dumped the contents of his shop vac several times in the video.

I don't know how much the fine would be for dumping sewage into the storm drain and I don't want to find out.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

V.A Hydro-ooter said:


> Hahaha.
> 
> One of my co-workers got narc'd on for doing that once. He denied dumping anything at first. When the boss told him the narc had video of him doing it then his story changed to it only being clean water. He dumped the contents of his shop vac several times in the video.
> 
> I don't know how much the fine would be for dumping sewage into the storm drain and I don't want to find out.


I once heard a guy say his boss made him dump grease from the grease trap down a storm drain! Said he did it. I don’t know who the fine would land on the owner of the business....


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## V.A Hydro-ooter (Oct 14, 2018)

I just remembered when a customer got upset with me when I tried disposing of the sewage that was in the shop vac. I had just finished snaking the line so I set the toilet back. Just as I was about to dump the sewage, which I had sucked out of that toilet, back into the toilet the homeowner walked in. She started arguing with me about why I was dumping sewage into the toilet. Apparently she thought I should take it with me in my van and dump it at the sewage treatment plant. When I told her there was no chance I would do that she then wanted me to dump it in her backyard near the property line. I told her that was illegal and there was less of a chance I'd do that. 

She ended up calling my boss to complain. He basically told her I would leave the shop vac at her property and she could dispose of the sewage as she saw fit. She could call us back afterwards to pick up the shop vac or she could keep it if she wanted it. 

The sewage ended up going back into the toilet.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

V.A Hydro-ooter said:


> I just remembered when a customer got upset with me when I tried disposing of the sewage that was in the shop vac. I had just finished snaking the line so I set the toilet back. Just as I was about to dump the sewage, which I had sucked out of that toilet, back into the toilet the homeowner walked in. She started arguing with me about why I was dumping sewage into the toilet. Apparently she thought I should take it with me in my van and dump it at the sewage treatment plant. When I told her there was no chance I would do that she then wanted me to dump it in her backyard near the property line. I told her that was illegal and there was less of a chance I'd do that.
> 
> She ended up calling my boss to complain. He basically told her I would leave the shop vac at her property and she could dispose of the sewage as she saw fit. She could call us back afterwards to pick up the shop vac or she could keep it if she wanted it.
> 
> The sewage ended up going back into the toilet.





:vs_OMG::vs_OMG:Finally I'm not alone anymore in the soap stories!!! :vs_OMG::vs_OMG:


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

I keep anywhere from 5-10+ five gallon buckets on my van. If you are in a pinch and don't have or can't fit a barrel you can drill a small hole(1/2"-3/4") in the c.o. and let it piss into the buckets as you swap them out. Around here I usually don't encounter more than 50 gallons in a loaded system. Also, they usually haven't used it in a while so most has drained out.


The bathtub often doesn't hold well enough to hold the sewage I suck out of a toilet for snaking. Also, the tub is usally full so I couldn't see the hole at the bottom to put a plug in anyway. Most tubs here are 50+ years old so often the control lever is just for show. This is when the buckets are real handy. When I am done I toss a cap of bleach in and rinse them out if necessary. 



As for where to dump sewage when I am done either in the toilet or pump it back in the c.o. or I open the septic tank or manhole and dump it in. Occasionally I will find a way off area in the bushes no one goes in or where they dump brush and will dump some there. But generally if it's more sewage and less bathwater I avoid dumping outside. I would never dump into a storm water drain if for no other reason than the huge fines we could face.


Occasionally I will cut a slice out a section of pipe from a vent to snake the line. One of my favorites for dry pipes is a 2" hole saw and a marq-two plug when I am done.








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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

this thread got $hity.....I can see if it doesnt work out right you get a raw sewage shower....


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> this thread got $hity.....I can see if it doesnt work out right you get a raw sewage shower....





I take it you don't snake drains?






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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> this thread got $hity.....I can see if it doesnt work out right you get a raw sewage shower....


Talking about sewage shower  I will never forget when my first boss did exactly that. Wall clean out going to septic tank about low chest height. Boss very. Are fully opened up the clean out plug, wiggling the cap as he kept opening it. Nothing came out because it was so filled with thick sludge that it did not start to run water out or anything so all of a sudden when the last thread got loose and with no previous pressure against the cap it just came flying out and he got soaked. Still to this day feel sorry for him but can't help but laugh at it. It taught me to respect a full line and to never ever stand in front of a clean out that has the slightest chance of being full.

Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

skoronesa said:


> I take it you don't snake drains?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



NOPE!!!!!....the only drain cleaning I do is maybe a kitchen or bathroom sink....I leave the rest to the professional drain guys...you deserve whatever you charge....


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

The Dane said:


> Talking about sewage shower  I will never forget when my first boss did exactly that. Wall clean out going to septic tank about low chest height. Boss very. Are fully opened up the clean out plug, wiggling the cap as he kept opening it. Nothing came out because it was so filled with thick sludge that it did not start to run water out or anything so all of a sudden when the last thread got loose and with no previous pressure against the cap it just came flying out and he got soaked. Still to this day feel sorry for him but can't help but laugh at it. It taught me to respect a full line and to never ever stand in front of a clean out that has the slightest chance of being full.
> 
> Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk



when I worked for a guy we did alot of new houses and everyone though the bathtubs were onsight urinals, well the boss got *****y one day and a tub had to be moved and before we could tell him to flush the trap with a pail of clean water he got a face full of old piss.....It took me about 5 minutes to stop laughing and he disappeared just as fast and didnt bother us again on that job...


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