# 2 questions for drum guys.



## Kpwplumb (Dec 28, 2015)

2 quick questions that may have been discussed before but didn't see anything while searching...

1. When you are done with a job and get the excess water out of the drum do you put any type of cleaner , lubricant or anything in the drum for cable care? 

2. Is there a way to mark the cable so you can see how far you are in? 

Thanks in advance for any answers.


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## wharfrat (Nov 1, 2014)

I don't put anything on my cable for lubrication or cleaning.

Marking the cable is tough. I ran 51 11/2" roof vents and only wanted to go in 35 ft each. I marked the cable with paint and tape. The paint was gone on vent 2 but the tape surprisingly lasted the day. The only way I know of is by feel and paying attention to how much cable you have out.


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## Qplumb (Dec 19, 2015)

General's snake oil after every drain. I never get rust on my cable. I've seen since other companies clearing a drain and they leave a pile of rust between the machine and clean out. 
Unless you have certain length sections all joined together there is no real way to mark it that I know of. I know the circumference of my drum and count the rings left to estimate distance.


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## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

We use General Speedrooters and I oil mine after most every use. The snake oil is the best but any oil (WD-40, penetrating oil, diesel fuel, etc) is better than nothing.


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## KoleckeINC (Oct 22, 2011)

When I ran a drum I painted 2' sections white. Worked great. And I used plain motor oil every other job.


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## Drain Pro (Nov 3, 2013)

I just empty my drum via a drain plug after each use. I occasionally use snake oil on lesser used drums. As far as estimating the amount of cable in the line, you get good at it after a while. I can usually tell within 5' or so. 


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## Plumbducky (Jun 12, 2010)

When I ran a drum, I used WD 40.

Always used the number of coils left as a judge for distance.

Now that I run a sectional, I always know my footage.

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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

For lube I use gear oil now. Tried snake oil, WD, motor oil... I guess I like gear oil because it stays on the cable longer, I put it in the drum every 3-4 months or so. Doesn't seem to affect my grip on the cable. I learned my lesson about emptying the drum after every line. Sucks in the winter when you get to the first job and have to run back out for your torch to thaw out a block of chit ice. 

For judging distance, I have a general feel of how far out I am, but sometimes on lines that really fight you I've been fooled thinking I was close to 20' out when I was only 10. I count the coils in my barrel sometimes. When I've used a machine that has an old cable that has minor kinks throughout it makes it super easy. First kink is 15' out, at the last kink I have 12' before the leader.....


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## Roto-Rooter (Jan 31, 2015)

My main line machine is a sled machine with open reel 11/16" cable. My drain machine is a sled with 5/16" cable. May because it is a open reel I never have had to oil mine. Maybe because of the grease lines and having to have to use it everyday that makes a difference. I like the open reels because the closed drums (I don't think) lets the cable dry and air out.


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## Kpwplumb (Dec 28, 2015)

Thanks for all the tips.


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## cable or root (Oct 7, 2015)

I empty my drum before each basement job and at the end of the day. I spray it down with wd 40 once a month.

It's much easier to tell how far down you are on an open drum. Since you're using the 7500, use multiple sections. On the 1065 I use 2 50' sections, 2 25' sections and a 5' anchor cable. I've seen other guys roll with 5 or 6 25' sections. But I don't like the excessive amount of connections.

I got tired of being sore so I put one of the 25's in a tire the other day so I'm down to 130.


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