# Catching Mice on the Roof.



## service guy (Jun 26, 2008)

Mainline stoppage in a poorly constructed home. No cleanout access anywhere, no basement. Toilet and bathtub full of sewage. Climbed on up on the roof with the K-60 and went out 150 feet from the main vent. Pulled back hordes of "tiny white mice." Nasty little buggers. I usually never go on roofs, expecially being used to rely on a drum machine for years. It was actually not bad at all. I think I'd much rather go on a roof rather than ever pull a nasty sewage-filled toilet ever again.:no:


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## Double-A (Aug 17, 2008)

Stuart! OMG! STUART!!!!


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## Marlin (Aug 14, 2008)

I hate roofs, you won't ever catch me up there. Kind of reminds me of the time I cut out a cast iron stack and as soon as I pulled the piece off an army of spider crickets came climbing out. There were hundreds of these things living in the 4" vent.

For those that might not have them in there area. Nasty things they can jump about 3" high and they get pretty big. I hate these things. I also hate roofs. You won't catch me climbing up there with a rooter.


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## ILPlumber (Jun 17, 2008)

Double-A said:


> Stuart! OMG! STUART!!!!


 
:laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

Double-A said:


> Stuart! OMG! STUART!!!!


You sure they arent Mr Jingles?


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## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

Marlin said:


> I hate roofs, you won't ever catch me up there. Kind of reminds me of the time I cut out a cast iron stack and as soon as I pulled the piece off an army of spider crickets came climbing out. There were hundreds of these things living in the 4" vent.
> 
> For those that might not have them in there area. Nasty things they can jump about 3" high and they get pretty big. I hate these things. I also hate roofs. You won't catch me climbing up there with a rooter.


We have them in abundance here in VA. Wonder if they are good bass bait?


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## Song Dog (Jun 12, 2008)

Those things are deffently a money maker:laughing:
We don't have that type of species over hear. The one we have are called pink mice. :laughing: 

I seen one time years ago so many tangled up on a head of a cable that they looked like one huge sink weight. 

In Christ,

Song Dog


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## ASUPERTECH (Jun 22, 2008)

I Use Same Tools And Hit It From The Roof About 95% Of The Time Unless C/o Is Exposed And Even Then Unless They Want To Pay Me For Trimming The Lawn I Hit It From The Roof. I Once Filled 2- 15' Sections To Look Like A Christmas Tree Light String Full Of These Mice. Recomend An Exterminater.
I Do Live In Florida Where The Vast Majority Of Homes Are Single Stories.


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

service guy said:


> Mainline stoppage in a poorly constructed home. No cleanout access anywhere, no basement. Toilet and bathtub full of sewage. Climbed on up on the roof with the K-60 and went out 150 feet from the main vent. Pulled back hordes of "tiny white mice." Nasty little buggers. I usually never go on roofs, expecially being used to rely on a drum machine for years. It was actually not bad at all. I think I'd much rather go on a roof rather than ever pull a nasty sewage-filled toilet ever again.:no:


I agree with you bro... I only pull toliets if thats my last option. I would rather climb than pull a toliet filled with poo... That K-60 did a number on them:laughing:


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

I almost always go on the roof. I don't think I've pulled a toilet in about a year. I'll go on a 2story house with no hesitation. It's not the height that gets you but the slope.


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

Or losing a section of cable down the stack...:whistling2: Refer to my lost in sewer thread I posted awhile back.:laughing:


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## ASUPERTECH (Jun 22, 2008)

I've actually got a piece of 2" pvc to put either a 45 or sweep on the end and reached out to stacks that I couldn't walk on the roof to get to. Snaked the drain and recommended they get a roofer. Also use it when the C/O is to deep to verify which direction my cable is running, and when running up or down mains from man holes.


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## younger-plumber (Sep 12, 2008)

man! snakin from a roof vent???u guys are adventurous. lol. it werks im sure...but theres always opportunity under every old toilet...$$$$$$. you could pick up alot of extra work replacing or repairing broken flanges or replacing old pvc or 3/8 copper supply lines.


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## ASUPERTECH (Jun 22, 2008)

*Value*



younger-plumber said:


> man! snakin from a roof vent???u guys are adventurous. lol. it werks im sure...but theres always opportunity under every old toilet...$$$$$$. you could pick up alot of extra work replacing or repairing broken flanges or replacing old pvc or 3/8 copper supply lines.


If the toilet is leaking and needs to be pulled for a new seal, then so be it.
I like to hit the blockage from the roof also because I believe that I'm actually cleaning more drain this way. When the sewer is backed up, (I've seen this on video) "stuff" gets stuck all over the pipe like stalagtites, and stalagmites. For the money I charge, they deserve the most drain cleaned for the money. Once the sewer is clear, I will turn on the machine and check for the location of the sewer. At this time I may sell a C/O installed, so that there is a point of relief should the sewer back up again.:thumbsup:


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## younger-plumber (Sep 12, 2008)

well thats very buisness like of you! but damn...how often do u have sewage going clear into a vent...lol


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## jimqbaum (Sep 10, 2008)

ASUPERTECH said:


> If the toilet is leaking and needs to be pulled for a new seal, then so be it.
> I like to hit the blockage from the roof also because I believe that I'm actually cleaning more drain this way. When the sewer is backed up, (I've seen this on video) "stuff" gets stuck all over the pipe like stalagtites, and stalagmites. For the money I charge, they deserve the most drain cleaned for the money. Once the sewer is clear, I will turn on the machine and check for the location of the sewer. At this time I may sell a C/O installed, so that there is a point of relief should the sewer back up again.:thumbsup:


Younger-Plumber is right on about the vent issue and the opertunity to fix unknown problems. Acctually by not going through the toilet you are missing the fixture branch for that toilet. I see that you charge well for doing your services, but ask youself this question, why would I pay you for a clean out when you are jonny on the spot to hoist all that nasty stuff up on the roof? Nothing like a scum slinging machine in the bathroom to justify the installation of a clean out outside (or in unfinished basment). Of course clean outs are only installed if the whole line replacement is not in the budjet.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

younger-plumber said:


> well thats very buisness like of you! but damn...how often do u have sewage going clear into a vent...lol


I've seen this happen quite a bit before. Often on grease stoppages where the grease collects in the vent and clings to the sidewall. After 1 or 2 stoppages, the vent is effectively closed off. 

As far as not hitting the fixture branch, just shine a flashlight down the vent. See water? No clog in fixture branch. Pulling a toilet wouldn't be an advantage for me since I rarely see bad wax rings or flanges. How much could I feasibly charge for pulling and resetting a toilet? Going through the closet bend probably adds another 45 min to the job. Going through the roof is easier faster and I come out ahead price wise. I sell cleanouts by showing them how they're required by the ipc.


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## service guy (Jun 26, 2008)

jimqbaum said:


> Younger-Plumber is right on about the vent issue and the opertunity to fix unknown problems. Acctually by not going through the toilet you are missing the fixture branch for that toilet. I see that you charge well for doing your services, but ask youself this question, why would I pay you for a clean out when you are jonny on the spot to hoist all that nasty stuff up on the roof? Nothing like a scum slinging machine in the bathroom to justify the installation of a clean out outside (or in unfinished basment). Of course clean outs are only installed if the whole line replacement is not in the budjet.


I completely disagree. I have been pulling toilets my whole career. The reason I started this thread is that _this is one of the FIRST times I ever tried the roof thing._ It was awesome. Pulling a toilet is NOT ALWAYS better. It creates a mess, the seal is often fine so selling something the HO doesn't need is silly. I'll try to do roofs more often. *I'll still sell cleanouts without pulling nasty toilets, thank you.*


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## younger-plumber (Sep 12, 2008)

> *I'll still sell cleanouts without pulling nasty toilets, thank you.*


 whoa whoa whoa! lol jk. things gettin heated! so im starting to see that this is deff a " whatever works for you" type deal. lol. things tend to be different in my area i guess! almost every toilet i pull lately has issues! lol.


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

younger-plumber said:


> whoa whoa whoa! lol jk. things gettin heated! so im starting to see that this is deff a " whatever works for you" type deal. lol. things tend to be different in my area i guess! almost every toilet i pull lately has issues! lol.


3:00 am, main sewer stopped up, no clean outs. I am pounding the roof. To many variables in pulling a toilet that early in the morning. Supply house closed etc. Go to set the toilet back and you hear the porcelain crack. You just ate a toilet on a one hour sewer call.


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## Marlin (Aug 14, 2008)

gear junkie said:


> How much could I feasibly charge for pulling and resetting a toilet?


About $300 if no clean out is available and we have to pull and reset a toilet.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

gear junkie said:


> How much could I feasibly charge for pulling and resetting a toilet? Going through the closet bend probably adds another 45 min to the job.


So add a c-note to the snake job. It doesn't take an hour to pull and reset a toilet...


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Not just setting the toilet but now you have to worry about keeping the bathroom clean and the mess you have to clean up when you pull a loaded toilet. I love my sectional but running it in a cramped bathroom isn't the easiest thing in the world.


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

gear junkie said:


> Not just setting the toilet but now you have to worry about keeping the bathroom clean and the mess you have to clean up when you pull a loaded toilet. I love my sectional but running it in a cramped bathroom isn't the easiest thing in the world.


Invest in a small shop vac. I have a Dewalt on my truck that runs with either a 18v battery or cord. I suck the loaded toilet dry before pulling it. Suck up poo and all if I have to.Keeps things clean and neat, but of course this is only when I HAVE to pull the crapper


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

I got the same vac. Best shop vac I've ever had, service wise.


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## younger-plumber (Sep 12, 2008)

gear junkie said:


> I got the same vac. Best shop vac I've ever had, service wise.


 absolutely! lol. i use one everytime i pull a toilet or rebuild the guts and washers! works like a charm!
:thumbsup:


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

gear junkie said:


> Not just setting the toilet but now you have to worry about keeping the bathroom clean and the mess you have to clean up when you pull a loaded toilet. I love my sectional but running it in a cramped bathroom isn't the easiest thing in the world.


I guess I wouldn't want to run a drain from a pulled toilet if I was running a sectional either...

I Run a K-7500 Drum machine so no problems for me...


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

Sectional does suck in a cramped space, but I wont run anything else


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## CA PLMBR (Sep 14, 2008)

I'm gonna have to look into one of those 18v dewalt jobbies. I usually don't have to pull toilets to snake but rarely and would be nice to be able to drain down before pulling or rebuilding a tank. I usually use the lid of the toilet to regut the tank but even then you still get some clean water on the floor.


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

They come in handy,


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Plumberman said:


> Sectional does suck in a cramped space, but I wont run anything else


You must be some kinda masochist!:laughing:


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## user4 (Jun 12, 2008)

Redwood said:


> You must be some kinda masochist!:laughing:


The same could be said for someone that would use a machine that's own inertia can snap an arm.

Everyone has their preferences.


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

mas·och·ism







/ˈmæs







əm, ˈmæz-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[*mas*-_uh_-kiz-_uh_







m, *maz*-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation 
–noun 2.gratification gained from pain, deprivation, degradation, etc., inflicted or imposed on oneself, either as a result of one's own actions or the actions of others, esp. the tendency to seek this form of gratification. 
:laughing:


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

I was just wondering how I would receive sexual gratification from running a sewer machine:laughing:


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Plumberman said:


> I was just wondering how I would receive sexual gratification from running a sewer machine:laughing:


The definition didn't say anything about sexual gratification...

It did say...


> gratification gained from pain, deprivation, degradation, etc., inflicted or imposed on oneself, either as a result of one's own actions or the actions of others, esp. the tendency to seek this form of gratification.


:laughing:


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## younger-plumber (Sep 12, 2008)

lol. dirty minds i see!hahaha. but yea i would like to know toooooo! lmao


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## Marlin (Aug 14, 2008)

Killertoiletspider said:


> The same could be said for someone that would use a machine that's own inertia can snap an arm.
> 
> Everyone has their preferences.


Ever use an electric pipe threader? Power saw? I'm sure their is a whole host of tools all of use have used that can snap bones or remove limbs if you're not careful. Safety first


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## Double-A (Aug 17, 2008)

They can be a great source of amusement as well.

Wise-acre electrician hanging from a Hole Hawg that has his finger pinned to the trigger and his head pinned to the top plate flailing his legs and screaming for someone to unplug the extension cord still brings tears to my eyes.

Ah Groundrod, we tried to warn you, but yours was bigger and more viral than ours and no wimpy plumber's power tool could ever pierce your breast of steel. But it did crack your coconut.


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## uaplumber (Jun 16, 2008)

Hole Hawg! ouch!


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Killertoiletspider said:


> The same could be said for someone that would use a machine that's own inertia can snap an arm.
> 
> Everyone has their preferences.


I got a foot pedal it works.
I also use it before getting to the point where inertia will carry it into the danger zone.
I don't like to push my cable that hard.
They last longer that way...

Sometimes it just easier to let the blade chew for a while and do its job...


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

Double-A said:


> They can be a great source of amusement as well.
> 
> Wise-acre electrician hanging from a Hole Hawg that has his finger pinned to the trigger and his head pinned to the top plate flailing his legs and screaming for someone to unplug the extension cord still brings tears to my eyes.
> 
> Ah Groundrod, we tried to warn you, but yours was bigger and more viral than ours and no wimpy plumber's power tool could ever pierce your breast of steel. But it did crack your coconut.


I had a first yr app. get wedged in between two studs because he was holding it wrong, I showed him the correct way and warned him about how powerful it was. He still didn't listen, he does now:laughing:


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

I had a skinny lil apprentice using a rotary hammer one day whining hard... He kept letting go of it when it bound up cause he was pushing on it drilling crooked holes.

I tried teilling him ya gotta hold it firm, so it doesn't come around and get ya, but let it drill without too much pressure so the hole is straight and it doesn't bind...

He got whacked across the knees so many times I couldn't stand listening to him whine anymore and I did it myself.

I don't drill crooked holes so it doesn't bind for me but even when I was straightening out his crooked holes when it did bind I could hold it and the clutch would slip without getting my knees whacked.

The kid was just too much of a "Girrrrly man" I had to tell the boss to pass him onto some other lucky sucker... It was so bad that I might just as well be working by myself... At least then I didn't have any illusion that I had help... I guess he got passed around a bit before he was gone so it wasn't just me.


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

We have had a few of those as well. Im dead serious when I say its hard to find young help that actully wants to learn this trade. At least down here. 14 of us started in school with me. I am the only one who turned out, the rest drug up


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## younger-plumber (Sep 12, 2008)

lol. well in twenty and i ABSOLUTELY remember the days of drilling thru 13 inches or foundation wall and gettin thrown around like a rag doll! hahaha.(actually i still hate the damn things! hahahah) but yea... it was just something i enjoyed doing(plumbing that is) and i can see myself continuing in the trade for many years.


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## Marlin (Aug 14, 2008)

Plumberman said:


> I had a first yr app. get wedged in between two studs because he was holding it wrong, I showed him the correct way and warned him about how powerful it was. He still didn't listen, he does now:laughing:


I think everyone has gotten tossed by the Hole Hawg at least once. I know it happened to me when I first started, got my hand wedged against a stud and couldn't let off the trigger. That was the last time I did that though. I won't even put that thing in low gear unless the handle is on and I have a stud or something to put it against.



Redwood said:


> I had a skinny lil apprentice using a rotary hammer one day whining hard... He kept letting go of it when it bound up cause he was pushing on it drilling crooked holes.


I'm guilty of that one too. When I first started half my holes were crooked, took care of that the first month of working though. I can't say I ever got tossed around by a hammer drill though even going through slabs and foundations. I guess I'm just too heavy for that.



Plumberman said:


> We have had a few of those as well. Im dead serious when I say its hard to find young help that actully wants to learn this trade. At least down here. 14 of us started in school with me. I am the only one who turned out, the rest drug up


I wish we had a school here. The only way to go to school is move 250 miles north or join the union. Getting into the union is quite a feat if you don't have connections though I'm trying.


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## Herk (Jun 12, 2008)

It doesn't take much, while standing on a ladder, to get smacked in the had by a right-angle drill. You should learn quickly which way to hold it but there are people vying for a Darwin Award who have a hard time getting tools to fit their hands properly.


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