Let's Talk $#it. Tools for it, that is...

[Bolster]

Let's talk $#it for a moment. Given you folks are "I'll do it myself if I can, I'll call a professional if I have to" type of guys (and gals), what tools do you have and use to keep your sewer lines open and working? I would love to know what tools are recommended for "first aid" sorts of treatments for clogged lines.

I'm no pro, but I've got a decent batting average when it comes to getting home sewer lines open. My tools of engagement are:

- a balloon/condom/wiener looking thingy I attach to the end of the garden hose. It swells up to seal the line then squirts water forward. I have had repeated good luck with this.

- a 50' 1/2 diameter snake, MANUAL (no machine with it, I have to twist it with a little piece of bent tube that comes with it, very difficult and it kills your wrists). This has bailed me out of several clogs, tho it is frustrating to use. I kinked it once by attaching my 1/2 Milwaukee drill to the end of the snake; all was fine until it kinked where it was still outside the pipe. Next time I use it, I am thinking about encasing the snake in various lengths of PVC that can slide over each other, and attaching the drill to the end. (I can do this trick on an outside trap; obviously no room to do that inside a building).

- a 25' Ridgid rotary attachment for a drill called a Power Spin (sold at HD), which is new and I have no success to report yet;

Anything else to add to the home plumbing arsenal? Short of expensive pro units? Those of you with pressure washers, does anybody make a sewer attachment for those?

 

[jrsulo]

Ive had my harbour frieght onefor 6 years....1/2" cable powered,under 200 bucks.....its paid for it self at least 10 times.

 

[hydramatic]

same here ...harbor freight sewer rodder..6 years...I rod out the main lateral every 2 yrs..regardles..2"washer drain, every year..due to the lint...new washers don`t have lint traps anymore..and the washer pumps are capable of 17 gallons a min...Try filling 3 five gallon buckets in a min..with a garden hose....don`t use any acid like clobber...It`ll eat up the pipe...

 

[Bolster]

What, this? Almost $400! Over my budget!

 

[jrsulo]

Just looked at H.F.....they dont have it anymore,but e-bay does....its the orange one.

 

[mooman]

Dumb question.....what about renting one?

 

[rsanter]

those balloon ones are great for killing clogs.

if you know where the sewer lines are and you are having root problems, have you thought about cutting into the surrounding soil on either side of the sewer line and installing the plastic tree root barrier material?

bob

 

[s_ontario]

Backhoe and new pipe you asked

 

[Bolster]

Backhoe and new pipe you asked

No. Goes under the house. Just...no.

 

[scott37300]

Those balloon thingys work pretty good the couple times I used them. I bought an auto spin or something like that from HD for around 150 and it worked alright. It's a baby version of the bigger snakes. Have a toilet auger I have had to use a couple times. Couple of small snakes for getting hair and stuff out of traps in tubs and showers.

As far as renting things I try not to. Some things make sense like a bobcat but I can't see paying 1/4 to 1/2 the price of something to use it once. I needed a drywall lift, 40 bucks to rent a day or 150 to buy one new. I have used it many times since and it has more than paid for itself. Pressure washer, 50 bucks a day to rent, 400 to buy new. I have used it far more than 8 times so it is saving me money. Needed a rototiller to put in a new yard, 70 bucks a day to rent. I didn't have a lot of time so I knew it was going to more than a couple days so I bought a troy bilt pro model for around 700. Also have used this more than 10 times so it has paid for itself.

Sometime I would like to find a used bigger snake to have around the home. Figure if I use it a couple times it will pay for itself rather than having someone come in and do the job or renting one.

 

[Bolster]

As far as renting things I try not to. Some things make sense like a bobcat but I can't see paying 1/4 to 1/2 the price of something to use it once.

AMEN! But you are preaching to the choir here, brother.

 

[Bull]

My father only recently semi-retired from fifty years in the plumbing and HVAC trades. He's really good at what he does.

Anyway, he has large and small powered snakes, of course, but he also has an old setup that consists of rather thin flexible rods (maybe as thick as a sharpie marker or a bit less) that you can keep connecting together for the needed length. There are an assortment of rods with various cutting heads that you put in the lead position, depending on what you think you are dealing with (roots, tp, sewer rats, massive corn and blueberry skin compaction, whatever).

It's a workout, but can be effective and less messy than the powered machines. Rewinding that "muddy" cable back into the machine sure does fling a lot of stuff around.

 

[boybacon]

Funny this topic should come up....I live in an old 1920's Craftsman style home where the plumbing is definitely not up to any sort of craftsman's standards! I've used a plunger on my upstairs bathtub and had a pro plumber clear one of the two main drains. I've got an inexpensive hand crank "snake" that is great for throwing black rotting t*rd remnants all over the place, but not so good at navigating all of the twists and turns of my cast iron plumbing. Every three months, I have to unclog the downstairs bathroom sink because my wife brushes her hair over the sink and washes it all down. I'm honestly thinking about getting the pro plumber back and just spending the cash to have him clear the lines for a couple of hours. I'm personally getting kind of tired of doing it.

 

[DaleK]

Damn, what a teaser of a title. Not at all what I expected.

 

[slip knot]

Anything else to add to the home plumbing arsenal? Short of expensive pro units? Those of you with pressure washers, does anybody make a sewer attachment for those?

I believe what you are looking for is a jetter tip. We bought one from USA Bluebook a while back to clean out some floor drains in one of our process buildings at the plant. Really worked good for blasting sand and dirt out of smaller lines <4". anything bigger and it didn't put out enough volume to get the debris moving. These use the pressure to pull itself along as well as blast out in front of itself. I think our pressure washer is a 3000 psi unit.