Dunbar Plumbing Forums - Northern Kentucky's 1st DIY Plumbing Forum
PLUMBING - CODES, PRODUCTS, EQUIPMENT AND PRACTICES => Drain Cleaning Equipment => Topic started by: DUNBAR PLUMBING on January 06, 2010, 01:20:58 AM
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Dunbar Plumbing was called out to Ackerly Drive in Independence Kentucky for a clogged kitchen sink drain. This was slab on grade home with concrete floor in the kitchen.
We asked beforehand if drain chemicals were used on this drain before arriving, to which the customer said they did. We told them that in order to avoid additional charges above what was quoted that if the chemicals were removed from the bowls, along with using a shop vac to suck the majority out of the piping beforehand, we would honor the pricing first quoted.
We then went on to explain the reasoning, why chemicals are bad for the cable.
If you look at the condition of our drain cleaning equipment, you'll notice that the paint has been eaten off the machine and looks like acid exposure. Drain cleaning products are mainly to blame for this issue. We plan to repaint our equipment someday soon but the constant cleaning of drains with those issues (chemicals) being so common as a last resort tactic, it damages the equipment we use to perform the task.
Pictured is a Spartan 81 Drum Machine used for tub drains, shower drains, kitchen sink drains along with laundry tub drains, most lines under the size of 2" piping arrangements.
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What you see above is what we do 95% of the time to clear a kitchen sink drain. The drain configuration under the sink however has to be a end outlet waste where we have a straight shot down the trap and into the wall.
The best way to clear a drain always means having standing "head" of water behind the clog you are trying to remove. This builds momentum that you cannot achieve any other way in this fashion.
It aids the work of the cable as it slowly beats up the matter that is presently restricting flow in the piping system. Once movement is made where the clog is, this instantly allows that backed up wastewater to jettison the clog, break it up and move it along with everything that is sitting behind it in a flooded condition, the only time that much water will be in a pipe in that manner.
This was a rare situation where the garbage disposal was not to blame for the clog in this kitchen sink. Given that it is around the holiday season might indicate that something over the festive season was to blame, and eventually clogged the line forcing action to be taken to resolve the issue.
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Here is a short video of the above job where the drain cleaning machine is in action, cleaning the drain. We was able to open the drain at 22 feet and the first thing we did was run hot water down the drain for 10-15 minutes to allow free flow and keep that drain open.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v70/DUNBAR/th_kitchen_sink_drain_cleaning.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v70/DUNBAR/?action=view¤t=kitchen_sink_drain_cleaning.flv)