Cable looped in drum.

[joyplumbing]

I don't do a lot of drain cleaning, it's more of a courtesy for some good customers. I have a General Mini-rooter that I bought a yard sale for 25 bucks. I was rodding thru a urinal a coupla days ago, and it was fighting me the whole time. I must have let the cable twist and didn't know it. I was rodding thru a c/o and couldn't get the cable out, then couldn't get it in. I realized what happened, and had to take apart the machine, get a hacksaw, cut the the cable in a few spots and was able to get it back in service. Now it's shorter by about 12 foot, but that's allright, if I can't clean the blockage after 38 foot, it's time for somebody with a bigger machine.

[PLUMBILL]

I always install new cables about every 6 months to one year just because of the drain cleaners in the pipes that the owner tells me they never use.

[joyplumbing]

I never knew that cables were replacable. I probably should do it. The machine is at least 25 years old. It's made me a lot of money.

[Sylvan Tieger]

I don't do a lot of drain cleaning, it's more of a courtesy for some good customers. I have a General Mini-rooter that I bought a yard sale for 25 bucks. I was rodding thru a urinal a coupla days ago, and it was fighting me the whole time. I must have let the cable twist and didn't know it. I was rodding thru a c/o and couldn't get the cable out, then couldn't get it in. I realized what happened, and had to take apart the machine, get a hacksaw, cut the the cable in a few spots and was able to get it back in service. Now it's shorter by about 12 foot, but that's allright, if I can't clean the blockage after 38 foot, it's time for somebody with a bigger machine.

If you were using the General mini rooter then I assume you were using a 3/8 wire NOT the greatest idea to go through a urinal. I would strongly suggest you either buy a general hand held with a 1/4" wire or the RAM JET as a 3/8 wire is not really a great idea to use in a 2" line where there may be 90 degree bends

[Sylvan Tieger]

[quote="joyplumbing"]I don't do a lot of drain cleaning, it's more of a courtesy for some good customers. I have a General Mini-rooter that I bought a yard sale for 25 bucks. I was rodding thru a urinal a coupla days ago, and it was fighting me the whole time. I must have let the cable twist and didn't know it. I was rodding thru a c/o and couldn't get the cable out, then couldn't get it in. I realized what happened, and had to take apart the machine, get a hacksaw, cut the the cable in a few spots and was able to get it back in service. Now it's shorter by about 12 foot, but that's allright, if I can't clean the blockage after 38 foot, it's time for somebody with a bigger machine.[/quote]

If you don't mind a suggestion, rather then using a snake in a urinal line you may want to try a General Ram jet.

The waste on a urinal is normally 2" and a CO is normally 1/2" - 3/4" and trying to get a 3/8" snake through a short radius fitting is hard enough let alone going through a small opening.

A wire smaller then 1/4" normally wraps around itself is.

I do use all size wires from 1/4 -11/4 and one urinals many installers use a galvanized drainage ell or a drainage tee also very hard to negotiate with a snake