How do you get a plumber?

[LLigetfa]

I see reports of pros running a 1/8" line directly from a truck to avoid a mess

We run standard pressure washer 3/8" line from the truck and transition to 1/4" jetter line but that is not conducive to running it through a house. What we should do is get portable hose reels with QC's so that we don't have to drag the long hose from the truck through the snow and mud and have it rubbing on window and door casing. With the boiler, we cannot leave any hose on the reel as it will cook the hose.

 

[MrBlob]

When you try jet a line, water goes into the pipe and if the pipe is clogged the water has to go somewhere, usually back out from the hole where the jetter is going into the pipe. IF that "hole" is inside the building, it is going to cause a flood, unless you can contain and dispose of the water. Which is why few plumbers would jet indoors. I have unclogged grease clogged lines. It just takes longer and needs the right snake head.

This is how I imagine it. Is this too naive?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[LLigetfa]

We leave that market segment for the plumbers as it is usually the plumber that calls us for that sort of work. Industrial work is whole 'nuther thing.

 

[MrBlob]

n

With the boiler, we cannot leave any hose on the reel as it will cook the hose.

Any chance you can explain this?

 

[Reach4]

Thanks for the link, I will check it out. Most of the solutions on Amazon seem to be too flimsy. However, folks do report being able to connect a Spartan or General Wire hose to a regular pressure washer and cobble together a pulsating valve - this might be the way to go.

If you can access the pipe below any vent connection, a Brasscraft medium drain bladder may do it for you. It is not going to totally clear a pipe, but it can increase flow. I did that with a kitchen drain pipe I cut into. My blockage was not far. If the path joins another path, that is probably not going to work, because the water could flow up into whatever fixture drain had joined your kitchen flow.

That enzyme idea sounds good.
https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?posts/598191/
https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?posts/621437/

 

[LLigetfa]

n
Any chance you can explain this?

The hose gets very hot and if it is touching itself in a coil and not exposed to air it gets hot enough to destroy it. we learned to just uncoil it all and snake it out on the ground.

 

[MrBlob]

https://www.toolup.com/ridgid-62697...L_b4LId5Gf_YUJJblyPSYNbkAAGkXIVgaAvJWEALw_wcB


or


https://www.amazingmachinery.com/mi...qAoGsnu_wn0ijAf8b7UXdLDHqp613goEaAkCdEALw_wcB

I'm leaning towards getting JM-1000 and just doing it myself. My problem is not being able to find a professional who would be willing to do it on my behalf. Admittedly, I have only tried 4 places, but my intuition tells me if 3 guys refused - there is little sense in trying more.

 

[LLigetfa]

Are there any rental places near you that have sewer jetters? Not much for rentals around here. Lots of folks will buy what machine they need for the job to DIY and then sell it when they no longer need it.

I have only tried 4 places, but my intuition tells me if 3 guys refused - there is little sense in trying more.

Sounds like what I went through trying to hire a plumber when I built my house. They are a strange breed around here... they get insulted if you ask them for a quote. They expect to be awarded the work and they will bill you whatever they want when they are done. I ended up doing all my own work. I even had to do some of the gas line when I couldn't get him to come back for a small job.

 

[Jeff H Young]

I'm leaning towards getting JM-1000 and just doing it myself. My problem is not being able to find a professional who would be willing to do it on my behalf. Admittedly, I have only tried 4 places, but my intuition tells me if 3 guys refused - there is little sense in trying more.

Sorry to hear its such a hassle your from DC meaning washington DC or someplace in the boonies? My own house Id be prone to try one of the pressure washer kits with 1/8 inch hose. you can turn it on and off . not that monster with a boiler thats unable to shut down.
Sounds like your on a slab too otherwise for this much trouble it would have been easy enough to hack out some pvc with a couple 90s and just trash it. I cant imagine any of that possible or this discussion wouldnt be hapening.
4 places is a lot to try but if your done looking then your done looking and get on with DIY. but I thought you had it all clear sfter 8 hours?

 

[MrBlob]

Sorry to hear its such a hassle your from DC meaning washington DC or someplace in the boonies? My own house Id be prone to try one of the pressure washer kits with 1/8 inch hose. you can turn it on and off . not that monster with a boiler thats unable to shut down.
Sounds like your on a slab too otherwise for this much trouble it would have been easy enough to hack out some pvc with a couple 90s and just trash it. I cant imagine any of that possible or this discussion wouldnt be hapening.
4 places is a lot to try but if your done looking then your done looking and get on with DIY. but I thought you had it all clear sfter 8 hours?

Yup, Washington DC area. I am done with it now and the water flows like it should, but I would love to have a way of getting a pro do it the next time it happens. I estimate it would take at least a week before my back gets back to normal. Although now that I actually know what I'm doing and have a proper tool (scored Spartan 100 from CL for $50), I think I can get through much faster than that. My house has concrete floors and no crawl space, so it is going to be a lot of mess and dineros going through the floors. I don't mind getting a smaller jetter (as long as it is cheaper than $3500 and actually works!), but it looks like they are not particularly efficient.

 

[MrBlob]

Are there any rental places near you that have sewer jetters? Not much for rentals around here. Lots of folks will buy what machine they need for the job to DIY and then sell it when they no longer need it.


Sounds like what I went through trying to hire a plumber when I built my house. They are a strange breed around here... they get insulted if you ask them for a quote. They expect to be awarded the work and they will bill you whatever they want when they are done. I ended up doing all my own work. I even had to do some of the gas line when I couldn't get him to come back for a small job.

We have 2 places that seem to rent smaller jetters - SunBelt rentals and Dan B. Rentals. I've heard similar things about smaller jobs in my area - you can get an A/C installed for a good rate, but good luck getting the same guy back to adjust it.

 

[SteveW]

If it were my house, I would get some Bio-Clean (Terry sells it here, and you can also find it elsewhere -- but nice to support this great site!) and use it very regularly per the directions. It will take a while but it may just do the trick. You have nothing to lose other than a $50 investment and a little time.

 

[PlumbNuts]

If it were my house, I would get some Bio-Clean (Terry sells it here, and you can also find it elsewhere -- but nice to support this great site!) and use it very regularly per the directions. It will take a while but it may just do the trick. You have nothing to lose other than a $50 investment and a little time.

That is good info! I did not know that, thanks.

 

[MrBlob]

If it were my house, I would get some Bio-Clean (Terry sells it here, and you can also find it elsewhere -- but nice to support this great site!) and use it very regularly per the directions. It will take a while but it may just do the trick. You have nothing to lose other than a $50 investment and a little time.

Thank you for the advice! I've got Bio-Clean, but I doubt it would have worked without a flow of water. It's 16 feet of pipe filled with standing water mixed with some Hair& Grease liquid and the stuff the other plumber put in before it reaches the the grease. It stood like that for 1.5 weeks with no progress whatsoever. My guess the Bio-Clean would have been either diluted or killed by the Hair&Grease before it reached the grease. I might try to fill a piece of pipe with grease and Bio-Clean and let it sit for a few months just to see if it works

 

[Sylvan]

Making a decision to not perform a job that has more risk than you are willing to accept has absolutely no bearing on wether a plumber is decent, semi-decent or not decent at all.
Because you made a decision to purchase certain equipment does not mean that you are more decent than anyone else, it simply means you are willing to accept more risks.

I thought the purpose of this forum was to help others, not to put others down!

Please let me know which plumbing code allows the connection of a potable water system to a waste line I really am interested in learning

My Jetters have an air gap like a ball cock 2" above the tank to prevent a cross-connection

Is a flush bag connected to the potable water supply and to a soil or waste line?

Does a flush bag force water at street pressure up the vent lines if the stoppage is not cleared?

Where does the waste spew out if the flush bag does not get the blockage cleared?

 

[Sylvan]

When you try jet a line, water goes into the pipe and if the pipe is clogged the water has to go somewhere, usually back out from the hole where the jetter is going into the pipe. IF that "hole" is inside the building, it is going to cause a flood, unless you can contain and dispose of the water. Which is why few plumbers would jet indoors. I have unclogged grease clogged lines. It just takes longer and needs the right snake head.

HJ I stated for indoor jetting I use my electric Jetters with a wet-dry by the waste line and having the machine nearby and using the foot peddle I can use it to pulsate and pass most 90deg fittings on off on off allows the hose to jump over most obstructions

Ideally, I try to establish some flow prior to jetting

The reason I do not use my gas jetters for indoor work is they are capable of having pressures over 4,000 PSI and 12 GPM and the hoses are 1/2" and above and it requires three people one by the machine and 2 inside

 

[Sylvan]

That's what was explained to me by a few companies I've called. Why is that the case? A low return on investment? I do realize 90% of clogs can be opened by a snake alone and then you get to come back in a few years. Is that it?

What low return???

My first water jetter was a Rigid KJ 1250 and with all the nozzles and cart it cost over $2,000 I used it to clear 23 -3" leader lines which took 81/2 hours charging $125.00 each which paid for the machine on the very first day I used it

Realizing the potential I bought a Rigid KJ 2200 (gas Jetter) using the same cart as the KJ 1250

When I went back to the same job for a yearly cleaning I was able to charge the same $125 per leader but it only took 3 hours

That is when I realized the gold mine in investing in larger jetters and bought a machine that has a 25 HP Kohler engine generating 12 GPM @ 2,500 PSI ideal for jetting and flushing leaves and soil away

The job that originally took me 81/2 hours I was able to do in 21/2 HOURS same price ($2,875 )

Now I own 5 jetters plus section cable machine (electric eel) and 4 gas jetters and one electric General 90's etc


If plumbers charged the "right" prices they can pay for their machine after a few hours of use

We picked up 5 more nursing homes last year because of covid -19 and my employees are tested 2 times a week and we are blessed working 7 days a week NON-Stop as other plumbing companies did not offer "full service"

The majority of the work in the kitchen is grease traps and kitchen floor drains and all this work must be performed at night when the kitchen is not in use.

So we added a 50% off-hours surcharge

Rather than have downtime we decided to do commercial, industrial, residential, new construction, repair of course and sewer and drain cleaning along with storm lines and heating, boiler installations and inspections and gas inspections and installations and being an expert witness and fire suppression systems .

 

[MrBlob]

What low return???
My first water jetter was a Rigid KJ 1250 and with all the nozzles and cart it cost over $2,000 I used it to clear 23 -3" leader lines which took 81/2 hours charging $125.00 each which paid for the machine on the very first day I used it

Don't know, my point exactly. Several jobs like that can repay some pretty decent machines. But if the guy charges $600 a call (I did not get an exact pricing - it combines an hourly rate, a call fee, and snake fee) - probably makes sense to do a few easy half an hour calls than a few fours on a single hard messy job? I'm sure there are plenty of calls in my area to keep crews working 24/7. Maybe the main concern is being liable for messing up a residential kitchen?

 

[Sylvan]

RE: "messing up a residential kitchen"

I bought 6 of these https://www.acehardware.com/departm...y-vacuums/2560308?store=17429&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7


CHEAP enough to have it by the drainpipe opening PLUS they do make drop cloths and charging the right price especially after others failed people are willing to pay upwards of $500 not to have their walls broken and piping replaced.

Then you put them on a yearly service

Our min charge for any drain including fixture stoppages is $350 and most toilet stoppages using an auger takes less then 120 minutes plus the traveling time

 

[MrBlob]

RE: "messing up a residential kitchen"

I bought 6 of these https://www.acehardware.com/departm...y-vacuums/2560308?store=17429&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7


CHEAP enough to have it by the drainpipe opening PLUS they do make drop cloths and charging the right price especially after others failed people are willing to pay upwards of $500 not to have their walls broken and piping replaced.

Then you put them on a yearly service

Our min charge for any drain including fixture stoppages is $350 and most toilet stoppages using an auger takes less then 120 minutes plus the traveling time

Another option would be to have a transfer pump on the truck sucking the discharge into a drum or into an outside cleanout.