using manual feed machine grasp the cable with both gloved hands and pulla short section about 6 to 12 inches of cable from the drum so that thereis a slight bow in the cable. you must keep your gloved hands on thecable to control and support the cable. warning: improper cable support canallow the cable to kink or twist
snake with camera for plumbing rentals, and can damage the cable or injure the operator. starting the cable in the drain confirm at least 1 foot ofcable is in the drain. press the foot switch to start the machine.
feed the rotating cable into the drain. the rotating cable will slowlywork its way into the drain as you push on the cable with gloved hands. the person controlling the cablemust also control the foot switch. do not operate the drain cleaner with 1 personcontrolling the cable while another person controls the foot switch. this can lead to kinking,twisting, and breaking of the cable. if it is hard to get the cablethrough a trap, the following methods or combination of methods can be used:
first, sharp downward thrusts on the cable bothwith and without the cable turning can help to get the tool to pass through the trap. a second method is to runthe drain cleaner in reverse for several seconds while pushing on the cable. only do this long enough to getthe cable started through the trap. running the drain cleaner inreverse can damage the cable. a third method is to attacha single section of c9 cable between the end of the cable and the tool. finally, if none of these optionswork, consider using a smaller diameter
or more flexible cable ora different drain cleaner. cleaning the drain with the cable rotating in the forwarddirection, pull short sections about 6 to 12 inches of cable out of thedrum and feed it into the drain. always keep both hands on the cable. as you feed the cable into the drain,you may feel and see the cable slow down and feel the cable start to wind or load up. this will feel like the cableis starting to twist or squirm. wind up may be caused by a transition inthe drain line such as a trap or elbow.
a buildup in the drain such as mudor grease or the actual blockage. feed the cable slowly and carefully. do not let cable build up outside the drain. this can cause the cableto twist, kink, or break. pay attention to the amount of cablethat has been fed into the drain. feeding cable into a larger sewer main, septictank, or similar transition may cause the cable to kink or not and preventremoval from the drain. minimize the amount of cable fed intothe transition to prevent problems. working the blockage
if the tool at the end of the cable stopsturning, it is no longer cleaning the drain. if the tool becomes lodge in the blockageand power is maintained to the drain cleaner, the cable will start to wind up and feellike it is starting to twist or squirm. having both hands on the cable allows youto feel this windup and control the cable. if you feel the cable windup or if thetool stops turning, pull back on the cable to free the tool from the blockage. do not keep the cable rotating ifthe tool is stuck in a blockage. if the tool stops turning and the drum keepsrotating, the cable can twist, kink, or break. once the tool is free of theblockage and is turning again,
you can slowly feed the rotatingcutting tool back into the blockage. do not try to force the toolthrough the blockage. let the spinning tool dwell in theblockage to help completely break it up. work the tool in this manner untilis moved completely past the blockage or blockages and the drain is flowing freely. while working the blockage, thetool and cable may become clogged with debris and cuttings from the blockage. this can prevent further progress. the cable and tool need to be retrieved fromthe drain and the debris must be removed.
retrieving the cable once the drain is open, starta flow of water down the drain to flush the debris out of the line. run a hose down the drain opening. turn on a faucet in the systemor use another available method. pay attention to the water levelbecause the drain could plug again. with water flowing through the drain,retrieve the cable from the line. the forward off reverse switchshould be in the forward position. do not retrieve the cable with a forwardoff reverse switch in the reverse position.
this can damage the cable. as with feeding the cable into the drain,keep both hands on the cable for control. the tool could become caughtwhile being retrieved. pull about 6 to 12 inches ofcable from the drain at a time and feed the cable back into the drum. the flow of water down the line will helpto clean the cable as it is retrieved. continue retrieving the cable this way untilthe tool is just inside the drain opening. release your foot from the foot switchallowing the drum to come to a complete stop. warning: do not pull the end of the cablefrom the drain while the cable is rotating!
the cable can whip aroundand can cause serious injury. place the forward off reverse switch in the offposition and with dry hands, unplug the machine. pull the remaining cable from the drain byhand and feed it into the drain cleaner drum. if needed, change the tool and continuecleaning following the above process. several passes through a line arerecommended for complete cleaning. handling a stuck tool if the tool stops turning and the cablecannot be pulled back from the blockage, release the foot switch while firmlyholding the cable with both hands. do not remove your hands from the cableor the cable may kink, twist or break.
the motor will stop and the cableand drum will turn backwards until the energy stored inthe cable is relieved. do not remove hands from cableuntil the tension is released! place the forward off reverseswitch in the off position. the torque limiter helps to prevent cabledamage from cable flip over in the drum by stopping drum and cable rotationwhen the torque exceeds a certain value. the motor will continue to rotate aslong as the foot switch is pressed. but the drum and cable will stop rotatingwhen the torque limiter setting is exceeded. the torque limiter cannot preventall cable damage in the drum
and cannot prevent cableflip over outside the drum. if the drum stops turning, thecable and tool also stop turning. freeing a stuck tool if the tool is stuck in the blockage with theforward off reverse switch in the off position and the foot switch released, try pullingthe cable loose from the blockage. if the tool will not comefree from the blockage, place the forward off reverseswitch in the reverse position. grasp the cable with both gloved hands. press the foot switch for severalseconds and pull on the cable
until it is free of the blockage.
do not operate the machine in thereverse position any longer than required to free the cutting tool from theblockage or cable damage can occur! place the forward off reverse switch in the forward position andcontinue cleaning the drain.
