[rooterboy]

I know a lot of guys will chime in with use a jetter, I have a 16 hp cart jetter which would probably work on 2" , 3" and 4" drain lines. I would like to know how you guys clean grease out of the lines from kitchen waste in the main lines and kitchen drains. How do you do it with a cable machine, or sectional cable or flex shaft what kind of ends do you use. I know there is hard grease and soft grease in the lines and the techniques would be different. I am interested in learning I just had a main line that was clogged with grease, I tried my 5/8" sectional cable with a carbide cutter it worked okay kind of hard to push past 20'. What about when you did not bring the jetter?

 

[Logtec]

I used to use my K-50 with the spade/drop head, but sometimes you’d have to run the cables in and out 3,4,5 times, it’s like pushing a pencil through sand. The mess it makes it a nightmare.
I don’t bother with plugged kitchen drains anymore.

 

[sparky]

I know a lot of guys will chime in with use a jetter, I have a 16 hp cart jetter which would probably work on 2" , 3" and 4" drain lines. I would like to know how you guys clean grease out of the lines from kitchen waste in the main lines and kitchen drains. How do you do it with a cable machine, or sectional cable or flex shaft what kind of ends do you use. I know there is hard grease and soft grease in the lines and the techniques would be different. I am interested in learning I just had a main line that was clogged with grease, I tried my 5/8" sectional cable with a carbide cutter it worked okay kind of hard to push past 20'. What about when you did not bring the jetter?

If you get a line with hard grease it either has to be cleaned with hot water jetter or cut out and replaced completely,cables will not go thru hard packed grease,been there done that

 

[hewhodigsholes]

Spade head or grease cutter, biggest cable the line will handle. I'll try to run room temp water while I cable if I can.

Endure is a great product for dealing with grease after you get the line open.

 

[skoronesa]

Often I would just cut sections of pipe out and bring them outside where I could stand them on end and shake the grease out. Occasionally I will still run into lines with such bad buildup I do that or just replace the section of pipe. This is most often the case with galv steel or 2" c.i. lines. For the time it takes me to snake it I could just as quickly put in pvc.

Before I had the Mini-Jetter, when snaking a kitchen sink line(1-1/2" to 2") that had lots of grease I would run my 5/16" snake and then put a fernco drain cap on the stub out and pressurize the line with water to blow the chunks out. If the line was still slow or my camera showed more I would snake/blow it out again. Repeat until cleaned.

The reason I keep 5/8" cable in my 91 and not 3/4" is specifically so I can clean large amounts of grease or other hard buildups from 2" and 3" lines going to drywells. Due to the age of the homes in my area many were constructed with a cesspit for the toilets and a drywell for the kitchen sink, laundry, and sometimes the showers. The lines to the drywells are 2" to 4" c.i. or a 2" galv. line. The 3" and 4" lines can get some horrendous buildup due to their size, the ground temperature cooling the fats in the waste, and because they see little flow given their volume. When I can I don't even bother to snake them, I just tie the line into the waste to the septic in the basement.

 

[rooterboy]

Spade head or grease cutter, biggest cable the line will handle. I'll try to run room temp water while I cable if I can.

Endure is a great product for dealing with grease after you get the line open.

Endure Drain Line Septic System & Grease Trap Maintainer
Item # 700864_EA

• A powerful combination of all natural bacterai strains that vigorously consume fats, oils, and grease in any plumbing system.

1/2 Gal., ea
ALTERNATE #700864

Thanks looks like a pretty cool product.

 

[rooterboy]

 

[Master Mark]

I had a kitchen drain that was piped in 3 inch pvc with an auto air vent under the sink
this was considered code and ok to do in our town on new construction.... very stupid...

The lady had put some kind of soy-bean oils and grease down through it and it all laid in that
3 inch drain like jelly....

I passed the call onto someone who had a small jetter ... I think he was the only guy
around at that time with a small unit that could be used for that kind of mess.....

 

[TerryTotoSucks]

Before I had the Mini-Jetter, when snaking a kitchen sink line(1-1/2" to 2") that had lots of grease I would run my 5/16" snake and then put a fernco drain cap on the stub out and pressurize the line with water to blow the chunks out. If the line was still slow or my camera showed more I would snake/blow it out again.

How did you pressurize it and keep the water from filling up the vent and pouring out onto the roof ?

From the roof or a cleanout with a blow bag ?

I’ve dropped a hose and blow bag from the roof or a cleanout but I drop below the dirty arm so it doesn’t get pressurized.

But usualy here the washing machine connects to the kitchen under the floor and if you’re not careful you can flood the house through the washing machine standpipe. In this case, I’ve used two blow bags simultaneously.

 

[skoronesa]

How did you pressurize it and keep the water from filling up the vent and pouring out onto the roof ?

From the roof or a cleanout with a blow bag ?

I’ve dropped a hose and blow bag from the roof or a cleanout but I drop below the dirty arm so it doesn’t get pressurized.

But usualy here the washing machine connects to the kitchen under the floor and if you’re not careful you can flood the house through the washing machine standpipe. In this case, I’ve used two blow bags simultaneously.

Yes if the clog holds enough you'll get water going up the vent, not really an issue.

I pressurize it from the stub out/dirty arm. Usually there aren't usable cleanouts and I'm not getting on a roof that's pitched enough to shed snow.

Of course you must be careful and check if other fixtures would get water coming out of them. In the case of a standpipe I'd just cap it.

 

[TerryTotoSucks]

Yes if the clog holds enough you'll get water going up the vent, not really an issue.

I pressurize it from the stub out/dirty arm. Usually there aren't usable cleanouts and I'm not getting on a roof that's pitched enough to shed snow.

Of course you must be careful and check if other fixtures would get water coming out of them. In the case of a standpipe I'd just cap it.

So you just stick a blow bag in the dirty arm and lett’r rip ?

What do you do with the vent full of water if it doesn’t unclog and you turn your blow bag off ? 🤣

I don’t see how you’re pressurizing the line if your blow bags not closing off the vent.

 

[skoronesa]

So you just stick a blow bag in the dirty arm and lett’r rip ?

What do you do with the vent full of water if it doesn’t unclog and you turn your blow bag off ? 🤣

I don’t see how you’re pressurizing the line if your blow bags not closing off the vent.

As I said in a previous post, I use a Fernco drain cap, not a blow bag. I do have blow bags, don't use them too often. If it's a galv or c.i. line you have to be careful, they can have rust holes in the vent.

The 10-20' of head developed is usually more than enough. I'm not just trying to blow out the clog. I would snake it first and then blow out the line to clear out the broken up bits. A fernco only holds to ~30psi on clean, dry pipe anyway.

 

[TerryTotoSucks]

As I said in a previous post, I use a Fernco drain cap, not a blow bag. I do have blow bags, don't use them too often. If it's a galv or c.i. line you have to be careful, they can have rust holes in the vent.

The 10-20' of head developed is usually more than enough. I'm not just trying to blow out the clog. I would snake it first and then blow out the line to clear out the broken up bits. A fernco only holds to ~30psi on clean, dry pipe anyway.

View attachment 136715

ok, well you’re not pressurizing it, you’re just filling it up with water and hoping the head pressure pushes the clog out. Then if it doesn’t unclog your stuck with a vent full of water. And yes, I realize head pressure is pressure but the line is not “ pressurized “ doing that.

I’d never do that. Never. But you do you….

We use a blow bag pushed passed the dirty arm from a cleanout or a vent. Then pressure the line with full water pressure.

 

[TerryTotoSucks]

Does anyone know of a blow bag that will pass through a 1.5” pvc sanitary tee from horizontal to vertical ?

All the ones I have are too long to do that. I’d like a round ball that inflates and has a 3/8” compression inlet……I could feed it water it 3/8” od pex tubing.

Are you listening General Wire and Spring ? Drain brains you up ?

 

[skoronesa]

ok, well you’re not pressurizing it, you’re just filling it up with water and hoping the head pressure pushes the clog out. Then if it doesn’t unclog your stuck with a vent full of water. And yes, I realize head pressure is pressure but the line is not “ pressurized “ doing that.

I’d never do that. Never. But you do you….

We use a blow bag pushed passed the dirty arm from a cleanout or a vent. Then pressure the line with full water pressure.

I don't do this anymore. This is what I did BEFORE I had the mini-jetter. And even then I said I would usually cut the sections of pipe out in the basement.

For what I needed to accomplish this method works pretty well. Dropping a blow bag down a vent here would be useless as most homes don't have a dedicated vent for just the kitchen sink. The vents from all the fixtures join together in the attic or wall and come out of the roof as one or more 3"/4" vents. Often the vents aren't exposed in the attic either. If they are exposed and there is attic access the attic is filled with boxes of their crap.

Do you actually read and absorb the information other people post or just look for something to criticize?

 

[skoronesa]

Does anyone know of a blow bag that will pass through a 1.5” pvc sanitary tee from horizontal to vertical ?

All the ones I have are too long to do that. I’d like a round ball that inflates and has a 3/8” compression inlet……I could feed it water it 3/8” od pex tubing.

Are you listening General Wire and Spring ? Drain brains you up ?

I've done it with one of these before. It's usually pretty difficult, depends on the length of the stub out.

 

[TerryTotoSucks]

I don't do this anymore. This is what I did BEFORE I had the mini-jetter. And even then I said I would usually cut the sections of pipe out in the basement.

For what I needed to accomplish this method works pretty well. Dropping a blow bag down a vent here would be useless as most homes don't have a dedicated vent for just the kitchen sink. The vents from all the fixtures join together in the attic or wall and come out of the roof as one or more 3"/4" vents. Often the vents aren't exposed in the attic either. If they are exposed and there is attic access the attic is filled with boxes of their crap.

Do you actually read and absorb the information other people post or just look for something to criticize?

I think I have a valid point.

You’re just filling up the system in hopes it unclogs. If it doesn’t you have a vent system full of water. I suppose you could drain it down through your hose, but I still wouldn’t things this way.
To each their own……no problem.

I didn’t dream the scenario up, you posted that is a method you’ve used. I simply questioned it because I wanted to understand what you were doing.

No need to get upset about it, it’s just plumbing talk.

I didn’t call anyone names…….or try to hurt feelings.

I’ll drop it. Have a great day.

 

[sparky]

As I said in a previous post, I use a Fernco drain cap, not a blow bag. I do have blow bags, don't use them too often. If it's a galv or c.i. line you have to be careful, they can have rust holes in the vent.

The 10-20' of head developed is usually more than enough. I'm not just trying to blow out the clog. I would snake it first and then blow out the line to clear out the broken up bits. A fernco only holds to ~30psi on clean, dry pipe anyway.

View attachment 136715

Dang sko your gonna blow them houses up doing this lolololololo

 

[The cable guy]

Cold water let's you break grease into chunks and push them to the city. Hot water melts the grease but it cools down and sticks to the walls of the line or solidifies in bellies leading to more call backs. I use c cutters in mains and and 5/8 reverse auger on a drill for sinks. If the sink line is over 90' or has a belly I'll follow up with a 7/8 reverse auger on the r600 or a chain flail on 5/8 with a drill. Running plenty of cold water while slowly self feeding the cable is the best way to clear grease. Also keep in mind that Ridgid style sectional cable pushes water when spinning clockwise and pulls water when spinning counter clockwise. It will create a vortex and either push or pull everything from the line when spinning at 2000 rpm.

 

[skoronesa]

Cold water let's you break grease into chunks and push them to the city. Hot water melts the grease but it cools down and sticks to the walls of the line or solidifies in bellies................

I use cold water with my Mini-Jetter for this reason.