[tungsten plumb]

i have never climbed on a roof to snake a drain. if there is no cleanout i will pull a toilet.

Going through the roof vent is a lot less time consuming where I am than pulling the toilet. There are a lot of back to back toilets and the homes that don't have cleanouts usually have messed up flanges. I prefer not to open a can of worms i can hop on the roof and clear the drain almost as fast as if there were a ground level clean out its no biggie. I guess us Californians do things differently.

 

[AlbacoreShuffle]

Actually I was installing a cleanout but the line was still holding water and i couldnt clear it from the roof vent so i cut the line with my grinder so i could snake the line and then install the cleanout.

I was just messing with ya . :laughing:
I got my start cleaning drains in San Jose , and I cant count how many lines I dug up and found a " Clean Out " that was a hole in the pipe covered with half a coffee can. :yes:

 

[AlbacoreShuffle]

Going through the roof vent is a lot less time consuming where I am than pulling the toilet. There are a lot of back to back toilets and the homes that don't have cleanouts usually have messed up flanges. I prefer not to open a can of worms i can hop on the roof and clear the drain almost as fast as if there were a ground level clean out its no biggie. I guess us Californians do things differently.

Your leaving a lot of money on the table.
I was a clean out selling MOFO !
I would love showing up and finding a tub or shower full of pottie water.
Explain to the customer that the only excess was to pull the toilet or install a clean out.
" Mame do you really want me to bring this nasty sewer cleaning machine in to your beautiful home ? "
" If I install a clean out in the yard, we can do a much better job, and if it ever backs up again, you can remove the c/o cap and let it over flow in the yard , instead of your bath tub " .
3 out of 5 would go for the clean out.
I would not even give the option of running a vent.

Property line c/o's were another big seller in San Jose.
10 years ago the city would take responsibility for repair or cabling the lateral from the property line clean out to the city main, free of charge to the home owner.

 

[Tommy plumber]

Going through the roof vent is a lot less time consuming where I am than pulling the toilet. There are a lot of back to back toilets and the homes that don't have cleanouts usually have messed up flanges. I prefer not to open a can of worms i can hop on the roof and clear the drain almost as fast as if there were a ground level clean out its no biggie. I guess us Californians do things differently.

With a kitchen sink drain line stoppage, I prefer to cable the line from the roof rather than drag my equipment inside and work under the kitchen sink. Then when I clear the stoppage, I will know because the sink isn't holding any more water. Then I'll run lots and lots of hot water while my cable is still in the roof stack to make sure the stoppage is cleared and to clean my cable; especially if it's a cast iron drain line with black sludge. I don't like pulling a cable back under the kitchen sink with sludge that starts to get on everything under the cabinets.

One problem with clearing a stoppage from the roof is that the biggest auger head you can get into the line is determined by the size of the vent pipe on the roof. So if all there is on the roof is a 2" vent, and they have a 4" sewer, then in reality you are doing somewhat of a dis-service to the customer by getting on the roof.

 

[affordabledrain]

Tommy well said:thumbsup:

 

[AlbacoreShuffle]

Its just me. I used to work with my ex father in law on jobs that required 2 guys but he's indisposed until april lol

Did you get the home owner to climb up the fence and jump on the roof to snap that pic of you ?:laughing:

 

[tungsten plumb]

Your leaving a lot of money on the table.
I was a clean out selling MOFO !
I would love showing up and finding a tub or shower full of pottie water.
Explain to the customer that the only excess was to pull the toilet or install a clean out.
" Mame do you really want me to bring this nasty sewer cleaning machine in to your beautiful home ? "
" If I install a clean out in the yard, we can do a much better job, and if it ever backs up again, you can remove the c/o cap and let it over flow in the yard , instead of your bath tub " .
3 out of 5 would go for the clean out.
I would not even give the option of running a vent.

Property line c/o's were another big seller in San Jose.
10 years ago the city would take responsibility for repair or cabling the lateral from the property line clean out to the city main, free of charge to the home owner.

I do probably one clean out install a week. But honestly probably 80% of the houses I come across have a cleanout. You just have to look under bushes to find them.

 

[tungsten plumb]

With a kitchen sink drain line stoppage, I prefer to cable the line from the roof rather than drag my equipment inside and work under the kitchen sink. Then when I clear the stoppage, I will know because the sink isn't holding any more water. Then I'll run lots and lots of hot water while my cable is still in the roof stack to make sure the stoppage is cleared and to clean my cable; especially if it's a cast iron drain line with black sludge. I don't like pulling a cable back under the kitchen sink with sludge that starts to get on everything under the cabinets.

One problem with clearing a stoppage from the roof is that the biggest auger head you can get into the line is determined by the size of the vent pipe on the roof. So if all there is on the roof is a 2" vent, and they have a 4" sewer, then in reality you are doing somewhat of a dis-service to the customer by getting on the roof.

I wouldn't clear a main through a 2" roof vent. The older homes here without cleanouts almost always have a 3" vent.

 

[tungsten plumb]

Did you get the home owner to climb up the fence and jump on the roof to snap that pic of you ?:laughing:

Actually yeah he did :laughing: I didn't ask him to he wanted to see what it was like up there so I asked him to snap a pic since he was already there :thumbup:

 

[Qball415]

Like how you posed for that! Trophy!

 

[tungsten plumb]

Like how you posed for that! Trophy!

Truth be told I hate heights. But you gotta suck it up and do what you gotta do. I'm glad our roofs are low pitched and the weather is good.

 

[dclarke]

Going through the roof vent is a lot less time consuming where I am than pulling the toilet. There are a lot of back to back toilets and the homes that don't have cleanouts usually have messed up flanges. I prefer not to open a can of worms i can hop on the roof and clear the drain almost as fast as if there were a ground level clean out its no biggie. I guess us Californians do things differently.

I am learning very quickly that depending on where in the country you are has a lot to do with how you do your work. Everyone does things differently and I'm all for learning new ways. That's why I'm on here. Last time I snaked a drain by pulling a toilet it was my only option. No vent through the roof and no clean outs. Plus no grass anywhere to dig for installing one if I wanted

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Plumbing Zone

 

[PlungerJockey]

I had one earlier this week. Roto Rooter worked on it for several hours and could not get thru it. I didn't even try to run a cable thru it. We replaced 26 feet of 6 inch clay tile and installed a clean out for jetting. The root ball was over 8 feet long and completely filled the line. I'll post some pictures later

 

[Tommy plumber]

Wtf .. Climbing a fence to get on the roof ... Charge them for a clean out even if you have to cut open the wall ... Tell them their plumbing is not up to code and install a clean out ...

I usually get a running start and jump up onto the roof, then the home owner passes my equipment up to me.......:laughing:

 

[victoryplbaz]

When i worked for the company i started out with. It was common to get on the single story homes and run the main through a vent. Today..il put in a clean out before i even think of getting on a roof to do a main line. Too old to be hauling all that equipment up on a roof. I will still do a kitchen or clothes washer line from the roof. But only if it looks like i will make a mess in the house.

 

[SewerRat]

We do to on the roof when it seems to be the only or best option but that is seldom since a lot of roofs here are 8-12 to 12-12 pitch.

I hate roofs even though in a former life I was in construction.

 

[HSI]

When i worked for the company i started out with. It was common to get on the single story homes and run the main through a vent. Today..il put in a clean out before i even think of getting on a roof to do a main line. Too old to be hauling all that equipment up on a roof. I will still do a kitchen or clothes washer line from the roof. But only if it looks like i will make a mess in the house.

That was one of the main reasons I went with a sectional machine. Takes an extra trip up the ladder but makes roof work doable.

 

[Richard Hilliard]

For the past year OSHA has imposed tight rules for climbing on a roof and for that matter a ladder. Anything over 6 foot if I remember. Safety harnesses and rope tie offs.

I am not a fan of roof vents anyway as you have no idea what caused he stoppage, you just push everything down the drain. Unless it is roots, sometimes you have too. Kitchen sink drains or laundry drain lines. Bathroom groups or whole house you never should go through a roof vent. If you do it is only to locate the cleanout.

 

[damnplumber]

In my youth I climbed roofs often but now with the OSHA rules I am hesitant.
I like the 1.25 sectional idea with a drill though I've never tried it, maybe I will.
Now-a-days, I'll spend a few minuites to find a cleanout, or put forth extra effort to sell one.
I also charge a lot more to climb the roof and explain it will cost more and the job will not be as thurough as it could be if I could only use a clean out.

 

[TomSV650]

I used to take a Spartan 300 machine with 75' of 5/8 with a feeder on the roof. That was not fun! Now I only use the K-60, and my back thanks me for it. :thumbup: If you do a lot of roof mainlines, look in to the K-60.