Extending the Life of Your Drain Cleaning Cables: As Easy as 1, 2, 3!
Ask the Drain Brains
By Marty Silverman
General Pipe Cleaners
Back in 2005, drain cleaning specialist Michael Jackson of Avon, Indiana (no… not the Michael Jackson) bought a couple of Speedrooter drain cleaning machines with 100 feet of 5/8″ Flexicore cable. Despite being used almost every day for 15 years, Michael still has the original Flexicore Cables in his Speedrooters!
This fact speaks volumes about the strength and durability of Flexicore cables, as well as Michael’s disciplined approach to machine maintenance. It’s a routine anyone can follow to get the same results. So here it is:
- Let the cutter do the work. When clearing a clog with your machine, don’t force the cable down the drain. Think of it as a drill, not a battering ram. Let the rotation of the cable cut through the obstruction and do the work. This practice makes it much less likely that you will kink a cable.
- Drain excess water from the drum. After the job is done, rotate the drum so the drain hole on the back is in the six o’clock position and lay the machine on its back. This will allow water to drain out of the drum.
- Use Snake-Oil to preserve and protect your cables. Spray or pour Snake-Oil, or some other lubricant, into the drum and rotate it for thirty seconds to cover the steel cable and metal drum with as much oil as possible. Effective lubrication is essential for cable longevity. Before calling maintenance to fix a clog, most tenants try a chemical drain cleaner to open the drain. This introduces caustic acid into the drain that will quickly degrade the metal in any cable. This is why it’s important to lubricate the cable as soon as possible after the end of the job.
So, drain cleaning machine maintenance is really as easy as 1, 2, 3! Think about how much more money you’ll save if it could double, triple, or quadruple the effective lifetime of your cables. Follow Michael’s example to discover how long your cables can last!
For more information, call the Drain Brains® at General at 800.245.6200, or visit www.drainbrain.com.