drain cleaning

Makes Drain Cleaning Easier In Cramped Quarters

Now, operators can quickly and cleanly use sectional drain cleaners in confined and hard-to-access areas with the new 5’ by 7/8” 5R-10 ‘Force Multiplier’ Sectional Cable from General Pipe Cleaners.

The shorter 5’ cable length provides better control – reducing the risks of spraying from exposed spinning cables. The 5R-10 is completely compatible with General’s Root 66^® and I-95^®, as well as other brands of sectional drain cleaners.

For more information, contact the Drain Brains^® at General Pipe Cleaners at 800-245-6200, or visit www.drainbrain.com.

Drain cleaning is in full-swing and if you’ve been thinking about ways you can add services to your business – diagnostics, inspection and locating – may be the perfect addition. Not only can it add an additional revenue stream year-round, but it’s a particularly beneficial service this time of year when home buying tends to pick up across the country.

While most homebuyers opt to have a home inspection completed as part of the home buying process, sewer inspection is not typically included. Many don’t know to ask for it and realtors aren’t always suggesting it as a necessary inspection.

Drain Mob, a camera, jetting and drain cleaning company in San Diego regularly provides camera inspection and drain cleaning services for clients after they’ve purchased a home and are experiencing issues, something they and other professionals think could be avoided if homebuyers and their realtors took the time to inspect the lines as part of the home inspection.

“Every day we see a lot of clients that did not have a realtor that would actually camera their sewer lines, they would always go on the inspection report from the inspector,” said Billy Teeter, Drain Mob Owner in a recent Instagram video talking to realtors. “It’s two to three hundred dollars, it’s worth the money. Hire a professional and you’ll be a hero with your client.  Protect your clients investment.”

How to Get Started

To begin offering services to this market, you don’t need to buy equipment all at once. Invest in equipment you’ll initially need most and then add-on as needed once you recoup your initial investment. For example, a RIDGID® SeeSnake® Compact2 Camera System paired with the CS6xPak Digital Recording Monitor is a good initial investment for residential jobs. All RIDGID digital monitors come standard with Wi-Fi allowing for easy capturing and sharing of images and video through the HQx Live App on your phone or tablet. This lets buyers and sellers quickly see any potential issues.

After your initial equipment purchase, marketing your new service becomes a priority. A few ideas as you get started are:

• National Association of Realtors – Connect with your local National Association of Realtors chapter. The association represents 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries and has over 1,200 local associations/boards and 54 state and territory associations.
• American Society of Home Inspectors – Reach out to local home inspectors about partnering to offer drain and sewer inspection as part of their services. The American Society of Home Inspectors, a professional organization for inspectors across the country, offers a searchable database of local inspectors on their website.

Additional Business Benefits

Incorporating diagnostic, inspection and locating services into your business provides additional benefits for a company. These include:

• Expanded Capabilities – Diagnostics is an investment that quickly pays for itself and continues to drive incremental income by letting contractors offer additional plumbing services. It also allows plumbers to take on more complex and difficult projects they previously would have had to decline.
• The Added Value of Certainty – Clearly seeing the problem means being able to offer the right fix, no more and no less. For customers, seeing the problem that backs the estimate increases their trust in a contractor and the necessity of work being completed.
• Find it. Clear it. – Contractors can serve more customers in less time with diagnostics, inspection and locating equipment because they can locate and repair problems faster. Many tools come standard with Wi-Fi capabilities, allowing for findings to be shared immediately with clients and co-workers, which leads to faster decisions and shorter projects.

In closing, regardless of whether you decide to target your diagnostic, inspection and locating services to homebuyers and realtors, these services and type of equipment can be a beneficial addition for your business and clients.

Article by Gina Hartman

Gina is Senior Global Marketing Manager of Underground Technologies, including inspection and diagnostic products, at RIDGID®. The company is a global manufacturer of more than 300 dependable and innovative tools, trusted by professional trades in over 100 countries. Learn more at RIDGID.com.

BIG CLEANING POWER IN A TOUGH NEW PACKAGE.

The Typhoon™ trailer jet from General Pipe Cleaners blows away blockages in
big lines and long runs. The Typhoon delivers 12 gallons a minute at 2500 psi to
blast lines clean of grease, sediment and debris.

A 200-gallon holding tank carries enough water to handle remote applications
where access to water is limited. A reliable 690 cc Honda engine powers the
durable pump with Vibra-pulse ® to help slide the nozzle around tight bends and
propel the hose down long lines.

The Typhoon’s high performance nozzles incorporate patented fluid mechanics
that significantly increase thrust, puling power, and cleaning power without
needing to increase water flow or pressure.

Two hose reels – a jet hose reel with 400 ft. x 1/2" capacity featuring variable
speed electric rewind, and a water supply hose reel carrying 150 ft. x 3/4" hose –
are mounted at the rear of the unit. Engine controls, including an hour meter, are
mounted within easy reach in the lockable tool box with slide action doors just
below the reels.

The Typhoon boasts electric brakes, safety strobe light, safety cones with holder,
rear fold-down stabilizer jacks, retractable hose guide arm, and anti-freeze
system as standard equipment.

For more information, contact the Drain Brains® at General at 800-245- 6200 or
412-771- 6300, or visit www.drainbrain.com/jets.

The lightweight 20V MAX* XR® Brushless Drain Snake (DCD200) provides a cordless, powered solution for cleaning clogged drains. This allows service plumbers to get in and out quickly without the hassle of cords or tedious manual options. The 20V MAX* XR® Brushless Drain Snake comes with a 5/16” x 25’ cable that is coated with black oxide to help prevent corrosion and a steel inner core for rigidity to feed the snake down the drain. Compatible with replacement cables from a variety of leading manufacturers, the versatile 20V MAX* XR® Brushless Drain Snake accepts 1/4” and 5/16” cables up to 50 ft. long and 3/8”cables up to 35 ft. long with an assortment of different ends for various applications (sold separately).

The Drain Snake has a partially sealed inner drum that makes it easy to remove and change out cables. It also helps retain the water and material that it collects, preventing the spread of debris around the work area. A fixed outer housing is separate from the inner drum. This helps prevent a spinning drum from coming in contact with other surfaces such as the user or a finished vanity. Other features of the 20V MAX* XR® Brushless Drain Snake include a variable speed trigger, brushless motor, and three-mode, pivoting LEDs to enhance visibility when under sinks or in other dimly lit areas.