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China, Beijing
1 Level
689 Review
22 Karma

Review on ๐Ÿ Cobra 30500 30000 Pipe Auger for Small and Medium Household Drains 1/2" x 50 Ft by John Clarey

Revainrating 4 out of 5

My wonderful experience.

The last few months I've been dealing with problems with the root. According to my notes, the problem probably occurred about 5 years ago. I have a pine sticking out next to the line so that's probably the culprit. Although the problem may be with a younger oak. Started with 1/4" coil, then 3/8", then 1/2" coil. For a 4" sewer line, use ONLY the 1/2" end. I configured the end of it, by bending the helix at an angle of about 30 degrees so that it had to scratch the inside of the pipe as it turned, I bent it so that the sharp tip scratched the edges of the pipe and hopefully caught on roots etc .I knew from previous adventures that the problems were no more than 15ft to 1" so I cut the spiral to that length. I also used a 5ft piece of plastic tubing to control the end next to the operator. I use a 1/2" drill bit to turn it. My situation is that the only way to drill through the drain is to pull out the toilet. the line coming from the neighbor is still about 7-6 feet away. So at 15 feet you might get 4-5 feet into that branch. If you hit the roots, the end will catch on them and twist the spiral. If it twists too much, you have to be careful trying to bend the kinks out of the spiral (if they come out of the drain) because if they stay in there . where it will twist next time. Once you can get the helix it's fine. then you can go full blast with the drill. although I'm not sure full speed will help much. it only seems so? The spiral had thin roots. At this point I think I've cleaned things up pretty well. although I've taken out the toilet about 3 times this spring/summer. g new. I just reapply the wax and reinstall the toilet. I intend to use copper sulfate and/or Roebic at least once a year. Plus a bit of Rix in between. Although it would probably be a waste of time to use it if it didn't take a few weeks before using the root killers. Root killers take weeks to do a lot. The drain I'm working with is clay as far as I know. Although the first right angle from the toilet is cast iron. I had to come to the conclusion that the root problem was going to cost me somehow. Worst thing would be digging up the line and replacing it with plastic. The next call is a plumber. My decision. Be prepared to use a root killer maybe 2 times a year. It's like throwing money away, but other options are even worse. Also, now I really enjoy pulling the toilet (NOT). Last winter I replaced the toilet with a new fancy 1.23 gallon per flush model after the toilet brush broke in the old one on a 10 degree winter day. Probably a fault with an old clay sewer pipe with root problems? So my new toilet is set to max fill and when I flush it I hold the lever down until the tank is empty. I also wash it off at least 4-5 times a day whether I need it or not. It can be a real revelation as I go from the flush mentality to the drain plug mentality. especially when it's so bad that you can take a shower or do laundry etc. Longing for the times when everything was just thrown out onto the street. but maybe not. * The saga continues. This year there are problems again and I do things differently. We intend to use blue vitriol and lye every month from April to October on July 1st and 15th. They can only be flushed when the toilet is still running. Otherwise it is useless and dangerous. is to pull out the toilet. You can stand there and wait for it to expire. but good luck with that. I found a new toy that works well. A rubber bladder that attaches to a garden hose. It then expands, occluding the pipe and applying water pressure to the clog. There is one for 3" to 4" tubing that fits through a 90 degree bend and is shaped to fit through connections in clay tubing. After the water has drained, the lye must be added. *Using a snail is my last choice. One option I'm considering is to use a piece of flexible plastic tubing, maybe 1 inch inside diameter, to cover and control the coil. .You don't want to make your problems worse.** Additional note: Managed to live about 2 years by flushing 1/2 cup cooking lye down the toilet every 2 weeks and also treating the roots with copper sulfate from time to time Time. probably best in June or so. It hasn't worked lately and I had to pull the toilet out again. Used 4 to 6 inch bladder. then some blue vitriol. cable if it can be avoided. difficult to use. unhygienic. ** The problem seems to be most common in summer. So probably tree roots? Why am I doing things myself? I estimate the fee is around $300 if someone pulls out the toilet and uses the snail. If I can solve the problem myself. thank you to me To dig and replace the line. $. I do not want to know. I can live on $2 a month for an alkaline treatment.

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