People typically ... Read More >]]> You’ve all seen the headlines at one time or another, because it happens all over the world with frightening regularity: “Plumber Dies in Sewer.” How to make certain such a tragedy does not strike you and yours?

People typically die in numbers in confined spaces. Why? Because when the first person goes down, it’s human nature to want to mount an immediate rescue despite the clear evidence of danger. When these potential rescuers go into the confined space, they often die too.

So the quick answer to the question on how to avoid death in a confined space is to never enter the confined space in the first place. Sounds easy, but to avoid entry into a confined space you need to know how identify a confined space.

A confined space:

• Has limited or restricted means of entry or exit
• Is large enough for an employee to enter and perform assigned work
• And, is not designed for continuous occupancy by the employee

Thus a confined space can be almost anything, but typically might entail tanks, vessels, silos, pits greater than four feet deep, culverts and sewers. Although a plumber might be called into any of these situations, mostly they will find themselves faced with a sewer that may or may not be considered a confined space. The first and safest rule of thumb in these instances is to simply assume that all sewers are in fact confined spaces, and thus require special preparations and special equipment to enter.

A disclaimer: I am not an expert in the rules and regulations that define what is or what is not a confined space, when a confined space is safe to enter, what safety equipment is mandated by law nor confined space rescues. I will not try to teach you specifics. What I want to accomplish is to point you in the direction of how to become educated in this field to ensure that you are following the regulations in place, in order to make the sewer and drain cleaning industry a safer, more effective place to work.

• Did you know that any entry into a confined space needs an OSHA-certified “Competent Person” on site to take responsibility for declaring the situation a “Confined Space”?
• Did you know that confined spaces must be tested for air quality at specified height stages before entry using a calibrated air tester?
• Did you know that confined space entry requires proper ventilation of the space at all times?
• Did you know that entry into a confined space requires a team of individuals, including an attendant stationed outside the confined space?
• Did you know that entry into a confined space requires specific safety gear, the type of which depends on the situation, to assure retrieval of the individual in the confined space without anyone else entering the confined space?

Deaths and injuries that occur in confined spaces can be attributable to a variety of factors such as heat stroke, fire or falls, but the vast majority of deaths are attributed to a single factor: air quality, specifically oxygen deficiency or displacement of oxygen by some other toxic gas like hydrogen sulfide, methane or carbon monoxide. These gases are insidious killers. They can be odorless, and take only seconds to render a victim unconscious. Some are also heavier than air, so they can rests at the bottom of the confined space. A victim might descend into a confined space with untested air and be fine standing. But then the victim stoops to do something as innocuous as picking up a dropped tool or tying a shoe lace, and enters a layer of toxic gas and is rendered unconscious virtually immediately. And what happens then is truly tragic – his buddy sitting on the surface sees his partner lying on the ground and jumps in to help, and immediately becomes a victim himself. It’s human nature, right? This happens even when the potential rescuer understands what has happened, because maybe the second person thinks, “Oh, I can just hold my breath” or maybe “I’ll only be in there for a few seconds.” And the string of victims mounts…

There is always the risk of fire in a confined space, because combustible gases can accumulate if there is a lack of ventilation. Smoking is an obvious no-no, but in a high concentration of combustible gases, even a simple spark can be enough to cause a flash fire or explosion.

With these potential risks, permit requirements, safety training and documentation, it pays to educate yourself as a business owner, operator or field technician, with the dangers of Confined Space entry and to seek out excellent training. Without it, there are dangers lurking in every sewer, and massive fines and recriminations for violation of the safety requirements.

Confined Space Safety Training is available in a number of places – simply type that search term into Google for dozens of listings, but a particularly good program is available through various vendors that utilize the program originated by the National Utility Contractors Association. Their web site can be accessed at www.nuca.com and they have a very large “Safety” tab on their home page that can guide you through the training process.

Get educated, and BE SAFE!

A customer recently asked us about the pin punch length used to remove the coupling pin between the cable and anchor cable on a Spartan Mechanical Drain Cleaner such as the Model 1065, Model 2001 ... Read More >]]>

A customer recently asked us about the pin punch length used to remove the coupling pin between the cable and anchor cable on a Spartan Mechanical Drain Cleaner such as the Model 1065, Model 2001 or Model 300 machines. “The pin punch is short and will not push the coupling pin out completely – why was it designed this way?”

We designed the pin punches to be short to keep the pin in the coupling when disconnecting and reconnecting the cable from the anchor cable. Since this is a common task when using the cable machines, we designed it to be quick and painless. Losing the coupling pin can be very inconvenient and time consuming for the operator in the middle of the job to have to spend time searching for it or going back to his truck to fetch another, plus it avoids having to orient the pin when reinstalling it.

Installing a new pin requires that the user hold the cables in place, hold the pin in place, position the pin punch over the pin, and then hammer it in. Our shorter pin punch removes the need to hold or clamp the pin in place. By using a shorter pin punch, the machine operator only needs to hold the pin punch in place (while securing the cables) and tapping in the pin. The result is a quicker and safer method of disconnecting and reconnecting the cable – no more smashed fingers or lost pins!

Operators who prefer to remove the pin completely can purchase a longer pin punch at their local hardware store, but we recommend the shorter pin punch for safety and convenience.

It used to be ... Read More >]]> Stumpy. Chances are if you’ve been around the drain cleaning industry for a while you know a technician with that nickname, someone missing all or part of a finger torn off by a drain cleaning cable.

It used to be fairly common for accidents to happen while operating mechanical drain cleaners, but thankfully manufacturers servicing this industry have made vast improvements in their machines, incorporating GFCIs into their plugs, moving from electrified foot pedals controlling the machines to pneumatic foot pedals, and stair climbers that make negotiating a flight of stairs safe for both the stairs and the technician. One avoidable hazard that is impossible to engineer out of the industry is cable entanglement, which can unfortunately result in your picking up a new nickname, or worse.

Stumpy will tell you that getting caught in a snake is an inherent risk to operating a drain cleaning machine. Don’t believe him! Here’s some suggestions on how to operate your cable machine safely to avoid entanglement and injury.

First, you need to locate the machine as close as possible to the drain opening. The smaller the length of cable extending from the drain to the machine means the less length to loop around something – possible YOU – if the cable hits an obstruction and begins to torque. You should never position the machine more than three feet from the drain opening, and you want it even closer if you can still comfortably feed the cable.

Next, you MUST have gloves on both hands. Not just any glove will do! When operating a cable machine, you MUST have on a heavy leather glove (or mitten) with steel staples installed throughout the glove, including the finger areas. Underneath this you need to have a sturdy Nitrile glove to prevent infection and to keep your hands clean – see my earlier blog on disease safety. Some operators swear by gloves that go by the generic name Ugly Glove or some variation. These gloves are typically a rubberized texture, often with rough “grips” molded into the glove. Though these gloves do a nice job of disease prevention, THEY OFFER NO PROTECTION WHATSOEVER IN THE EVENT YOUR FINGER OR HAND GET ENTANGLED IN THE CABLE. Ugly Gloves work well for jetting operations, where entanglement risk does not exist, but should never be used for cable machine jobs. If you don’t wear a steel staple impregnated glove, you are risking avoidable injury – it’s just like driving a car without a seat belt: the car still drives, but in an emergency you’ve lost your primary defense against injury.

Any machine with a power feed – which means it’s a bigger machine using bigger cable – MUST have a guide tube extending from the machine to the drain opening. At Spartan, we call this a “Cable Safety Guide,” but other manufacturers use this same type of device to ensure operator safety. Using a Cable Safety Guide achieves several things. It positions the machine about three feet from the drain opening, minimizing any cable play outside the actual drain line. The final three feet of cable closest to the machine is encased in the Cable Safety Guide. Thus, with very limited cable outside any encasement – either in the drain line or in the cable safety guide – there’s no cable to loop or wrap around the operator.

Old timers (like Stumpy!) will tell you that they don’t use the Cable Safety Guide. They want to “feel” the cable with their hands to tell when it is torqueing, so that they know when to move the power feeder from forward to neutral or reverse. They’ll tell you that doing it this way prevents the cable from kinking when engaged in the clog. In a nut shell, their position is that it’s better to risk losing a finger (or worse) than ruining a drain cable. Really? I don’t want to diminish their skill or experience, but when there is a safer way of doing things, you need to adopt the new technique! In this case, there are a couple things the operator can do to save both the cable and his digits. First, watch the cable that is between the end of the Cable Safety Guide and the drain opening. You will see the cable torqueing WAY before your hands possibly could tell the building torque if they were on the cable. Second, listen to the motor – you can hear the torque building as the motor gears down and changes pitch. Both of these indications occur much before your hands can sense the torque, and they don’t require you to risk loss of a finger or god forbid your whole hand or worse. Remember: If your machine has a power feed, you need to ENCASE THE CABLE in both the drain line and the Cable Safety Guide.

What about smaller machines that do not use power feeds? In this case your steel staple impregnated gloves are your first line of defense. Second, you need to keep the machine as close as possible to the drain opening, again minimizing the length of cable open to the air. Machines without power feeds are generally smaller, less powerful machines. Keeping your hands off the cable when the drum is rotating is paramount. Allow the machine to come to a complete stop before inserting cable further into the line. When the torque begins to build in the cable, make certain there is as little exposed cable as possible, and make certain your hands are off the cable!

Some drain cleaning companies I know refuse to use larger machines with power feeds. They require their operators to run the cable all the way out to the clog and back by hand. This just increases your risk of injury, because now the operator is engaging the cable continuously, plus doing all the heavy work that can be easily automated with a power feeder. In every case of the people I’ve talked to, the rational for NOT using a power feed is to save wear and tear on the cable. In other words, these owners are making a trade off between the cost of cables and potential injury to their technicians. If they are lucky, they will save money in the short term. But in the long term, they run the risk of serious injury to their technicians in order to save money on a cable that will need to be routinely replaced anyway. In my opinion, this is penny wise and pound foolish. Even if there were statistics showing that hand fed cables last longer in use by experienced technicians – and I am not aware of any statistics that bear this out – to me, it is never worth the risk. The smart business owner incorporates routine cable replacement costs into their overhead calculation, and recoups the cost of cables over several jobs.

So in summary, wear the RIGHT gloves, keep the cable ENCASED in the drain line and the cable safety guide, and keep the machine as close to the drain line as possible. That’s the safe approach, and keeps your technicians from earning new nicknames.

Disease prevention and avoidance are important issues to discuss whenever Sewer and Drain safety concerns are considered.  Let’s face it – sewer and drain cleaning is a dirty, nasty business.  Every major health concern ... Read More >]]> Disease Lurks Deep Underground

Disease prevention and avoidance are important issues to discuss whenever Sewer and Drain safety concerns are considered.  Let’s face it – sewer and drain cleaning is a dirty, nasty business.  Every major health concern exists whenever you open a drain and begin working.  Blood borne pathogens, liver-killing infectious agents, microbes, germs, amoebae and viruses can be living and thriving anywhere in a sewer system.  But precautions can be taken to minimize and prevent infections, and it’s everyone’s duty to incorporate these simple steps and routines to assure the employee completes the job safely.

Blood borne pathogens comprise a wide ranging body of possible contaminates for any sewer and drain cleaner.  The most prominent of these is Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS.  These days most people are aware that AIDS is carried in the bloodstream of infected individuals.  Any exposure to the AIDS virus carries with it the possibility of infection.  Fecal matter is a known exposure agent in that it can carry tiny amounts of blood from an infected individual.  Obviously direct exposure to infected blood heightens the risk of contraction of this devastating disease.  Although treatments for AIDS are becoming more successful in delaying the spread or intensity of an infection, there remains no known cure once the virus is contracted.  Diagnosed victims face a life-long battle with this virus, complete with multiple regimens of drugs and treatments that in and of themselves can be debilitating.  Thus, all open cuts or sores MUST be carefully and thoroughly covered prior to coming in contact with the liquids and solids one finds in sewers and drain lines.  An individual with any severe cut – large enough to require stitches or compression bandages – simply should avoid all sewer and drain work until the cut has fully healed and closed.

Hepatitis is another serious threat to the sewer and drain technician.  There are three types of Hepatitis – A, B and C.  The most common form of Hepatitis is Hepatitis A, which is serious though usually not life threatening.  Hepatitis A is contracted through exposure to an infected individual’s fecal matter, and presents itself in a series of symptoms including unusual tiredness, unexplainable weight loss and possibly jaundice or yellowing of the skin or eyes.  Hepatitis A usually goes away over time by itself, but if exposure is suspected, your physician may prescribe an injection of Immunoglobulin to reduce the symptoms.  There are two preventative vaccines available for Hepatitis A, Havrix and Vaqta.  It is our recommendation that ALL sewer and drain technicians seek prevention through one of these available vaccines.

Hepatitis B is a more serious virus that is contracted through exposure to the blood or bodily fluids of an infected individual.  Like Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B usually goes away on its own over time.  Symptoms of Hepatitis B are the same as the common flu, but can last for a longer duration.  Your Doctor will require a blood test to check for this and all forms of Hepatitis.  Like Hepatitis A, there is a vaccine to prevent contraction of Hepatitis B, called Twinrix.  In fact, Twinrix prevents both Hepatitis A AND Hepatitis B, so if you are seeking complete protection, this may well be your choice of vaccine.

Hepatitis C is a more serious form of virus that can lead to permanent liver damage and even death.  Most people that have Hepatitis C live normal lives unaware that they have contracted the virus until they have a blood test for some other reason, and the Doctor discovers high liver enzymes, which can be indicative of Hepatitis C.  At that point the Doctor may order further tests.  Hepatitis C is typically contracted through contact with infected blood.  The symptoms for Hepatitis C are similar to those mentioned above for the A and B variants.  There is no vaccine for Hepatitis C.

Serious bacteria that can lead to infections are also present in sewers and drains, including MERSA or Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus and other staph infections.  MERSA typically presents itself as a skin infection that won’t get better despite treatment from over-the-counter and then physician-prescribed medications.  This is one of the so called “Super Bugs” that appears to be resistant to most common treatments from the penicillin family.  Without treatment, MERSA will not go away, and will typically dramatically worsen, eventually causing damage to internal organs and possibly death.

Listeria and other bacterial infections present themselves internally, usually accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea.  These are commonly referred to as “food poisoning” and can be very serious without treatment.  Death from dehydration is a very real possibility in severe cases.

So we’re discussed what CAN happen when cleaning sewers and drains, so now let’s talk briefly about prevention.
First and foremost, sewer and drain cleaning technicians should have the vaccines that prevent the most common forms of hepatitis, as discussed above.  Likewise, the technician should make certain that his or her Tetanus shots are current.  Tetanus shots typically are taken every ten years, but be certain to consult your physician in these matters.  Annual flu vaccines are another excellent preventative measure, since exposure to the flu is a definite possibility.

A constant focus on hygiene is absolutely critical to avoiding these and other diseases and illnesses that can be contracted through sewer and drain work.  Once working on a drain line, the technician needs to take significant care not to make contact with the mouth, eyes, ears or nose with contaminated hands.  Eye protection is critical, and safety glasses should be worn at all times to prevent splashing into the eyes.  A second and even better option is to employ a full face shield that covers the eyes, nose and mouth simultaneously.  Any open wound, cut or sore needs to be carefully covered, no matter where it is on the body.  Any severe cut probably means the technician should not be working with drain cleaning equipment until the wound heals.  Two pairs of glove should be worn at all times.  The first, inner pair should be a medical grade or higher nitrile glove.  Painter’s gloves or other thin, easily torn gloves should be avoided.  The outer pair of glove depends on the equipment being operated.  If the technician is using a cable or snake machine, then the outer pair of gloves should be metal staple impregnated gloves that reduce the possibility of the glove being captured by the cable under torque, which might result in serious injury.  At no time should an operator of a cable machine use standard leather gloves or so called “ugly gloves” which lack the protection of the metal inserts.  If the technician is operating a hydro-jetter, then the outer gloves should be gauntlet-style (gloves that extend well above the wrist) rubber gloves that have a grip molded into the gloves, which helps ensure the hose doesn’t slip through the operator’s fingers.

Anti-bacterial soap or hand wash is a must have on every sewer and drain cleaning van.  Liberal use of these products after every drain cleaning session is strongly recommended.  The last stand against infection remains good old hot water – the hotter the better, ideally in conjunction with anti-bacterial soap.  Clean your hands after every job cleaning sewers and drains, or even after simply handling the equipment.  It is a habit that can save your life!

Nothing contained within this blog should be construed as medical advice in any way.  The advice contained herein is advisory only, and everyone should consult his or her physician as to their suggestions on how to avoid infectious agents while on the job and they should follow their physician’s advice on prevention and treatment.

Our next safety blog will be a conversation regarding chemical drain cleaners, their uses and hazards.

Again, the basic premise of a hydro jetter is to use pressurized water to scour the inner diameter of a pipe, and then use the flow of the water to move ... Read More >]]> We’ve talked about pressure needs with hydro jets in a previous blog, but an equally important characteristic to consider is the flow of your jetter.

Again, the basic premise of a hydro jetter is to use pressurized water to scour the inner diameter of a pipe, and then use the flow of the water to move the debris downstream, either capturing the debris at a pipe junction or manhole, or washing the debris through the pipe into a larger diameter pipe where the likelihood of the same debris causing another obstruction or clog is greatly diminished.

Generally hydro-jetters fall into one of three categories:  mini-jetters, jetters and flushers.  For our use we’ll define a mini-jetter as any jetter flowing 5 GPM (Gallons Per Minute) or less.  We’ll define jetters as units with self-contained water tanks that flow greater than 5 GPM but less than 30 GPM.  And we’ll say sewer flushers flow greater than 30 GPM.  Today we’ll limit our discussion to portable jetters, and save flushers and jetters for the next blog.

Mini-jets come in three configurations:  electric, gas or propane.  (I have seen a small diesel engine mounted on a cart jetter, but they are so rare they really don’t warrant anything other than this passing mention.)  Electric jetters are limited by their motor size and the available power at the job site.  Typically, a 1.5 HP electric motor will deliver between 1.5 and 2.25 GPM, depending on how the manufacturer has the unit configured.  A 2 HP motor can deliver even greater pressures and flows, but be careful – the motor weight and size increases exponentially from a 1.5 to a 2 HP unit.  What is portable and able to be maneuvered by a single person at the 1.5 HP level quickly becomes a two or more person job when you go to 2 HP and above.  These small electric jetters will handle many inside-the-house cleaning tasks, and can even be used in a four inch lateral in the right circumstances.  But the mini-jetter is limited in pressures, and more importantly it is limited in flow.  So if you are tackling a stoppage of any substantive length or hardness, you may need to move up in size.  Although 1,500 PSI is plenty of pressure to knock debris from a pipe’s walls, 2.2 GPM will only flush away debris in the smaller household pipes.  If you are using an electric jetter on a four inch lateral, it will take you time and patience to correctly and completely clean the line, and even then the flow is questionable to flush away all the debris.

A gas engine mini-jet ups the ante in terms of both pressure and flow.  Typically a 13 HP gasoline motor mounted on a dolly or cart will produce 3,000 PSI @ 4 GPM.  The majority of the industry is focused right in this range, though some manufacturers offer units that produce 5.5 GPM, or, with a very small water tank, 8 GPM.  I’d caution you to be very careful with anything above 5 GPM or with an on-board water tank for a couple of reasons.  First, you have to feed the jetter and its pump with water.  In the U.S., standard hose bibs delivery 5 GPM max, and usually substantially less after accounting for tuberculation in the pipe over time.  If you consistently feed a jetter pump with less flow than its designed rate, you will face premature wear.  So just because a manufacturer tells you the machine CAN do something doesn’t necessarily mean the machine WILL do something.  To me, that’s a matter of trust and honesty, and I want to buy from manufacturers that tell me the real world story, not some fantasy.  Secondly, for jetters with small on-board water tanks, they usually come in either 8 or 12 gallon configurations.  Leave aside that you are adding 8.35 pounds per gallon of water in the tank (60 pounds or more full!).  With a 12 gallon tank and a jetter producing 8 GPM, here’s how the math works:  you are introducing (a maximum) 5 GPM to the jetter through your hose bib connection, but you are putting 8 GPM through the pump, buffering it with a 12 gallon tank.  The longest you can run the jetter before having to shut it down and re-fill the tank is a mere 6 minutes in absolutely the best case scenario!  (With each minute of jetting you are using 8 gallons of water, but only replenishing 5 – within six minutes you run out.)  You simply cannot clean any line in six minutes, so you are constantly shutting down the unit to fill the buffer tank with water.  It’s both unproductive and frustrating.  Finally, these units promising 8 GPM and with on-board tanks can weigh up to 300 pounds – really, not very portable!

But cart mounted, gasoline or propane powered jetters serve a valuable function in pipes up to four inches.  At 4 or 5 GPM they are virtually double the flow of electric jetters, and as we’ve discussed above, flow is what clears the pipe of the debris that the pressurized water has dislodged.  Best of all, they are truly portable, meaning you can take them exactly where you need to go.  Indoors, you’re limited to an electric or propane fueled jetter, or you’ll have to station your gas-powered unit outdoors and use up some of your hose length in just reaching the cleanout to start jetting.  2 and 3 inch pipes are very effectively cleared and cleaned with a jetter this size.  4 inch pipes will take more time and far more patience to effectively clean, but it definitely can be done, because the 4 or 5 GPM flow is sufficient to wash the debris downstream in a four inch pipe.  Above four inches, however, you are facing a far more time consuming task, one that I would strongly suggest calls for a higher flow trailer jetter.

Consider a propane system if you need to use the unit indoors.  There is a $0.50 per gallon tax rebate out there for the taking that will help offset your costs, plus it’s a lot cleaner technology than gas.  If you are working around schools, or food processing, propane is a VERY good option that will give you longer life for your engine while producing the same pressures and flows that a gas engine would.

A couple of last notes:  Make certain ANY jetter you buy has a pulsation system.  What a pulsation system does is it introduces a vibration into the jetting hose that reduces down-the-line friction on the hose, allowing the hose to “jump” forward or around bends where it otherwise would struggle.  Don’t jet with the pulsation on until you need it on, which is when the hose ceases to pull itself down the line.  Pulsation reduces the water pressure produced and renders you jetter less effective, so only use it sparingly.  Next, invest in nozzles!  There are a variety of nozzles available for specialized applications, and these will pay you back dividends when you have them when you need them.  It doesn’t do you any good to know that there are specialty nozzles available – you have to have them with you at the job site to make money with them.  If you can’t clear the pipe, one of your competitors will come along with a specialized nozzle and take your business away.

One final note:  Four wheels on the bigger gas powered jetters make them far easier to move around.

Whether you call it a hydro-jetter, water jetter, trailer jetter, jetter, sewer jetter or sewer flusher, the basic premise of these units is all the same. You use high pressure water to clean debris ... Read More >]]> Ask a dozen people that question, and you’ll get a dozen different answers. Here’s how we think about this issue:

Whether you call it a hydro-jetter, water jetter, trailer jetter, jetter, sewer jetter or sewer flusher, the basic premise of these units is all the same. You use high pressure water to clean debris off the sides of pipes, and you use the volume of water or “flow” to flush what was clinging to the side of the pipe downstream. This high pressure water is introduced to the sides of the pipe with a jetting hose capped on the business end with some sort of nozzle, which restricts the flow of the water coming down the hose and allows it to escape the hose via small orifices drilled into the front, sides or rear of the nozzle. These jetting hoses can be as small as ¼” diameter, or as large as an inch or more. But there is a standard hose size that comes with your water jet – if you use a smaller hose diameter, say, a 3/16” hose for small drains and a 3/8” hose for larger pipes, when you use a smaller hose than your main hose on your unit, the hose will not deliver the full volume of water or “flow” due to the restriction caused by the smaller diameter hose. The pump is still pumping at its given rate, but the water that can’t go down the hose “bypasses” the hose and is fed back to the water tank.

The pump is the heart of the water jetter. It takes the on board water supply and sends it down the hose under pressure. The pump will only put out a certain pressure and a certain flow. Many jetter manufacturers will claim that their jetter puts out a given PSI and flow. What they often DON’T say, or dance around in some manner, is whether or not it will do both maximums – PSI and Flow – at the same time. So while you might be thinking that this Company’s jetter is advertised say, at 4,000 PSI/18 Gallons per minute, the question you have to ask (and you probably want to get this in writing) is will the jetter do 4,000 PSI AND 18 Gallons per minute. If they use the word “or” instead of the word “and”, you’ll know that you’re getting the short end of the deal.

So how much pressure is enough? Well, part of it depends on the pipe size, and part of it depends on the nature of the clog, and part of it depends on the nozzle you are using. Let’s put it this way: 2,000 PSI will peel the paint right off your truck. It’s a LOT of pressure. If you’re in a 4 inch pipe, and your nozzle is running along the bottom of the pipe, you can’t be more than 4 inches away from anything you’re trying to dislodge. 2,000 PSI from 4 inches away is going to knock anything off the sides of the pipe – grease, hair, goo, maybe even little tree roots. But that same 2,000 PSI will be a lot less on the sides and top of the pipe if you’re in an 8 inch pipe. All of a sudden you’re a lot further away from those outer most reaches of the pipe, and you might run the risk of leaving something behind on the pipe walls. But a 3,000 PSI jetter in that same 8 inch pipe might be completely effective, since the pressure on the side wall of the pipe is a lot higher. But as you move up to a 12 inch pipe, you have that same loss of pressure with a 3,000 PSI jetter that you experienced in the 8 inch pipe with 2,000 PSI. All of a sudden, you may well need 4,000 PSI to complete scour the pipe. So how much pressure you need begins with your answer to the question, “What pipe sizes do you want to clean?”

Here’s where the cost of the jetter comes into play. If the 2,000 PSI jetter is 1/3 the cost of the 4,000 PSI jetter, which should you buy? Again, I’m going to ask, what pipe sizes do you encounter? If everything you do is 4 or 6 inch pipe, the 2,000 PSI jetter is probably the right machine for your needs. If you come up to a larger pipe, you have to understand that you may need to contract that out to another company. If you don’t go much above 8 inch pipe, that 3,000 PSI jetter looks like it will do 90+% of the jobs for you, at half the investment of a 4,000 PSI jetter. Although there’s a company out there starting to promote 5,000 PSI jetters, remember that bigger is not always better. First of all, operating at 5,000 PSI requires a host of OSHA-mandated specialized protective gear – 5,000 PSI will literally slice right through you if you’re not careful or if your mind wanders at precisely the wrong moment. Plus, if you introduce that amount of pressure into a 4 inch pipe you run the very strong risk that you will tear a clay tile line apart, or even separate the hubs on a run of cast. I don’t even want to think about Orangeburg! That much pressure in the wrong hands might become a very expensive liability if you have to dig up and replace a customer’s drain line.

So when sizing the pressure on your jetter, consider the size of the lines you intend to clean. The decide whether you want to be able to clean every single line your ever run up against, or if you’re willing to be able to clean only 90% or so, and forgo the other 10% to save your investment cost upfront. There is no right or wrong answer to that question – you have to only you can decide your comfort zone.

One final thought: typically lower PSI jetters are smaller and easier to maneuver…

Next time we’ll talk about flow!