Got a call from local retirement home. The handyman lost 75ft of 1/2" sewer cable down main drain. Ran camera, its only about 15ft from nearest cleanout. We have tried our rigid sewer machine with 1"cable with retriever bit. Another plumbing company also has spent about four hours trying to recover cable. Kind of like fishing, you just never know if your going to catch anything. Sewer at this point is six inch, so its not as easy as if it were a small line where you would be fighting the cable. Im just looking for any advice to retrieve this thing without breaking up the main hallway in a busy retirement home. Any special bits other than the standard retriever bit? Ive retrieved broken cables a few times, but they were always in 3 and 4" drains. No luck here, and we've put some hours in. Going to get the jachammer tomorrow if I don't get some answers. Thanks to all.


Head honcho of the retirement home. He had the other plumbing outfit back in and they spent over half a day trying again, so he's convinced its just a waste of time. Im not the head honcho of our business, I follow bosses orders, and he has agreed to do what they want(just to make them happy and keep business good with them. I can't argue with my bosses willingness to make them happy(even though he and I both know its worth a shot) Some people are just stubborn and won't listen to reason. I quess its true, the customer is always right( yeah right.lol). So this is the decision, and if we don't do it the competers will. They are giving us first shot here, so we will take it. One good thing is, they always pay their bills. I really do agree Tom, I wanted to give this one more go, but like I said, its out of my hands, and my bosses for that matter, either we do what they want or loose the job. Sometimes you just got to bend over and ask that they at least use some lube.lol.

PS. Im still going to try to get our auger in there right before jackhammering begins,, wish me luck. Bet it would make me the hero, and there would definitely be some... I Told you so's.

Not much to grab onto and 15' is a reach. How did he lose it 15" down the pipe? I don't see much chance short of the jack hammer.

He had a bad spring at his connecting point. He was using 15 foot cables. This isn't one long coil of cable, but a bunch of short cables that you hook together as you feed them. Pretty nasty machine really. Its been known to break bones if it gets tied up and you don't let off the control fast enough. Our big machine also uses 15 foot sections. We have a retriever bit that coils out to grab the cable, but so far no luck. You really have to get lucky to grab on to these things. I think your correct. Jackhammer city for me, yea, lol. Ill let you know how things turn out. Ive posted a pic of the machine we are using on this job. Its not a self feeder, you put the 15 foot cables in one at a time(connect them as you go) and feed the cables by hand, the machine only turns them, which is nice because it gives you more control over the cable.

Maybe twist several sections of sping wire around your rodders head to make a snare, got to be luck if this works.

Thank you Bob. I was actually thinking along the same lines. Worth a shot, but lucky if it works. I think ill dedicate one hour in the morning to try some theorys, and then the inevitable happens.

Lee,
Your retriever bit's too small for a six inch line. Works great on 4 inch though.
If this were my problem I'd take that bit, (see image) an d put in a vise to hold it and then take my torch and heat the end till it turned cherry red. While the spring steel's still red hot hold the bit and roll out the tip 3 or4 inches. Let it cool and send it in again. After you get the cable back you can cut the tip back if you wish. Lot simpler then jack hammering up the slab. Good luck, Tom

Thanks Tom. We did heat the tip and try to uncoil it, but didn't have a vice handy. I will put it in the vice at the shop tomorrow and try to get it opened up some more. If it works, ill just keep the bit as is for future problems and order a new one. A bits cheap compared to the alternative. Thanks again.

Let me know if it worked. Good luck, Tom

Sorry guys, I guess we will never know if it would have worked. The calls been made, its out of my hands, going to tear up the concrete. Thanks for all the input.

Lee, That's dumb! Of course it would have worked. Who made the choice to jackhammer up the slab? Regards, Tom