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That old timer who showed me a better way to clear a clogged suction line
Was fighting a clogged suction line on a job up near Tacoma last week, cussing up a storm. Old guy named Frank rolls up, watched me for a minute, then told me to stop hammering at it and use a reverse flush with a garden hose. Saved me about 3 hours of headache and I felt dumb for not thinking of it myself. Anyone else got a trick that an old hand passed down that you use all the time now?
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emma_baker616d ago
Reverse flush with a garden hose is gold. I had a guy named Charlie show me that same trick but with a rubber cone fitting you jam into the line and wrap with tape to seal it up. Works way better than just sticking the hose in there loose because you get actual pressure behind it. Also learned from him to always hit it from the cleanout first before you even touch the machine, saves a lot of cussing.
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morgan.jason5d ago
Last time I tried that trick I blew mud right into my neighbor's basement window well.
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lucast816d ago
Hold on, are you sure about hitting it from the cleanout first? I don't mean to argue, but if the clog is bad enough, blasting water into a cleanout that's got a lot of gunk packed in there can just push the muck deeper into the pipe instead of breaking it loose. I learned that the hard way from a foreman who had me do it his way first, and then the whole line was a solid block for 40 feet. I still do it Frank's way if I can get to the clog from the machine side first, even if it means a little more grunt work. The goal is to break it up, not shove it further down.
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