PHPI chats with Paul Morrow, Nation Supervisor UK & Eire, RIDGID, to find how plumbers can unblock and descale home and business drains.
Q. Blocked drains are one of many much less glamorous jobs for some plumbers. What sort of functions has the K9-12 unit been designed for?
The brand new Flexshaft has been designed for unblocking and descaling of pipes 1 ¼” to 2” (32 – 50mm) diameter. It’s excellent for each business and home kitchens the place the same old suspects of sinks, dishwashers and washing machines may cause pipes to turn into blocked with hair, fats, grease and meals waste. Plumbers have additionally reported how nice these are at clearing blocked downpipes from the roof gutter to the drain. Simply insert it at floor degree and it’ll clear the blockage of leaves and small plant progress with ease.
The spinning chain tits of the brand new Flexshaft makes mild work of soppy blockages with solely one-pass. There’s even a built-in clutch which is nice for safeguarding the cable for those who do encounter a tougher blockage.
In case you discover {that a} barely extra aggressive method is required, there are penetrating ball heads accessible to assist break by way of the preliminary blockage earlier than the chain tits do their job. Even Nylon brushes can be found additionally as much as 2” diameter for that crowning glory.
Q. How do you energy the unit?
All you want is a normal 1800-2500 RPM energy drill to connect to the three/8” (10mm) drive spindle in seconds. The spindle is angled conveniently for attachment to your drill to make operation comfy and managed. So, its totally transportable with a cordless battery drill that means no pointless trailing leads. This additionally retains the general expense of the unit down and reliability up.
Q. How far can the cable attain down a pipe?
The unit has 9m of Flexshaft cable, sheathed in nylon for much less mess and straightforward clean-up. Because the interior cable spins the chain tits, they increase to fill the pipe and offers wall-to-wall cleansing. The outer sheath stays static to forestall any injury to fittings and fixtures. The cable could be pushed simply into the self-coiling housing. The useful outlet cable cap could be eliminated once you need to entry the cable simply for cleansing, upkeep and for storing the chain knocker on the finish of a job.
Q. Drain cleansing generally is a messy job. Are there any options on this unit that assist to minimise the mess?
The unit has been designed with a home plumber in thoughts. The totally enclosed housing ensures that any mess is contained, that means no drips or mess inside your buyer’s home. It’s at all times good practise to wipe the sheath with a clear material to take away any grime or particles earlier than you coil it again into the drum – this additionally helps forestall put on and retains the job as clear and tidy as potential.
Q. How transportable is the K9-12 drain cleaner?
The compact design is simply 3.8kg (with out drill or chain knocker) and has an built-in carrying deal with. At simply over 1’ x 1’ x 5” (33 x 38 x 12cm) it’s sufficiently small to suit below sinks and normal cabinet items on confined jobs and could be saved on its aspect that means it gained’t take up a lot house in your van both. It is a useful and compact resolution for each plumber.