Drainage Jobs

[cr0ft]

Hi all. How often do you guys/gals get customers asking if you do drainage work. I'm talking about clearing the big pipes - soil stacks and drains themselves as opposed to the waste pipes from baths/basins.

Had a couple recently and as work has been quiet this month considering getting a commercial pressure washer with drain clearing kit so I can open up another possible income stream. Outlay cost is around £600 but I wonder whether it's worth it or not.

Obviously the Dynorods of this world use large petrol jetters off the back of their vans. These seem a bit excessive to me as with a decent washer you can get 130bar through a drain clearing head which should cut through most muck and grime.

 

[franky]

I used to do a bit when I worked for a company 90% of the work you could clear with rods quick in and out.
Also they had a thing where if you spotted roots you would show the customer and tell them they should get a camera survey done. Then they would be talking serious money to have the drain lined.
Can't hurt to give it a go you won't be long earning back £600 quid

 

[GQuigley67]

messy work though must admit used to hate going down manholes doing draintestin, you'd pull the bung out and get a nasty suprise 90% of the time

 

[dontknowitall]

I've had one job in three years. Was for a friend so not easy to say no.

 

[franky]

I went to the worst blocked drain ever someone had built an extension over the manhole. So first cut up his wooden floor with a skill saw the floor was suspended 2 ft above the ground which now had sewage all over as the manhole was blocked and overflowing after jetting out the **** off the manhole opened it to find 3ft of solidified ****e, at that point my phone fell in the manhole and started sinking I had long gloves in so made a grab for it. In my desperation to get my phone I reached in to far and ended up with **** going inside the gloves. I nearly threw up on the spot.
Moral of the story is, drains is not a nice job

 

[GQuigley67]

ever cut into live SVPs before ? that's another messy number done a night shift in a hopsital before and when someone wakes up and decides to go to the toilet it flys everywhere

 

[HoodedClaw]

at that point my phone fell in the manhole and started sinking I had long gloves in so made a grab for it. In my desperation to get my phone I reached in to far and ended up with **** going inside the gloves.

Out of interest... would you have wanted to put the phone near your face if you got it back? lol

 

[dontknowitall]

Why, just after you've got your hands dirty when dealing with human waste, does one always have an itch on your face?

 

[Plumbstar Tom]

haha its typical

Yeh rods solve the problem most of the time

face mask and gloves and overalls as must though

always be prepared for the worst

I dont mind getting covered in water but I would throw up if I got covered in s***

 

[dontknowitall]

I don't bother with gloves, etc (perhaps I should). BUT I do make sure that there's access to a good load of washing up liquid for when I've finished.

Years ago I called a drain company out and he turned up in t-shirt and shorts. We asked him about overalls and offered washing facilities but he said he never bothered and the less clothes meant less washing!

 

[cr0ft]

Well I made the jump today and bought a commercial unit from a well known German manufacturer. Got a 30 metre hose with it which should reach to most places on domestic properties. What it can't clean out I guess I can reach with a drain snake anyway so between the two I should be covered, unless the blockage is due to roots anyway.

Purposefully bought a 30 metre hose so that most of the time I can stand about 10 metres away from the inspection chamber while I'm jetting it Don't fancy getting covered in faecal matter really. Don't think I am going to buy any special overalls but I will be using waterproof gloves and a liberal dose of washing up liquid and water to clean the hose off when it comes back out the drain (eugh).

Price wise, I'm charging £70 for the first hour and £50 for each hour after, this is £20 per hour more than my normal prices. My first customer didn't grumble at that so I think (hope) I'm on the money.

Interestingly, there's only minimal competition in the local area for this sort of work as opposed to 90 or so plumbers so hopefully I can get a bit of work out of it. I think it's one area that's fairly recession proof.

 

[cr0ft]

ever cut into live SVPs before ? that's another messy number done a night shift in a hopsital before and when someone wakes up and decides to go to the toilet it flys everywhere

That sounds properly honking. I think that would make me throw up and I would say I have a fairly good stomach!

 

[Centralheatking]

WE have often thought about a small d &d unit £600 or so seems fine so if your not in west lancashire cause of competition I suppose could you letus know which unit you bought please?

centralheatking

 

[cr0ft]

I went with a Karcher HD6/13 C+ around £450 from a reputable Ebay supplier. You can buy separate drain cleaning attachments (make sure you get the commercial machine ones as domestic ones only go up to 15m and domestic/commercial machine outlets aren't compatible). It's a commercial cold pressure washer that does up to 600 litres per hour @ 130 bar. Will let you know how I get on with it. Already got 2 jobs booked in and I haven't even got the machine yet!

 

[GQuigley67]

That sounds properly honking. I think that would make me throw up and I would say I have a fairly good stomach!

night shift = double pay and the nexy day off payed, so you had 12 hours night shift and 8 hours, double them and you've pretty much got a full weeks wages in 2 days so it was worth it but i never got covered thank god some of the older guys were getting right in about it bareback lol i prefered to use the gloves

 

[cr0ft]

Well I went to look at my first drainage job last night and what a mess! It's a terraced house and they appear to share one soil stack between 2 houses. This runs into a private sewer between every 2 houses which then runs into another private sewer connecting all 20 houses to the public sewer.

Of course the homeowners had no idea where the inspection/access chambers were. After knocking on doors I worked out there was one between 2 gardens at the head of each sewer run, or at least there should be. So went to the neighbours garden (the house that has the soil stack) and all I see is this thing with 2 courses of bricks and a covering of sand/cement render over them. 2 patio slabs over the top. It's right by the back of the extension and I'm guessing this is an old brick access chamber.

I think they have worse problems though. When a bath is emptied in either house raw sewage flies out in the back garden of the house without the soil stack. I think the drain is completely blocked up basically!

Going back on Monday to smash into what I think is a brick access chamber and jet it from there. If anyone thinks I'm about to smash into something completely different let me know!!

 

[cr0ft]

Well I went to look at my first drainage job last night and what a mess! It's a terraced house and they appear to share one soil stack between 2 houses. This runs into a private sewer between every 2 houses which then runs into another private sewer connecting all 20 houses to the public sewer.

Of course the homeowners had no idea where the inspection/access chambers were. After knocking on doors I worked out there was one between 2 gardens at the head of each sewer run, or at least there should be. So went to the neighbours garden (the house that has the soil stack) and all I see is this thing with 2 courses of bricks and a covering of sand/cement render over them. 2 patio slabs over the top. It's right by the back of the extension and I'm guessing this is an old brick access chamber.

I think they have worse problems though. When a bath is emptied in either house raw sewage flies out in the back garden of the house without the soil stack. I think the drain is completely blocked up basically!

Going back on Monday to smash into what I think is a brick access chamber and jet it from there. If anyone thinks I'm about to smash into something completely different let me know!!

 

[Centralheatking]

PLease be aware that once more than one property is involved in the drain run it becomes a job for the utility - its only the head of the drain system when one house is blocked when its their/your problem - if the house is before 1928 then it also is the utilities.

Thanks for the tip on the unit - let us know how it gets on

centralheatking

 

[cr0ft]

Hmm.. From what I've read here the cut-off date is 1st October 1937. There was no such thing as a private sewer before that time, they were (and still are) all public. These houses were built after that date.

The link seems to suggest that a sewer is private and thus the responsibility of the homeowners that use it right up until the point it connects into the public sewer which in this case is the one underneath the street.

Anyways, will let you know how I get on tomorrow. The jetter seems like a meaty (and heavy) bit of kit, arrived today.