RIDGID Auto-Clean K-30 Manual page 8

Auto-Clean™ Drain Cleaning Machine
serious injury from electric shock, twisted or bro ken
cables, chemical burns, infections and other causes
and prevent drain cleaner damage.
Always wear safety glasses, leather work gloves,
and other appropriate protective e quip ment when
inspecting your drain cleaner. For extra protection
from chemicals and bacteria on the equipment,
wear latex, rubber or other liquid barrier gloves
under the leather work gloves.
1. Inspect the leather work gloves. Make sure they are
in good condition with no holes, tears or loose sec-
tions that could be caught in the rotating cable. It is
important not to wear improper or damaged gloves.
The gloves protect hands from the rotating cable
and drain contents. If the gloves are not leather work
gloves or are damaged or worn out, do not use ma-
chine until proper gloves are available.
2. Make sure that the drain cleaning machine is un-
plugged and the ON/OFF/REV switch set to OFF.
Inspect the power cord, Ground Fault Circuit Inter rup -
ter (GFCI) (if equipped, 120V units) and plug for
damage. If the plug has been modified, or if the cord
is damaged, to avoid electrical shock, do not use the
machine until the cord has been replaced by a quali-
fied repair person.
3. Clean any oil, grease or dirt from all equipment han-
dles and controls. This aids inspection and helps
pre vent the machine or control from slipping from
your grip. Clean any debris from the cable and drum.
4. Make sure the foot switch is attached to the drain
cleaning machine. Do not operate the machine with-
out the foot switch.
5. Inspect the drain cleaner for the following items:
• Proper assembly and completeness
• Broken, worn, missing, mis-aligned or binding parts
• Smooth and free movement of the ADVANCE and
RETRIEVE levers.
• Presence and readability of the warning label (see
Figure 6).
If any problems are found, do not use the drain
clean er until the problems have been repaired.
6. Inspect cable for wear and damage – Look for
• Obvious flats worn into the outside of the cable
(cable is made from round wire and profile should be
round).
• Multiple or excessively large kinks (slight kinks up to
15 degrees can be straightened).
• Space between the coils indicating the cable has
been deformed by stretching, kinking or running in
REVERSE.
6
• Excessive corrosion from storing wet or exposure to
drain chemicals.
All of these forms of wear and damage weaken the
cable and make cable twisting, kinking or breaking
more likely during use. Replace worn and damaged
cable before using drain cleaner.
Make sure cable is fully retracted with no more than 2"
(50mm) of cable outside of AUTOFEED. This will
prevent whipping at start up.
Warning Label
Figure 6 – Warning Label
7. Make sure that the ON/OFF/REV switch is set to
the OFF position.
8. With dry hands, plug cord into properly grounded
outlet. Test the GFCI (if equipped) provided in the
electrical cord to insure that it is operating correctly.
When the test button is pushed in, the reset button
should pop out. Reactivate by pushing the reset but-
ton in. If GFCI is not functioning properly, unplug the
cord and do not use the drain cleaning machine until
the GFCI has been repaired.
9. Move the ON/OFF/REV switch into the ON position.
Do not push feed levers. Press the foot switch and
note the direction of rotation of the cable. If the foot
switch does not control the machine operation, do not
use the machine until the foot switch has been re-
paired. The cable should rotate counter-clockwise
when viewed from the front. Re lease the foot switch
and let the cable come to a complete stop. Hold the
ON/OFF/REV switch in the REV position, and re-
peat above testing to confirm that the drain cleaner
operates properly in reverse. If the rotation is not
correct, do not use the machine until it has been re-
paired.
10. With the inspection complete, move the ON/OFF/REV
switch to the OFF position, and with dry hands, unplug
the machine.