Passing Through Traps Or Other Transitions; Cleaning The Drain - RIDGID K-4310 FXP Manual

AUTOFEED Cable Feed Operation
Confirm that the AUTOFEED unit is set up for the correct
cable size, see "Adjusting AUTOFEED Unit For Cable
Diameter" section.
With at least one foot (.3 m) of cable is in the drain. Tight-
en the AUTOFEED knob (Figure 18) so that the roller
touches the cable plus one additional turn. Do not over-
tighten the knob – this can cause premature failure of the
AUTOFEED unit or cable.
Grasp near the center of the exposed length of cable
with a gloved hand (Figure 21). Gloved hand must be
on the cable to control and support the cable. Improper
cable support can allow the cable to kink or twist and can
damage the cable or injure the operator. Make sure that
the cable outlet of the drain cleaning machine is within
3' (0.9 m) of the drain opening. Place the other hand
on the AUTOFEED lever. The lever should be in neutral
(Vertical) position (see Figure 19).
See "Using Machine With A Front Guide Hose" if using
a guide hose.
Depress the foot switch to start the machine rotating in
the FOR direction. The person controlling the cable must
also control the foot switch. Do not operate the machine
with one person controlling the cable and another per-
son controlling the foot switch. This can lead to twisting,
kinking and breaking of the cable. With the cable rotating,
move the AUTOFEED control lever in the opposite direc-
tion that the cable rotates (See Figure 19). This will cause
the cable to advance out of the machine. The further the
control lever from the neutral position, the faster the cable
will advance.
The rotating cable will work into the drain as you control
the cable with your gloved hand. Do not allow the cable
to build up outside the drain, bow or curve. This can allow
the cable to twist, kink or break.
Figure 21 – Operating using the AUTOFEED Unit
999-995-420.10_REV A
K-4310 FXP Drum Machine
Passing Through Traps Or Other
Transitions
If it is difficult to get the cable through a trap or other fit-
ting, the following methods or combinations of methods
can be used.
• Sharp thrusts of the cable, both with and without the
cable rotating, can help the cable through a trap.
• In some cases, with the switch in the OFF position,
rotating the drum by hand can change the orientation of
the cutter to allow it to negotiate the fitting more easily.
• Run the machine in REV (REVERSE) rotation for
several seconds while pushing on the cable. Only do
this long enough to get the cable started through the
trap. Running the cable in reverse can damage the
cable.
• Use a flexible leader between the tool and the cable.
If these options don't work, consider using a smaller di-
ameter or more flexible cable, or a different RIDGID drain
cleaning machine.

Cleaning The Drain

As you advance the cable into the drain, you may see
the cable slow down or build up outside the drain. Always
keep your hands on the cable. You may feel the cable
start to wind or load up (this may feel like the cable is
starting to twist or squirm, see Figure 22.) This may be
a transition in the drain (trap, elbow, etc.), build up in
the drain (grease, etc.) or the actual blockage. Advance
the cable slowly and carefully. Do not let cable build up
outside the drain. This can cause the cable to twist, kink
or break.
UNLOADED
Drain
Machine
Figure 22 – Cable Shape When Unloaded, Loaded
Pay attention to the amount of cable that has been fed
into the drain. Feeding cable into a larger drain, septic
tank or similar transition may cause the cable to kink or
knot and prevent removal from the drain. Minimize the
LOADED
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