Using Manual Feed Machine - RIDGID K-40 Manual

Using Manual Feed Machine

Grasp the cable with both gloved hands and pull a short
section (6" - 12") of cable from the drum so that there is a
slight bow in the cable. Gloved hands 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. See Figure 11.
Figure 11 – Manually Feeding Cable
Starting the cable in the drain
Confirm at least one foot of cable is in the drain and the
drum opening is within 2' of drain opening. Press the foot
switch to start the machine. Feed the rotating cable into the
drain. The rotating cable will slowly work its way into the
drain as you push on the cable with gloved hands. The
person controlling the cable must also control the
foot switch. Do not operate the drain cleaner with
one person controlling the cable and another per-
son controlling the foot switch. This can lead to
kinking, twisting and breaking of the cable.
If it is hard to get the cable through a trap, the following
methods or combination of methods can be used.
• First, sharp downward thrusts on the cable, both with
and without the cable turning, can help to get the tool to
pass through the trap.
• A second method is to run the drain cleaner in REV
(REVERSE) for several seconds while pushing on the
cable. Only do this long enough to get the cable started
through the trap. Running the drain cleaner in reverse
can damage the cable.
K-40 Drain Cleaning Machine
• Finally, if none of these options work, consider using a
smaller diameter or more flexible cable, or a different
drain cleaner.
Cleaning the drain
With the cable rotating in FORWARD (FOR) direction pull
short sections (6" - 12") of cable out of the drum and feed
it into the drain. Always keep both hands on the cable. As
you feed the cable into the drain, you may feel and see
the cable slow down and feel the cable start to wind or
load up (this will feel like the cable is starting to twist or
squirm). This may be a transition in the drain line (trap,
elbow, etc.) build up in the drain (grease, etc.) or the ac-
tual blockage. Feed the cable slowly and carefully. Do not
let cable build up outside the drain. This can cause the
cable to twist, kink or break.
Pay attention to the amount of cable that has been fed into
the drain. Feeding cable into a larger drain line or similar
transition may cause the cable to kink or knot and prevent
removal from the drain. Minimize the amount of cable
fed into the transition to prevent problems.
If using cable with the "speed bump" feature (See Figure
12) this indicates that there is only about five more feet of
usable cable.
Front End
of Cable
Figure 12 – C-13-IC SB Cable with Cable End Indicator
Working the blockage
If the tool at the end of the cable stops turning, it is no
longer cleaning the drain. If the tool becomes lodged in the
blockage and power is maintained to the drain cleaner, the
cable will start to wind up (this will feel like the cable is
starting to twist or squirm). Having both hands on the
cable allows you to feel this wind up and control the
cable. As you feel the cable wind up, or if the tool stops
turning, pull back on the cable to free the tool from the
blockage. Don't keep the cable rotating if the tool is stuck
in a blockage. If the tool stops turning and the drum keeps
rotating, the cable can twist, kink or break.
Once the tool is free of the blockage and is turning again,
you can slowly feed the rotating cutting tool back into the
blockage. Do not try to force the tool through the blockage.
Let the spinning tool "dwell" in the blockage to help com-
pletely break it up. Work the tool in this manner until it has
Ridge Tool Company
Speedbump is Approx. 84" From Back End of
Cable
11