Accessories - RIDGID K-40 Manual

to protect the fixture from damage and contain the liquid
thrown off the cable as it is retrieved from the drain. If the
AUTOFEED is not kept within 6" of the drain opening, the
cable will not be properly supported and may allow the
cable to twist, kink or break.
When using a machine with a front guide hose, pay at-
tention to how the guide hose feels in your hand and
watch the drum rotation. Because the guide hose is
over the cable, there is less sensitivity to the loading of
the cable, and it can be harder to tell if the tool is rotating
or not. If the tool is not rotating, the drain is not being
cleaned.
Retrieve Feed
Lever
Guide
Hose
Figure 14 – Advance/Retract Feed Lever
Starting the cable in the drain
Confirm at least one foot of cable is in drain and end of
AUTOFEED is less than 6" from Drain opening. Press on
the foot switch to start the machine. To advance the
cable into the drain, depress the ADVANCE feed lever
(Figure 14 and 15) . The rotating cable will work its way
into the drain. The person controlling the cable and
the AUTOFEED must also control the foot switch. Do
not operate the drain cleaner with one person con-
trolling the cable and AUTOFEED and another
person 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 down on
the cable. Only do this long enough to get the cable
started through the trap. Running the drain cleaner in re-
verse can damage the cable.
• Finally, if none of these options work, consider using a
smaller diameter or more flexible cable, or a different
drain cleaner.
Advance Feed
Lever
Cable
Ridge Tool Company
K-40 Drain Cleaning Machine
Figure 15 – AUTOFEED in Advance and Retrieve Position
Cleaning the Drain
Always keep one hand on the guide hose. As you feed the
cable into the drain, you may feel and see the cable slow
down and feel the guide hose start to load or wind up (this
will feel like the guide hose 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 actual
blockage. Feed the cable slowly and carefully. Do not let
cable build up outside drain. This can cause the cable to
twist, kink or break. Keep end of AUTOFEED within 6" of
drain opening.
Pay attention to the amount of cable that has been fed into
the drain. If using cable with the "speed bump" feature
(See Figure 12), the speed bump will not pass through the
depressed AUTOFEED. This indicates that it is time to re-
trieve the cable. 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.
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 may feel like the guide hose
is starting to twist or squirm) and buildup outside the
drain. Having a hand on the guide hose can allow you to
Advance
Retrieve
13