Great videos brother. Just to clarify, you mention a lot that the 204 cable is a 3/8 (10mm) but it is a 5/16 (8mm). You might have changed it for the 3/8. Thank you
Oh man you are totally correct!!! When I was making these videos I was working with a friend on a way to load the 204 with 3/8” cables and it must of just gotten stuck in my head but you are totally right it’s a 5/16 cable!!! I’m gonna pin your comment.
Great to hear that and you are not the only one thinking about loading a 3/8 or even a 1/2..... Having the option to use bigger cables opens more options and durability wise it would be also great. I would like to thank you for always sharing your knowledge and opinions, it has been invaluable for many of us
I really like the Milwaukee Brushless drill driver, you don’t want or need a hammer drill for this you just want a drill driver that spins at a high RPM I’ve had my eye on the New 24v FLEX drill because it has a turbo mode(lol) that allows it to spin at 2500 rpm, just hard for me to go to a new cordless tool system when I’ve already invested so much in Milwaukee so I’m waiting to see what Milwaukee comes out with next.
But I use that Milwaukee none fuel just brushless drill driver for now because it’s plenty powerful and was reasonably priced. I will occasionally throw my little 12v fuel hammer drill on it too but I always leave the clutch set kinda in the middle
Hi I wonder if you can help me. I'm after buying the flex shaft. But not sure if I should get the k9 102 or k9 204. If I get the 102 will that clean a 4" pipe with the right size chain. Because I really want the k9 204 as if does 4" but will that go round a toilet trap.
The 102 is the one that you can shoot through a toilet trap the 204 is a little too big for that, I’ve unclogged toilet lines with the 102 but it’s dangerous for sure you could damage or break your cable or possibly even get it stuck like I did in a recent video. That being said I like the 102 for 1.5-2” drain lines it’s my go2 machine the first one I grab every single time. The 204 I use when I pull toilets or if I’m going through a 2” branch to stop into the main. Just like I said be careful, highly recommend running a camera at the same time
The cables only break if you are misusing the machines, I use them daily I’ve not really had any problems, only problem I had was getting the little 12ft 1/4” shaft stuck in a branch line because it dropped into a main and wrapped itself in wipes and let me tell you bro I abused the hell out of that thing trying to get it back and it’s still usable lol!!! So you really gotta be pushing them to the limit using the wrong drills etc to break them
Thank you for your video I have all the drum machine friend mine has plumbing company in Arizona he has Picot and Ridgid flex shaft he dose not like it becuse of the cables. Also I wanted to get Hydro jitter but you mention there is no need for one however if you descale the cast Iron Pipe how are you going flush the system because regular water hose dose not do it ? I would appreciate you comment ?
After descaling a line I will typically run a hose down the line, depending how bad it was Ill sometimes send it down with a pressure bag on to help really flush it out. Having a jetter is great but honestly since Ive been using my flex shafts Ive only had to jet one line.
So both my cousins are plumbers, one of them has been plumbing 2 years now he doesn’t wear knee pads but my other cousin has been plumbing 7 years now he wears knee pads just like me, the proof is in the pudding bro the more experience you get the more you realize how important it is to protect your body anyway you can! After a few injury’s or after losing money because they had to call out cuz their knees hurt they’ll start wearing knee pads I promise!
Lol bro….. Every plumber on planet earth will tell you Spartans are the cream of the crop, if you’re breaking drain lines there’s something wrong with the drain line to begin with or you’re doing something wrong
Usually if im having trouble getting it out farther ill throw like a cleaning brush on the tip infront of the chains or a cleaning brush behind the chains, sometimes both works really well too. What I think happens is the tip is so heavy with the chains and the Ridgid cable is so bendable once youve gone through a few turns it becomes very difficult to push so buy some 1 1/2" cleaning brushes and try using those to help lift the tip of the cable up so it doesnt get stuck on offsets and just run the drill while pushing it out that also helps, Sometimes you can tape it to your camera and help use your camera to help push it out just tape the camera like 6-8" behind the chains. Ive also used a garden hose to help push the cable out, tape the cable to the garden hose and push them both at the same time. Hope this helps bro!
Yes there are drill heads available but I caution you! If you are dealing with Wet wipes don’t get too courageous I just got my shaft stuck in a line because it wrapped itself in wet wipes and I had to go buy a small electric pressure washer and convert it to a jetter to get them off and get my shaft back it was really stressful
Great content, I just ordered mine. There are a fair amount of people claiming the cables break to easily, which has me a bit concerned. I also feel like finesse isn’t in some peoples vocabulary. This tool isn’t for everyone.
This is absolutely one of my favorite tools on my truck, the 102 is My favorite tool for unclogging and cleaning any lines up to 2” and if I can’t get it open with this I’ll send down one of my Spartans. Ridgid makes different heads now so you can penetrate clogs much easier. When it comes to repairing them, now that they’ve been around for a little while guys have come up with all kinds of cool different ways, my buddy Tony I call him the mad scientist because he’s always coming up with cool stuff and different ways to repair the flex shafts. When it comes to repairs You can order 5/16 cable from Zewer-tools.com or Plumber-tools.com and buy a crimp end and a crimper and repair your cable easily on your own. The ridgid cables you have to solder them before cutting them. My buddy uses the Plumber-tools.com 5/16 cable in his 204 drum and it’s like half the price and much more durable. I’m going to be dropping some videos on repairing and how I use them etc just haven’t posted in a while because all my go pro’s and Shit got stolen when my truck was broken into a few months ago but I’m gonna get back into it very soon.
And you are right most of the time These break it’s due to user error, I haven’t snapped a cable yet, I did snap the pins on the gears but it was completely my fault and My cables have lasted over a year now because I’m very careful and I feel like I’ve learned how to use it now, it does take a little trial and error and there is a little bit of a learning curve / feeling out process but once you get the hang of the flex shafts they’ll be the main thing you use for drains.
Get it stuck and you will never use it again they are so expensive and cost to much when it gets stuck and then you are cutting open walls to get it out this thing is junk I’ll go back to the old one
@@PlumbingExplained I tried to pull it out with some different methods but it’s stuck so I have to tunnel and reroute a line it’s not reliable enough the old cables are cheaper and more reliable as well as cheap to replace
@@kinggrooms7473 try this: Buy a pressure washer to jetter conversion kit on Amazon it will come with a hose and some basic nozzles. Go to Home Depot or harbor freight and buy a small electric pressure washer that does like 1900 psi, doesn’t really matter the gallons per minute cause your gonna just be using it to try and cut whatever your flex shaft is stuck on off, probably got stuck on some roots or wet wipes and you tried to pull it back through a smaller drain, that’s exactly what happened to me, I shot through a 2” cleanout and it musta dropped right into the main cause I was only using a little 10’ whip and is only got about half way in. Also Plumber-Tools.com sells a really cool retrieval head for the k9-102 and k9-204, if you’ve got a camera you can throw that head on drop it down and try and retrieve it that way. There’s plenty of ways to get it unstuck brother it ain’t over til it’s over!
@@chrisroig7484 happy to make these videos bro! I have a ton of videos I need to edit right now, just having some trouble with some of the software I use. Stay tuned I’ll get some more videos up in the next couple days
Currently using the VEVOR 50 ft camera its very inexpensive but im about to step my game up with a nicer camera in the next couple weeks! Thanks for dropping a comment!
Great videos brother. Just to clarify, you mention a lot that the 204 cable is a 3/8 (10mm) but it is a 5/16 (8mm). You might have changed it for the 3/8.
Thank you
Oh man you are totally correct!!! When I was making these videos I was working with a friend on a way to load the 204 with 3/8” cables and it must of just gotten stuck in my head but you are totally right it’s a 5/16 cable!!! I’m gonna pin your comment.
Great to hear that and you are not the only one thinking about loading a 3/8 or even a 1/2..... Having the option to use bigger cables opens more options and durability wise it would be also great. I would like to thank you for always sharing your knowledge and opinions, it has been invaluable for many of us
I agree great video n motivating and learn new technology
Hello,
How many feet of cable is that and what is your camera branf
Why u said it’s a budget tool, k9 204 it’s over $1,500.00?
I just got my flex shaft today.What drill was that and how do you find it lasts.
I really like the Milwaukee Brushless drill driver, you don’t want or need a hammer drill for this you just want a drill driver that spins at a high RPM I’ve had my eye on the New 24v FLEX drill because it has a turbo mode(lol) that allows it to spin at 2500 rpm, just hard for me to go to a new cordless tool system when I’ve already invested so much in Milwaukee so I’m waiting to see what Milwaukee comes out with next.
But I use that Milwaukee none fuel just brushless drill driver for now because it’s plenty powerful and was reasonably priced. I will occasionally throw my little 12v fuel hammer drill on it too but I always leave the clutch set kinda in the middle
Hi I wonder if you can help me. I'm after buying the flex shaft. But not sure if I should get the k9 102 or k9 204. If I get the 102 will that clean a 4" pipe with the right size chain. Because I really want the k9 204 as if does 4" but will that go round a toilet trap.
The 102 is the one that you can shoot through a toilet trap the 204 is a little too big for that, I’ve unclogged toilet lines with the 102 but it’s dangerous for sure you could damage or break your cable or possibly even get it stuck like I did in a recent video. That being said I like the 102 for 1.5-2” drain lines it’s my go2 machine the first one I grab every single time. The 204 I use when I pull toilets or if I’m going through a 2” branch to stop into the main. Just like I said be careful, highly recommend running a camera at the same time
Only thing worrying me is all the bad reviews on ridgid about cable breaking , love the idea of this
The cables only break if you are misusing the machines, I use them daily I’ve not really had any problems, only problem I had was getting the little 12ft 1/4” shaft stuck in a branch line because it dropped into a main and wrapped itself in wipes and let me tell you bro I abused the hell out of that thing trying to get it back and it’s still usable lol!!! So you really gotta be pushing them to the limit using the wrong drills etc to break them
hey how much would you charge for that job ,, I only do the sewer snake but I want to get me a flex shaft and a jetter
Thank you for your video I have all the drum machine friend mine has plumbing company in Arizona he has Picot and Ridgid flex shaft he dose not like it becuse of the cables. Also I wanted to get Hydro jitter but you mention there is no need for one however if you descale the cast Iron Pipe how are you going flush the system because regular water hose dose not do it ? I would appreciate you comment ?
After descaling a line I will typically run a hose down the line, depending how bad it was Ill sometimes send it down with a pressure bag on to help really flush it out. Having a jetter is great but honestly since Ive been using my flex shafts Ive only had to jet one line.
Love the video but I would’ve been there less time than you with my jetter
I’m just now dippin my toes into jetting
Where you get that camera?
I bought in on Amazon actually it’s a brand called Vevor
@@PlumbingExplained thanks man
thx for video , man i've been trying to get my guys to wear knee pads , drain cleaning kills knees
So both my cousins are plumbers, one of them has been plumbing 2 years now he doesn’t wear knee pads but my other cousin has been plumbing 7 years now he wears knee pads just like me, the proof is in the pudding bro the more experience you get the more you realize how important it is to protect your body anyway you can! After a few injury’s or after losing money because they had to call out cuz their knees hurt they’ll start wearing knee pads I promise!
SPARTANS ARE A JOKE " GREAT EXCUSE FOR A DIG UP " great way to break clay tile.
Lol bro….. Every plumber on planet earth will tell you Spartans are the cream of the crop, if you’re breaking drain lines there’s something wrong with the drain line to begin with or you’re doing something wrong
I bought a 204 I noticed the push out in for inch becomes difficult on a line filled with water have any tips
Usually if im having trouble getting it out farther ill throw like a cleaning brush on the tip infront of the chains or a cleaning brush behind the chains, sometimes both works really well too. What I think happens is the tip is so heavy with the chains and the Ridgid cable is so bendable once youve gone through a few turns it becomes very difficult to push so buy some 1 1/2" cleaning brushes and try using those to help lift the tip of the cable up so it doesnt get stuck on offsets and just run the drill while pushing it out that also helps, Sometimes you can tape it to your camera and help use your camera to help push it out just tape the camera like 6-8" behind the chains. Ive also used a garden hose to help push the cable out, tape the cable to the garden hose and push them both at the same time. Hope this helps bro!
@@PlumbingExplained thanks I'll try it di you have the 306 yer
whats about wet wipes ? are there drill heads available ? got only heads for 8mm - 32mm coils
Yes there are drill heads available but I caution you! If you are dealing with Wet wipes don’t get too courageous I just got my shaft stuck in a line because it wrapped itself in wet wipes and I had to go buy a small electric pressure washer and convert it to a jetter to get them off and get my shaft back it was really stressful
@@PlumbingExplained okay thanks for advise
Great content, I just ordered mine. There are a fair amount of people claiming the cables break to easily, which has me a bit concerned. I also feel like finesse isn’t in some peoples vocabulary. This tool isn’t for everyone.
This is absolutely one of my favorite tools on my truck, the 102 is My favorite tool for unclogging and cleaning any lines up to 2” and if I can’t get it open with this I’ll send down one of my Spartans. Ridgid makes different heads now so you can penetrate clogs much easier.
When it comes to repairing them, now that they’ve been around for a little while guys have come up with all kinds of cool different ways, my buddy Tony I call him the mad scientist because he’s always coming up with cool stuff and different ways to repair the flex shafts.
When it comes to repairs You can order 5/16 cable from Zewer-tools.com or Plumber-tools.com and buy a crimp end and a crimper and repair your cable easily on your own. The ridgid cables you have to solder them before cutting them. My buddy uses the Plumber-tools.com 5/16 cable in his 204 drum and it’s like half the price and much more durable. I’m going to be dropping some videos on repairing and how I use them etc just haven’t posted in a while because all my go pro’s and Shit got stolen when my truck was broken into a few months ago but I’m gonna get back into it very soon.
And you are right most of the time
These break it’s due to user error, I haven’t snapped a cable yet, I did snap the pins on the gears but it was completely my fault and My cables have lasted over a year now because I’m very careful and I feel like I’ve learned how to use it now, it does take a little trial and error and there is a little bit of a learning curve / feeling out process but once you get the hang of the flex shafts they’ll be the main thing you use for drains.
Hey Criss, Can I use picote knockers on ridged flexshafts ? Like your content also !
A great way to upsell to customers and make sure those lines are good to go. No call backs either.
Nice video. I think I'm going to give those a try for my business
How many feet of 1/2” cable can you fit in the 100?
What model vevor camera did u buy. Great video.
Get it stuck and you will never use it again they are so expensive and cost to much when it gets stuck and then you are cutting open walls to get it out this thing is junk I’ll go back to the old one
@@kinggrooms7473 I’ve gotten it stuck I was able to get it out with a little electric jetter I made, I think I have a video or a short about it.
@@PlumbingExplained I tried to pull it out with some different methods but it’s stuck so I have to tunnel and reroute a line it’s not reliable enough the old cables are cheaper and more reliable as well as cheap to replace
@@kinggrooms7473 try this: Buy a pressure washer to jetter conversion kit on Amazon it will come with a hose and some basic nozzles. Go to Home Depot or harbor freight and buy a small electric pressure washer that does like 1900 psi, doesn’t really matter the gallons per minute cause your gonna just be using it to try and cut whatever your flex shaft is stuck on off, probably got stuck on some roots or wet wipes and you tried to pull it back through a smaller drain, that’s exactly what happened to me, I shot through a 2” cleanout and it musta dropped right into the main cause I was only using a little 10’ whip and is only got about half way in.
Also Plumber-Tools.com sells a really cool retrieval head for the k9-102 and k9-204, if you’ve got a camera you can throw that head on drop it down and try and retrieve it that way. There’s plenty of ways to get it unstuck brother it ain’t over til it’s over!
Awesome video!! What camera are you using?
Great video! What was the price for this fix?
You rock dude!!! Great vid thx for the details!
Thanks for this video biddu really appreciate it
*buddy lol
@@chrisroig7484 happy to make these videos bro! I have a ton of videos I need to edit right now, just having some trouble with some of the software I use. Stay tuned I’ll get some more videos up in the next couple days
How can I get/order cable?
Nice knockers
Hahaha first time I heard that!
I'm a drain cleaning guy.
Thanks 🙏🏾
What kind of camera you have
Currently using the VEVOR 50 ft camera its very inexpensive but im about to step my game up with a nicer camera in the next couple weeks! Thanks for dropping a comment!