I have a friend who is quick to label brands or movements with a mysteriously strong following – much like a cult! Examples include Apple, Tesla, Starbucks, the Grateful Dead and, oddly enough, sectional drain cleaning machines and cables.
The sectional cable cult, if in fact it is one, has a long and venerable history, and the mysterious devotion experienced by its followers is not based on advertising cachet or an attempt to keep up with the Joneses, but rather on good old-fashioned pragmatism. As any adherent will tell you, sectional drain cleaning cables are more flexible and spin at a higher rate of speed than drum style cables. Simply put, although there is more work involved, sectional drain cleaning machines do a better job at cleaning the drain.
An additional bonus of sectional drain machines is that the larger sectional cables have a very wide pitch (distance between the coils) which rides on the lip of the pipe, allowing these cables to literally screw themselves down the drain. This feature makes going 200 feet down the line a breeze with a sectional drain cleaning machine, where as a drum-style machine would require a lot more work to do the same task.
The only trick is to make sure that you have the correct size cable for the pipe that you wish to clean. This can be a little tricky if you are transitioning from drum style to sectional style cables, because sectionals are hollow and tend to have a larger outside diameter.
For example, a 5/8-inch drum-style cable is considered rather large, something to be used to cut roots or heavy-duty obstructions. On the other hand, a 5/8-inch sectional cable is considered rather small, something to be used in 1 ½- to 3-inch lines for lightweight obstructions. A 7/8-inch drum-style cable would be considered huge, only used for the largest pipes and toughest obstructions. A 7/8-inch sectional style cable is considered a medium-sized cable, to be used for 2- to 4-inch lines with medium obstructions (no root cutting.) The heavy lifting in the sectional cable world is done by 1-¼ inch cables, which are thicker, yet more flexible than anything in the drum cable world.
Another upside of sectionals is that sectional drain cleaning machines are lighter than drum machines, 80 pounds vs. 200 or more pounds, and you can carry a few sections of cable at a time to the jobsite, rather than all 200 feet at the same in a drum machine.
The downside to using a sectional drain cleaning machine is that…they come in sections! Depending on the length of the drain cable, you must stop often to reconnect. Most people find this slightly more arduous than simply pushing a lever and stepping on a foot pedal, which is the total amount of physical labor required to drive a drum-style machine cable down the line. On the other hand, having the confidence that your cables and machine will be able to reach and clear any obstruction may be enough to convince you to join the cult! General has a wide array of sectional drain cleaning cables and sectional drain cleaning machines which will allow you to work with our drain cables as well as most competitive brands. Check out our website for more details.
For more information, contact the Drain Brains at General Pipe Cleaners at 800-245-6200. You may also contact us via our easy form. Find a distributor near you where you can view and purchase General Pipe Cleaners’ sectional drain cleaning machines and cables – your business and customers will thank you!
