It’s that time of year again. Here are some gift ideas for your favorite drain cleaner.
The van upgrade
The work vehicles in the pipe rehab industry carry sophisticated equipment, but efficiency often comes down to the accessories we use. It’s time to stop fighting the job and start working smarter.
We’ve all been there: Battling a rusted or cemented manhole cover with a pick and a sledgehammer, risking pinched fingers and back strain. Trying to sneak the shovel in the second you see daylight. If you have the money this year and you pull a lot of manholes, do an upgrade.
Invest in a quality magnetic manhole lifter. While they might be slightly more cumbersome than a simple pick, modern designs are surprisingly compact and easy to store in the van. They allow a single operator to lift, move, and replace heavy manhole covers with minimal effort and maximal control, significantly reducing the risk of injury and speeding up access time. The initial investment pays for itself quickly in reduced worker fatigue and increased site turnaround speed. Add the tool use as a fee in the job.
Perfect pipe prep
When preparing a pipe for sewer or storm drains, a precise bevel is crucial. Not just with gasketed pipe, but regular glue pipe as well. Unfortunately, achieving a clean, consistent bevel often involves resorting to illegal (and hazardous) practices — like using a cut-off saw with a wafer wheel and beveling the edges using the apprentice who has “the touch.”
Meet the Reed BevelBoss. This tool is a lifesaver. It zips around sewer pipe, creating a perfect, consistent bevel every time. Even better, it’s available in a battery-powered model and features a vacuum hose attachment to capture debris. Stop settling for a half-right job and start prepping pipe quickly, safely, and perfectly. This is the difference between a professional installation and a shortcut waiting to fail. There may be other manufactures of these, but we own this one and love it.
Have you ever had a leak on a glue joint that you swear you did right? I’ll bet if you cut it apart at the shop, you’ll see your jagged edge dragged the glue all the way to the shoulder of the hub. Take the time to bevel right.
Nozzle care: specialized cleaning tips
A common oversight is jetter nozzle maintenance. When your expensive nozzle starts to lose its punch and your machine spikes out on a high pressure limit, what do you reach for? If your answer involves splitting stainless steel wires off a cleaning brush, you're doing it wrong.
Purchase the correct, specialized nozzle cleaning tips. These are designed to safely clear blockages without damaging the precision-machined orifices of your jetter nozzles, ensuring maximum hydraulic efficiency and extending the life of your most critical cleaning accessory.
Spare parts safety net
In the pipe rehab world, your major equipment — bursting machines, liners, coating rigs — are custom, specialized, and expensive. The parts that fail are never the big ones; they are the small, proprietary components that are never stocked locally. They send you extra in a bag, but where is that bag?
Whatever your specialty, you must have a dedicated spare parts kit ready to go. Let's use a pipe bursting machine as an example:
- Extra gripper sets: They wear out or get damaged. Don't let a missing piece halt a six-figure job.
- Extra O-rings and seals: These small components are mission-critical. A missing O-ring can mean the difference between operating and waiting a week for a shipment.
- Spare controller batteries: Those small, lawnmower-style batteries used for controllers always seem to die the moment you hit the upstroke. Buy two spares and keep them charged.
These parts aren't on the shelf at your local hardware store; they are often a week away in the best-case scenario. Treat spare parts as mandatory insurance against downtime.
Cordless grease gun
For those whose career includes excavation work, maintenance is often the most neglected area. We've all seen the excavator that's been running for 30 years without a single shot of grease — a true outlier! For the rest of us, proper greasing extends equipment life and prevents costly damage.
Invest in a battery-operated grease gun. Keep it in the dump truck or service rig. Grease the equipment (excavator, mini-skid, etc.) at the end of every day. This small routine — made easy by the cordless gun — is the single best investment you can make in the longevity of your supporting equipment.
Latest power tool: the cordless cut-off saw
Moving from specialized tools to general site utility, a final recommendation is the battery-powered cut-off saw.
We recently upgraded to the large-format Milwaukee cordless saw (the 14-inch version, not the small one). This machine is a beast. With the giant battery, you eliminate the hassle of gas and oil — and it has the guts to get the job done. The torque is substantial. Pull the trigger and you’ll be surprised. You can’t saw cut concrete all day with it, but it still has a great place in your arsenal.
It excels at quickly blowing through terra cotta and is great for cutting cement (within its limits). With the correct blade, it handles ductile iron very easily. We use it as a reliable backup when our chain saws are acting up. A 45-minute charge time for that kind of power is an excellent trade-off, making this tool a huge asset in the ditch.
About the Author
Anthony Pacilla is a registered master plumber for McVehil Plumbing in Washington, Pennsylvania. He has over two decades of experience in the plumbing and HVAC trades and has a bachelor’s in business and economics from Thiel College.
