Every drain cleaner has stories — something unusual found jammed in a pipe or some special trick utilized to finish a job.
One of Rod Tarbox’s interesting memories is about the time he worked for six hours in the basement of a home in Berlin, New Hampshire, running a sectional machine through a century-old obstructed pipe to clear it of intruding tree roots, accumulated wipes, paper towels and assorted other compacted debris.
He succeeded in clearing it finally, but not before he injured his back, an aggravation that still periodically resurfaces. Some time later, he says he drove by the property and saw the house being demolished. After all his work!
“Every once in a while, I tweak my back again and I remember,” he says.
On the other hand, his recollection of another job always brings a smile. A plumber acquaintance had not been able to clear an obstruction from a line and called Rod for help. He responded and, just as he arrived on the scene, the obstruction was overcome and the line flowed clear. Rod, of course, took full credit for the miraculous outcome.
“I told the plumber I charge more when I do it with no tools,” he says.
Read more about Rod Tarbox and his company Mt. Washington Sewer and Drain Cleaning in the February 2026 issue of Cleaner magazine.
