Drain Clearing/Rodding & Jetting

[Winston]

I seem to get a fair amount of this type of work but recently since I bought a snake for my jet wash I have been able to clear blockages often within 30 minutes. This has affected my turnover and profit for this type of work.

I charge a flat rate of £50 per hour, where I have one local company who charge £120 first hour or its dyno rod. Admitingley they do have large special equipment as oppossed to my gear.

But as its affected my profit and turnover what sort of money do you charge for this work? Should I put my prices up?

 

[Puddle]

Hi Winston

Good to see you are following demand

If you are charging £50 and a rival is charging £120, thought you would have some scope for improving your rates, the customer does not know how big you are and does not see or need specialist equipment most of the time and probably does not care as long as they get there drains cleared, most will pay a premium due to the nature of the works
You will find you will be able to clear most blockages with the equipment you have
Maybe try around £80 and see how you go,remember you can always come down a bit while talking if need be

 

[johnmcginty]

Hi Guys, havn't really done much in the way of drain clearance, can you possibly list all of the equipment you use as I would like to invest in some gear soon ? Cheers lads

 

[Winston]

Not alot needed really. Couple of sets of rods, 1 Karcher jet wash small and light with snake attachments, plungers, drain wire, couple of litres of commercial strength chemicals, drain dye. Manhole cover keys, gloves and wellies and wipes.

 

[REDSAW]

Not alot needed really. Couple of sets of rods, 1 Karcher jet wash small and light with snake attachments, plungers, drain wire, couple of litres of commercial strength chemicals, drain dye. Manhole cover keys, gloves and wellies and wipes.

gawd, i bet your van stinks a bit?.

where and what is the snake any info?.

 

[Winston]

Hi Redsaw if you go to the Karcher uk site and type in drains you will see the snakes two are available.

15metre 2.637-760
7.5metre 2.640-203

They attach on to the gun of the jet wash and are a god send when you dont have the room to get rods down. Well worth the money and have even used them down a wc without any problems.

And yer my van does have a aquired aroma!

 

[bobpape]

Hi Winston

I do the administration for my self employed son who works mostly on his own but when necessary hires in either skilled operatives or labourers.

Although we are both plumbers (I am retired disabled with RA and lung problems probably related to asbestos) for the last 20 years we have focused on the drainage
side of plumbing.

Currently to replace his "Tools of Trade" would cost £80K and this figure does not
include hand tools such as grinders etc.

He does
Lining-Patch Repairs- CCTV Drain Surveys-Branch/Lateral Remote Reopening- Drain Tracing-Excavate Repair and Replace-Root Cutting-Complete Drain Renewal-Blockage
Clearance-Pitch Fibre Rerounding-Water Main Repair or Replcement-Septic Tank Installation,

He owns and uses equipment by

Harben-Neolith-Scan Probe-Renoline-Gadmon-Flex Seal-Sewer Centre-Epros- General
Electric-Hitachi-Ifor Williams-Iveco-Garmin-Wards Flex-Essig Mole,

He still occasionally uses a Sewer Rooter which I bought in 1972 at a cost then of £600.00. which was my first bit of dedicated drain kit.

I wonder if your first bit of dedicated drain kit will last so long or indeed will it lead to
a life of working in drains.

Good Luck

 

[Winston]

It probably wont last as long lol, but it does the jobs and hasnt beaten me yet. And easily pays for itself on the first job, I find drainage work very satisfying hearing that glug glug gone

I just dont understand why alot of the plumbers my way dont do it

 

[Bernie2]

I have worked for companies who have had active drain cleaning as part of their business. But the only equipment they used where rods, plungers, scrapers and so on. And they had been doing it for years this way, one company probably since about 1854.

Really big blockages of course where either dyno rod jobs or dig ups. The problems they found with dyno rod where that their equipment could go through the side of a drain instead of clearing the blockage.

CCTV of course was very expensive but seems to have come down in price a lot over recent years.

I would say that these companies could clear 98% of blockages with just the basics.

So if you want to have a go, invest in a good set of rods and attachments with also possibly a sani snake and have a go.

By the way it helps a lot if you know drainage and where to look for possible blockages.

 

[Winston]

Yer have to agree with you there Bernie one house I went to I couldnt get my head round the drainage literally went round the houses, no logic as to why. But can rest assurred two years later it will be blocked again, and it was a new build.

But the thing with drainage its often labour intensive and profits are good.

 

[Bernie2]

Yes! Must admit that Winston,

The companies loved drain jobs, it was like being given a blank cheque. But saying that, a big Housing association up here, would only pay a flat rate of so many hours for a domestic drain job.

But more often than not you could do them in a very short time and get paid the extra.

 

[bobpape]

Oi Bernie2

I hope you are not comparing me with Dyno Rod in terms of No-Dig I started long before they did.
Originally they were a franchise operation that entered into agreements with Butchers,Bakers, Candlestick Makers, Talk about fast trackers, these were the origional.

I was doing CCTV and No Dig drain repairs in 1972,

All Dyno Rod were doing at that time was blockages, I dont think they started using
CCTV untill the mid 80s and drain repairs came after that.

You have to hand it to Zockoll (the govenor) he certainly made a lot of money,
only thing is he has been bankrupted many times which make you wonder how much
heartache surrounds him,

I have never been bankrupt, I am still mates with the plumbers who worked with me,

I have made lots of money which I spent on sport and interests, the rest I wasted.

 

[stevetheplumber]

jetters have there place but more on industrial stuff ive never been beaten by a blockage using rods and plungers on domestic the only time ive called a jetter was a six floor rwp blocked by roofers gravel and tar they couldnt shift it and it had to be cut out

 

[Leodbd]

Hi can anyone tell me how to change the diaphragms on a harben jetter thanks

 

[davis87]

Hi all

I am currently a uhp/hp jetting operative with over 5 years experience of contracting on chemical and petrochemical sites throughout the UK and international but I am looking to start up on my own this would mean offering drainage services but in fortunately I have only down large scale drainage with vac tankers with jetting hoses on back. I would be using a van mounted jetting unit and have a range of jetting capabilities would it be hard for me to get into drainage and learning the trade?