Working The Blockage; Handling A Stuck Tool; Freeing A Stuck Tool; Retrieving The Cable - RIDGID K-4310 FXP Manual

K-4310 FXP Drum Machine
amount of cable fed into the transition to prevent prob-
lems.
If an additional length of cable is needed, see the section
"Adding Additional Cable" .

Working The Blockage

If the end of the cable stops turning, it is no longer clean-
ing the drain. If the end of the cable becomes lodged in
the blockage and power is maintained to the machine,
the cable will start to wind up (this may feel like the cable
is starting to twist or squirm). Having a hand on the cable
allows you to feel this wind up and control the cable. If
the cable end stops turning or if the cable starts to wind
up, immediately pull the cable back from the obstruction:
• Manual Operation – pull back on the cable to free the
cable end from the blockage.
• AUTOFEED Unit Operation – move the AUTOFEED
lever to retrieve direction to free the cable end of the
blockage.
Do not keep the cable rotating if the cable is stuck in a
blockage. If the cable end stops turning and the drum
keeps rotating, the cable can twist, kink or break.
Once the cable end is free of the blockage and turning
again, you can slowly feed the cable end back into the
blockage. Do not try to force the cable end through the
blockage. Let the spinning end "dwell" in the blockage
to completely break it up. Work the tool in this manner
until you have moved completely past the blockage (or
blockages) and the drain is flowing. Manual operation is
usually the best choice if the cable repeatedly gets stuck
when using the AUTOFEED unit. If using an AUTOFEED
unit machine manually, the AUTOFEED knob may need
to be loosened, and the AUTOFEED lever placed in the
neutral position.
While working the blockage, the cable and tool may
become clogged with debris and cuttings from the block-
age. This can prevent further progress. The cable and
tool need to be retrieved from the drain and the debris
removed. See section on "Retrieving the Cable" .

Handling A Stuck Tool

If the tool stops turning and the cable cannot be pulled
back from the blockage, immediately release the foot
switch while firmly holding the cable. Do not remove
hands from cable or cable may kink, twist and break.
The motor will stop and the cable and drum may turn
backwards until the energy stored in the cable is relieved.
Do not remove hands from cable until the tension is
released. Place FOR/OFF/REV switch in OFF position.
Do not move the main ON/OFF switch to OFF position if
18
recording, this will cause a data interruption and may not
allow chart generation.

Freeing A Stuck Tool

If the tool is stuck in the blockage, with the FOR/OFF/
REV switch in the OFF position and the foot switch re-
leased, try pulling the cable loose from the blockage. If
the tool will not come free from the blockage, place the
FOR/OFF/REV switch in REV position. Grasp the cable
with both gloved hands, press the foot switch for several
seconds and pull on the cable until it is free of the block-
age. Do not operate the machine in the REV position any
longer than required to free (unscrew) the cutting tool
from the blockage or cable damage can occur. Place the
FOR/OFF/REV switch in the FOR position and continue
cleaning the drain.

Retrieving The Cable

Once the drain is open, start a flow of water down the
drain to flush the debris out of the line. This can be done
by running a hose down the drain opening, turning on a
faucet in the system or other methods. Pay attention to
the water level, as the drain could plug again.
With water flowing through the drain, retrieve the cable
from the line. The flow of water will help to clean the cable
as it is retrieved. The FOR/OFF/REV switch should be
in the FOR position – do not retrieve the cable with the
switch in the REV position, this can damage the cable.
As with feeding the cable into the drain, cables can be
caught while being retrieved.
• Manual Operation – With both gloved hands equally
spaced on the exposed cable for control, pull 6"-12"
lengths of cable from the drain at a time and feed it into
the drum.
• AUTOFEED Unit Operation – With one hand near
the center of the exposed length of cable, move the
AUTOFEED lever to the retrieve position. The rotating
cable will work its way out of the drain and back into the
drum.
Continue retrieving cable until the cable end is just inside
the drain opening. Release the foot switch and allow the
machine to come to a complete stop. Do not pull the end
of the cable from the drain while the cable is rotating. The
cable can whip around and cause serious injury. Pay at-
tention to the cable during retrieval as the cable end can
still become stuck.
Place the FOR/OFF/REV switch in the OFF position. Pull
the remaining cable from the drain with gloved hands
and feed back into the machine. Place the main ON/OFF
switch in the OFF position.
999-995-420.10_REV A