Guys,
Thanks for these really good questions.
The sewer jetter hose on the model C-100-M (
http://www.cloghog.com/model_C-100-M.html) has an outside diameter of just under 0.5". All of our jetters are designed for pressure washers rated up to 4,000 PSI.
The model C-100-M works with virtually all gas-powered pressure washers that have flows from 3.0 to 4.0 PSI. The exception is a couple of "pro-sumer" units (notably Cam Spray 1600HX and 3000HX) that have below average engine horsepower and so need special jetter nozzles to prevent overloading.
This model of jetter is designed for drain pipes up to 6" in diameter. The main drain line in a typical home is 4".
A primary use for these jetters is removal of clogs that accumulate inside main sewer drains. Main drain clogs typically cause multiple fixtures to back up inside a building and are often too far from a drain opening for handheld drain cleaners to be of any use.
Because sewer jetters scrub the sides of dirty pipes they also help prevent the reoccurrence of clogs.
Feedback from customers seems to put the alternative plumber's cost for cleaning a blocked main sewer drain with a mechanical snake at anywhere from around $200 (in the case of a simple job) to over $1,000 (in a case where a plumber told the customer that the clog was so deep that piping would need to be dug out). This is the guy on our customer page (
http://www.cloghog.com/sewer-jetter-customers.html) who said he wanted to jump up and down for joy after clearing the clog with our jetter. Of course, all of this doesn't tell us the going rate in your market.
As for licensing, that's a really good question.
We've sold our jetters to smaller plumbers who are already licensed. A large percentage of our other sales has been to maintenance pros – people who handle multiple apartment complexes, retail stores, even oil field service companies.
I'd be interested to hear from other members about licensing requirements to use a jetter as part of a paid service.
As for safety, there's a short write up on our Blog site at
http://www.sewerjetgazette.net/sewer-jetter-safety/. When using a sewer jetter attachment you should follow the pressure washer makers' recommendation to wear eye protection and thick, fluid-resistant work gloves. You should also use care to run the nozzle only inside a pipe, and avoid breathing spray mist from sewer pipes by working in a well ventilated area.
Note that these safety guidelines are far different than the precautions needed for larger, purpose-built, truck- or trailer mounted units used by big service companies and municipal sewer cleaners. Those large machines have the power to cut through thick tree roots and can easily do the same with a hand or finger. That's why special training is needed for those big, purpose-built units.
A sewer jetter's cleaning action is much different than the cutting blade on an electric drain snake. There's a YouTube video on our home page at
www.cloghog.com that shows the nozzle powered by a midrange gas pressure washer running inside of clear PVC pipe. For those videos we ran the nozzle inside the kind of clear PVC piping used in food processing plants - similar in composition to standard PVC drain pipe. After repeated runs we got a dulling of the inside surface but no etching or pitting that we could feel. Note that we recommend against using jetters inside ceramic pipes.
I hope this all helps. Any more questions please let us know.
- Paul