6
Pre-Operation Inspection
WARNING
Before each use, inspect your drain cleaning ma-
chine and correct any problems to reduce the risk of
serious injury from electric shock, twisted or bro ken
cables, chemical burns, infections and other causes
and prevent drain cleaner damage.
Always wear safety glasses, RIDGID drain cleaning
gloves, and other appropriate protective e quip ment
when inspecting your drain cleaner. For extra pro-
tection from chemicals and bacteria on the e quip -
ment, wear latex, rubber or other liquid barrier
gloves
under the RIDGID drain cleaning gloves.
1. Inspect the RIDGID drain cleaning gloves. Make
sure they are in good condition with no holes, tears or
loose sections that could be caught in the rotating
cable. It is important not to wear improper or damaged
gloves. The gloves protect your hands from the ro-
tating cable. If the gloves are not RIDGID drain clean-
ing gloves or are damaged, worn out or do not fit
snugly, do not use machine until RIDGID drain clean-
ing gloves are available.
See Figure 4.
Figure 4 – RIDGID Drain Cleaning Gloves – Leather, PVC
2. Make sure that the drain cleaning machine is un-
plugged. Inspect the power cord, Ground Fault Circuit
Interrupter (GFCI) (if equipped, 120V units) and plug
for damage. If the plug has been modified, or if the
cord is damaged, to avoid electrical shock, do not
use the machine until the cord has been replaced by
a qualified repair person.
3. Clean any oil, grease or dirt from all equipment han-
dles and controls. This aids inspection and helps
prevent the machine or control from slipping from
your grip. Clean any debris from the cable and drum.
4. Inspect the drain cleaner for the following items:
K-45 Drain Cleaning Machine
• Proper assembly and completeness
• Broken, worn, missing, mis-aligned or binding parts
• Smooth and free movement of the ADVANCE and
RETRIEVE feed levers, the slide chuck, and the
drum.
• Presence and readability of the warning label
(see
Figure 2).
• Any other condition which may prevent safe and
normal operation.
If any problems are found, do not use the drain cleaner
until the problems have been repaired.
5. Inspect cable for wear and damage – Look for:
• Obvious flats worn into the outside of the cable
(cable is made from round wire and profile should be
round).
• Multiple or excessively large kinks (slight kinks up to
15 degrees can be straightened).
• Space between the coils indicating the cable has
been deformed by stretching, kinking or running in
REVERSE.
• Excessive corrosion from storing wet or exposure to
drain chemicals.
All of these forms of wear and damage weaken the
cable and make cable twisting, kinking or breaking
more likely during use. Replace worn and damaged
cable before using drain cleaner.
Make sure cable is fully retracted with no more than 2"
(50mm) of cable outside of the drain cleaner. This will
prevent whipping at start up.
6. Inspect the tools for wear and damage. If necessary,
replace prior to using the drain cleaning machine.
Dull or damaged cutting tools can lead to binding,
cable breakage, and slow the drain cleaning process.
7. With dry hands, plug cord into outlet. Test the GFCI (if
equipped) in the electrical cord to insure that it is op-
erating correctly. When the test button is pushed in, the
reset button should pop out. Reactivate by pushing the
reset button in. If GFCI is not functioning properly,
unplug the cord and do not use the drain cleaning
machine until the GFCI has been repaired.
8. Do not push feed levers (AUTOFEED units Only).
Press the ON/OFF switch and note the direction of ro-
tation of the drum as compared to the FOR/REV ar-
rows on the decals. If the ON/OFF switch does not
control the machine operation, do not use the ma-
chine until the switch has been repaired. Re lease
the switch and let the drum come to a complete stop.
Move the FOR/REV switch to the opposite position,
and repeat above testing to confirm that the drain
cleaner operates properly in the other direction.
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