A Quick Guide For Proper Drill Setup and Cleaning With FlexShaft Machine (FEE-JP) - News

July 1, 2021

The RIDGID K9-102 and K9-204 FlexShaft™ Drain Cleaning Machines clean and descale pipes in 1 ¼-inch to 4-inch and drain lines up to 70 feet. Both has a chain knocker that expands to the pipe inside diameter to break up grease, sludge, small tree roots and other soft blockages. 

FlexShaft machines can also be paired with SeeSnake inspection cameras that can remain in-pipe throughout the drain cleaning process for maximum efficiency.

DRILL SETUP

To get started with FlexShaft, a user supplied battery powered drill is used to drive the machine. Below are some guidelines for setting up the drill to the FlexShaft drain cleaning machine.

  1. FIND THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB

FlexShaft machines require a cordless drill with an adjustable clutch and a speed range between 1800 and 2500 RPM. An impact driver or corded drill is not suitable to be paired with the FlexShaft.

  1. DIAL UP THE SPEED

Set your drill to the optimal speed from either 2 or 3.

  1. SET THE MODE

Make sure to set the drill to crew driving mode to enable the adjustable clutch. The clutch won’t work in drill or hammer modes (as seen on the illustration above).

  1. CONTROL YOUR CLUTCH

Always start cleaning with the adjustable clutch set relatively low (~25% of the max range).

CLEANING WITH FLEXSHAFT

After you’ve properly set up your drill to the FlexShaft machine, you can now start clearing blockages.

STEP 1
Ensure that the clutch is set to 25% and attach the drill chuck to the drill shaft.
STEP 2
Choose the right chain knocker based on the type of blockage you’ll be cleaning, the pipe size and pipe type. You may refer to the table below for recommended options.
STEP 3
Operate the drill at maximum speed when clearing blockages. Never force the chain knockers into the blockages and if the drill clutches out, back out blockage and get chain knockers spinning again before re-entering the blockage.
STEP 4
If you’re experiencing continuous clutching out of the drill, you can increase the setting o the adjustable clutch but don’t let it exceed 75% of the total clutch adjustment as it may damage the cable in the drum of the drain cleaner.
STEP 5
If the drill continues to clutch out, you may opt to use other RIDGID drain cleaning machine.

For more details, visit https://www.ridgid.com/