This invention relates to the art of drain cleaning apparatus and, more particularly, to improvements in connection with transmitting torque to the drain cleaning cable in such apparatus and directing and feeding the cable into a drain or waste line to be cleaned.
Drain cleaning apparatus of the character to which the present invention is directed is generally comprised of a motor driven snake or drain cleaning cable drum in which the drain cleaning cable is wound about the axis of the drum and is rotatable therewith. The drum has an open front end through which a free or outer end of the cable extends for entrance into a drain to be cleaned and, in order to optimize the torque transmitted to the cable by rotation of the drum, cable guide tubes have been provided in the drum, or the inner end of the cable has been clamped to the drum. Guide tube arrangements are structurally complex and require somewhat complicated mountings in the drum, and cable clamps require mounting holes through the drum which leads to water leakage relative to the drum. While it is preferred to avoid the foregoing problems by eliminating the guide tube or not attaching the inner end of the cable to the drum, the result is that the slippage between the cable and drum restricts the transmission of torque to the cable by the drum and thus restricts the magnitude of a blockage which can be broken up or cleared with the apparatus.
The snake or drain cleaning cable in such apparatus, as is conventional, is an elongate, flexible member made of tightly wound spring wire, and the free or outer end thereof is adapted to be pulled from or pushed back into the drum in which the cable is stored during periods of non-use. In many such apparatus, the drum, or a cable cartridge within the drum, can be removed to facilitate connecting successive lengths of cable for feeding into a waste line, or for using different diameter drain cleaning cables with the apparatus. Often, drain cleaners of the foregoing character not only require that the cable be manually pulled or pushed relative to the cable drum housing, but also require the operator to manually bend or flex the cable in order to direct it into the entrance of a drain or waste line to be cleaned. Even though an operator may wear gloves, whereby his or her hands are protected from dirt and/or abrasive contact with the drain cleaning cable, such protection is not obtained in the absence of gloves and, in any event, pulling, pushing and flexing the cable into position is inconvenient for the operator.
In accordance with the present invention, improvements are provided by which the foregoing and other problems encountered with motor driven drain cleaning apparatus are minimized or overcome. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the torque transmitted from a cable storage drum or cartridge to a cable having its inner end detached from the drum is considerably increased over that heretofore obtainable. In this respect, the inner end of a drain cleaning cable in a storage drum or cartridge is provided with an attachment which frictionally engages the inner surface of the storage container to resist slippage therebetween and thus increase the torque transmitted to the cable during operation of the apparatus.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the outer or free end of a drain cleaning cable extends through a flexible guide tube which is provided on its outer end with a manually operable device for feeding the cable from and to the storage drum, thus to preclude an operator having to manually pull or push the cable relative to the drum. Moreover, the flexibility of the guide tube advantageously enables the operator to direct the free end of the cable into a drain or waste line to be cleaned, whereby both the entrance of the cable into the drain opening and the advancement thereof during the cleaning operation can be achieved without the operator having to touch the cable. Accordingly, the drain cleaning apparatus is more convenient to use than apparatus heretofore available, and the cleaning operation is achieved more quickly and more efficiently than heretofore possible as a result of the flexible guide tube and cable feeding components. Preferably, the flexible guide tube and cable feed device, or the cable feed device alone, are selectively mountable on the apparatus for use with the drain cleaning cable thereof, thereby providing versatility with respect to the options available to an operator in connection with use of the apparatus.
It is accordingly an outstanding object of the present invention to provide improvements in connection with drain cleaning apparatus of the character comprising a motor driven storage drum in which a drain cleaning cable is coiled about the axis of the drum and has a free or outer end extending outwardly of the drum for entry into a drain or waste line to be cleaned.
Another object is the provision of drain cleaning apparatus of the foregoing character in which the inner end of the drain cleaning cable coiled in the drum is detached therefrom and provided with an arrangement for frictionally interengaging with the drum in a manner to increase the transmission of torque to the cable relative to such apparatus heretofore available in which the inner end of the cable is detached from the drum.
Still another object is the provision of apparatus of the foregoing character in which the outer or free end of the drain cleaning cable can be displaced relative to the storage drum and into the entrance of a drain or waste line to be cleaned without hand contact of the cable by the operator.
A further object is the provision of drain cleaning apparatus of the foregoing character in which a manually operable drain cleaning cable feed device is selectively attachable to the apparatus alone or through the use of a flexible guide tube, thus promoting versatility with respect to use of the apparatus by an operator and enabling the extension and retraction of the cable relative to the storage drum and direction of the cable into the inlet end of a drain to be cleaned without hand contact of the cable by the operator.
Yet another object is the provision of apparatus of the foregoing character which is more convenient to use than similar apparatus heretofore available and which is more efficient in connection with achieving a drain or waste line cleaning operation.