IS IT LONG ENOUGH?
The Sureflow cable is long enough to reach almost any stoppage in any building. Consider that 50' will reach from the middle to the side of any 100' x 100' building or piece of property. Most buildings have multiple inlets to any one pipe allowing the user to gain accesss in close proximity to any stoppage. 50' will also reach several stories down from the roof of any building. (back)

HOW BIG A LINE WILL IT DO?
All buildings have 4", 2", 1.5" and 1.25" lines. The Sureflow's 50' x 1/4" cable is capable of cleaning any commercial or residential line 3/4" to 2" in diameter. These drains usually connect to: Toilets & Urinals (using cable sleeve), Kitchen Sinks, Bathtubs, Laundry Lines, Small Floor Drains, 1.5" & 2" Roof Vents, and Gutters. It is not designed to work on: 4" Main Lines, Drainage Fields, or 4" Roof Vents. If a customer decides to use the Sureflow in a 3" or 4" line, then they are risking failure and damage to their cable. In these larger lines, the operator can force the Sureflow's cable to turn back on itself and tangle in the line making it difficult to remove. Some customers will have success in these lines others will not. Our written and video instructions discourage use in larger lines. (back)

WILL IT WORK ON TOILETS?
Yes, the Sureflow will clean these drains without damaging them. We provide our customers with a 4' Cable Protector Sleeve. They must use this device to guide the cable into drains which are located more than two feet away from the machine. The sleeve stops the cable from twisting around itself as it torques into a line and encounters corners or stoppages. The sleeve also protects fragile surfaces such as porcelain Toilets and Urinals. (back)

DOES IT AUTOMATICALLY FEED ITSELF?
Most professional drain cleaning services, including all Roto-Rooter repairmen, will not use auto feed machines. Even the largest machines that they use operate by simple hand feed in an hand feed out mechanisms. This is most important when a snake must go around corners in a line because the operator must have their hands upon the cable to feel the hesitation and torque build up at each corner and then again at the stoppage. The cable must build up recoil in order to "spring" around a corner, and so the operator must stop the feed and allow the recoil to build up at each corner. Auto feed mechanisms require the operator to remove their hands from the cable and they also tend to force the cable which causes the cable to tangle and kink. This is one situation where simple is better. (back)

WHAT ABOUT BITS AND CUTTERS?
Another myth in the drain cleaning industry is that a power auger must have something on the end of the cable to drill or snag the stoppages. The truth is that having two simple bends in the end of the cable is the most effective way to penetrate the drain and auger out stoppages. Yes, for roots blades are necessary, but there are several reasons to avoid bits and cutters in the lines that the Sureflow is designed to maintain:
1. DRAIN PENETRATION: Often times small drains have baskets, strainers, grates or cross supports which are impossible to bypass with a bit on the end of the snake.
2. RECOIL: The most important reason to use bends instead of rounded heads or loose coils on the end of the cable is the resulting increased spring action recoil which results from having the bends as opposed to small round heads. During operation, the bends quickly lodge in the corners where small heads will just turn and turn unless forced to lodge. The lodging action builds up spring recoil in the cable and when the cable finally does recoil, the bends will spring around corners and whisk out stoppages more effectively than any head. The bends allow the operator to use minimal force in penetrating tight corners in the drain. An operator should never force the cable - let the power of the machine do the work!
3. THE WHOLE DIAMETER: With two bends in the end of the cable, the operator can adjust the size of the bends to the diameter of the pipe they are cleaning so that as the bends rotate, they sweep the entire diameter of the pipe. A small bit will often leave most of the pipe unscathed so that a lot of the build-up is not removed and the pipe will quickly clog again. (back)

WHY IS THE END ALREADY BENT?
By using bends on the end of the cable, the operator can quickly adjust for any size pipe and difficult corners. If the cable will not go around a corner, then change the length and angle of the bends and it likely will go. If the bends become too crooked or weak, then simply cut this portion of the cable off and form two new bends. No professional plumber will throw away 49' of good cable because he lost a tip or cutter. Most of these professionals will simply cut them off before using the cable in a small drain and use bends instead. (back)

WHAT IS THE HORSEPOWER?
The Sureflow motor has been perfected over 20 years of improvements. We made this motor specifically for the Sureflow; we did not just adapt a stock motor from some other machine such as a drill or a blender. The Sureflow motor is gear reduced and supplies 25 inch-pounds of torque to the cable at a smooth 150 R.P.M. These are the specs we gave to our motor maker as being the optimum for our primary cable. Any more power or R.P.M. would cause the operator great difficulty in using the product. Most competitor's motors are not as compatible with their machines and the result of this is a much higher incidence of cable damage. Our motor only needs around 1/5th H.P. to have maximum effectiveness. (back)

WHAT MAKES IT BETTER THAN A DRILL MACHINE?
Many manufacturers make drill style machines simply because drill motors and housings are readily available. In general, drill machines require a clutch and force feed the cable into the drain without the operator's hands on the cable. This is the formula for disaster especially with inexperienced users. The drills usually work best at 200-300 R.P.M. which is much too fast plus the customer must carry them during the entire operation -- no thanks! Force Feed, Excessive R.P.M., Hands Off Operation, No Cable Sleeve, are the reasons so many people kink their snakes while using drill style machines.
Because the Sureflow has its own gear box connected to the motor, the drive belts do not need to be exposed in order to achieve gear reduction. Many competitive products use exposed drive belts which extend all the way around the outside of the cable drum and are very dangerous. They design machines this way in order to achieve gear reduction without going to the expense of creating a gear box for their motor. Exposed belts can grab fingers, clothing and other loose objects and can break off during use. The Sureflow uses enclosed dual drive belts which almost never need replacement and are much safer than any machine using an exposed belt. (back)

WHY IS THERE A REVERSE FUNCTION IF YOU RETRACT THE CABLE IN THE FORWARD POSITION?
The Sureflow instructions inform the user to leave the machine in the forward position even when retracting the cable. When in forward, the Sureflow places the maximum torque and recoil on the bends on the end of the cable. It is important to have this maximum recoil on the way out of the drain as well as on the way into the drain. We use reverse to remove torque from the line. If we get stuck in the line, or we twist the cable, or we feel that too much torque is building up and the cable is about to kink, then we immediately switch the machine into reverse and relieve the torque. (back)

WHAT IS THE BLACK SLEEVE FOR?
The main function of this accessory is to safely guide the cable to the drain when the drain opening is more than two feet away from the machine. Cables rarely kink inside a drain, and our patented cable wrapping mechanism prevents the cable from tangling inside our red drum so the only place we need to worry about the cable kinking is on the way from the machine to the drain. The cable will not kink when it is inside our sleeve. The sleeve also protects fragile surfaces such as bathtubs and toilets from scratches caused by the movement of the steel cable. Other machines do not provide a sleeve. (back)

WHAT DOES THE PATENTED WRAPPING MECHANISM DO?
This mechanism allows the operator to freely move the cable in and out of the Sureflow without ever having to worry about it getting stuck inside. The operator will never have to open the Sureflow's red drum. The cable will slide completely out of the machine and replacements slide right back in. The mechanism will accept a maximum of 70 feet of our 1/4" cable, plus the customer can buy other cables locally and use another manufacturer's replacement up to 3/8" in diameter. In the reverse position, the Sureflow will not have internal problems under a high torque. In most other machines, if the operator torques up the cable in reverse, it will immediately tangle inside the drum, ruining the cable in the process. (back)

WHY IS IT MADE OUT OF PLASTIC?
The Sureflow is constructed of lightweight materials for an overall total weight of just 20 pounds. These materials (Nylon, Aluminum and ABS Plastic) are also corrosion free and will not dent easily. In our 20 years of manufacturing Sureflows, we have never had to replace one of our drums. No metal drum manufacturer can make the same claim. (back)

WHAT IS THE GUARANTEE/WARRANTY?
This product is warranted to be free from Manufacturer's defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one (1) year after purchase. Please refer to the warranty card provided with each Sureflow. (back)

WHERE DO I GET REPLACEMENTS PARTS?
Contact: D.H. Sales, 402 S. E. 31st Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97214.
Telephone: (800) 654-2548
e-mail: sureflow@dhsales.com
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