Daniel Kuzmick has been the owner and plumber of Main Drain Plumbing for over 15 years. Based in Jupiter, Florida, Main Drain Plumbing is primarily focused on residential plumbing, including new construction and renovation work. A few years ago, Kuzmick made the decision to shift to Milwaukee Tools to outfit his service vans.
“I want to stay up-to-date on the latest technology and continue providing the best services to my clients,” says Kuzmick. “Milwaukee’s product line can offer that.”
Kuzmick owns many Milwaukee solutions, including the M18 Modular Pipeline Inspection System and both the 120’ Mid-Stiff and 200’ Stiff Pipeline Inspection Reels, all part of Milwaukee’s growing lineup of sewer and drain maintenance solutions. Milwaukee’s M18 Modular Pipeline Inspection System sets a new standard in Sewer Inspection with the industry’s clearest image and easiest inspections, allowing professionals, like Kuzmick, to see more in drain lines than ever before.
Clear image and easy inspections
Each of Milwaukee’s reels feature a high-resolution camera, and the 1080p HD self-leveling camera head features high-intensity LEDs to optimize the light output for better visibility down the line. The push cable is built to withstand the harsh conditions Kuzmick encounters day after day.
“I deal with a lot of cast iron, and a lot of piping is from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s,” says Kuzmick. “It can be very unforgiving. I know that the brighter the camera is, the better it is for me.”
Being in Florida, Kuzmick frequently works in houses that are built on grade beams over the water. He recently mapped out an entire 12,000-square-foot luxury house with some of the worst plumbing problems he’s ever seen.
“The high tide and low tide will come underneath these houses, and water will get in and swoop away the dirt, leaving the hangers. Well, in this house, they used galvanized rod for hangers instead of stainless.”
Kuzmick explains that all the hangers broke from being exposed to corrosive salt water and he had to locate all the pipes that were separated underneath the house.
“It was all PVC, so I was able to use the 120’ reel. You have to not only be fast but be efficient. I was able to just go through, take off a trap, throw the little camera in, map out that area and start my inspection report.”
But this ease doesn’t only benefit Kuzmick. He was able to provide a better experience for his clients. Kuzmick could view, record, edit, and share HD images and video recordings from either his M18 Wireless Monitor or the free Milwaukee Pipeline Inspection app on his phone, helping his clients understand, step-by-step, what he’s looking at, without them looking directly over his shoulder.
Using only his 120’ Mid-Stiff Pipeline Inspection Reel, Kuzmick mapped the entire house in under five hours and provided a high-resolution recording pointing out the areas of interest in the pipes to his client and the public adjuster within minutes of finishing the job.
“This is the difference,” says Kuzmick. “Past systems didn’t work as seamless. I was either having to use my phone or the main screen. To have both the monitor and my phone sync to each other and record while letting the homeowner hold my clean phone and not be in the bathroom with me, looking at me, it’s just a big difference.”
He goes on to say, “It’s very impressive how I was able to do everything in a short amount of time and give the quality of information I was able to give.”
Unmatched versatility
Kuzmick has used his fair share of different inspection cameras in the past, but none of them as versatile as Milwaukee’s solution. The M18 Modular Pipeline Inspection System is built around Milwaukee's M18 500GB Control Hub, which powers the reels and easily swaps between the reels for added versatility. Available in 100’ Flexible, 120’ and 200’ Mid-Stiff, and 200’ and 325’ Stiff reels, drain cleaners and technicians can inspect 1 1/2-inch to 10-inch sewer and drain lines on one system.
“The functionalities Milwaukee has given me and the ease of the reels is something I could speak for hours on.”
Kuzmick says that swapping the hub is easy, and that having different reel sizes keeps him efficient by being able to choose the correct reel for the job. The system’s internal battery allows him to change out his battery while still maintaining the live video.
“The battery life is great; I don’t have to worry. But if it goes, I have time to get another [battery] so I don’t lose everything I just did.”
In addition to its Modular Pipeline Inspection System, Milwaukee also has its M12 Pipeline Locator, which provides an intuitive plumbing locating experience, simplifying the process of pinpointing sewer camera sondes and tracing underground sewer lines. Unique to Milwaukee, the entire reel’s push cable is energized to make line tracing and finding the camera head easy.
“The line tracing is where I’m really a big fan,” says Kuzmick. “I don’t have to go to one spot and mark it, then push 10-feet, mark it, push 10-feet, mark it. I can mark the entire line out and be successful. That has taken hours off my camera time.”
The final say
Milwaukee is dedicated to providing drain cleaning professionals with the most portable and versatile drain cleaning solutions. Through a thorough evaluation of the job at hand — the frustrations, needs, previous limitations — Milwaukee sets out to completely rethink a solution, delivering game-changing innovation.
When asked if he will continue using Milwaukee’s M18 Modular Pipeline Inspection System, Kuzmick replied with a resounding, “Yes!”
Milwaukee’s M18 Modular Pipeline Inspection System not only keeps him efficient but grows the pride he has for what he does for his clients.
“I look like a rockstar,” he says with a chuckle. “The amount of information I’m able give my clients and be correct while understanding the situation and what it is going to take to fix. When I can give that information, it’s not science. It’s cut and dry, black and white. That’s efficient. It makes me feel good that I have concrete evidence to explain why I’m doing what I’m doing.”