Do rubber couplings in a sewer main get damaged by drain cleaning machines?

with a head like this on the snake, any exposed rubber on the inside would be toast..

If best practice installation of a 'smooth integral bore' - NO

In reality - possibly

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

but technically the two pipe materials should butt against each other and there should only be the thin band of rubber acting as the stop between the two.... is that fair thinking?

So that leaves operator error or using the wrong cutting head.

Packy that head looks like it will tear thru a bank vault let alone the pipe material.



Edited 2 times.

correct

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

Not if the pipe ends are adjacent to each other.

quote; So that leaves operator error or using the wrong cutting head.

NO! If the pipe is installed correctly, there is NOTHING for "operator error" or "improper cutting head" to get to.

I believe that if the pipes are cut square and butted up against the thin rubber base centered in the coupling that this would not provide any material for this cutter to grab and tear out. The rubber portion is normally the thickness of the wall of the pipe or less.

i don't think he is asking about the sheilded couplings but rather the plain old fernco's to be used outside. they have no 'stop' in the middle.
nevertheless, if, as you say, the pipes butt together then you could drive a F450 thru them an no harm would be done.

Then you would end up with another blockage..

That looks almost like mine after they pulled it out of a swimming pool.

was it doing the 'backstroke' ?

Swan dive, but only made it halfway in, but it was the "driver in the cab" half.