Found a way to clear clamshell blockages without diving gloves on every time

Been running a 12 inch cutterhead on the Mississippi near Baton Rouge and kept getting clamshell chunks jamming the intake every few days. Used to suit up and clear it by hand, which ate a whole morning. Tried rigging a pressure washer hose down the suction line last week, just wedged it through the access port and blasted for 30 seconds. Worked better than I expected, got the flow back without wetting a single boot. Anyone else got a hack for unclogging without sending a diver down?

1 comments

1 Comment

alices1625d ago

That pressure washer trick is genius, I gotta try that. I've been dealing with the same mess on my end, and I usually end up with a crew member in the water for half a shift. Last month I tried a long piece of rebar with a bent hook on the end, just worked it around through the access port until I felt the clog break up. It worked ok but was way sketchier than the water idea sounds. I like that you didn't have to wet a single boot, that's the kind of win I'm after.