Patent ID: 8046862

Claim:
A drain cleaning apparatus comprising: a frame; a drum supported relative to said frame for rotation about a first axis, the drum including a main housing portion defining an opening therethrough; a flexible drain cleaning snake/cable carried by and rotatable with said drum, the cable being axially displaceable outwardly of said drum through said opening to pay out portions of the cable from the drum and being axially displaceable inwardly of said drum through said opening to retract portions of the snake into the drum; a snake/cable follower member configured to engage said cable and supported for movement in a first direction relative to said drum as the cable is payed out of the drum and in a second direction relative to said drum as the snake is retracted into the drum; and, a snake/cable counter configured to count an amount of cable payed out from said drum, the cable counter including first and second sensor portions on the drum and cable follower member, respectively, for sensing relative movement between the drum and the cable follower member in said first and second directions, and a processor in operative communication with said first and second sensor portions for determining an amount of cable payed out from said drum and generating a signal representative of said amount.