Hand-Held Drain Cleaner

A hand-held drain cleaning apparatus comprising:

• a control housing comprising an upper body portion and a lower body portion, a first end, and a second end, and configured to be grasped by and held in a user's hand, said control housing being formed to include a first fluid passageway extending through said upper body portion from the first end to the second end, a second fluid passageway formed in said lower body portion, said second fluid passageway having a first end in fluid communication with a threaded aperture disposed on an exterior surface of said lower body portion and a second end in fluid communication with said first fluid passageway;
• a release valve member having a second portion slidingly disposed within said first fluid passageway and a first portion extending outwardly from said second end, said release valve member being movable between at least a first position wherein said release valve member prevents fluid from flowing into said first fluid passageway from said second fluid passageway, and a second position wherein fluid can flow from said second fluid passageway and into said first fluid passageway;
• a pull release member comprising a threaded connector disposed on a distal end of said first portion of said first portion of said release valve member and opposing cantilevered arms, wherein a first portion of said threaded connector interconnects a distal end of said first portion of said release valve member;
• a flexible, tubular member having first and second end portions, the first end portion of said tubular member being attached to a second portion of said threaded connector of said control housing, downstream of said release valve member, with an interior of said tubular member opening into said first fluid passageway;
• a terminal discharge member in fluid communication with the second end portion of said tubular member, said terminal discharge member being adapted to be sealingly engaged with an open end of a drain conduit and including an outlet opening in fluid communication with said fluid passage through said lumen;
• and
• a compressed gas cartridge, sized to substantially fit in the palm of a user's hand, wherein placement of said terminal discharge member at the open end of a drain conduit and movement of said release valve member from said spring-biased first position to said second position causes pressurized gas from said compressed gas cartridge to flow into and through said control housing, said tubular member, said terminal discharge member, and into the drain conduit in order to clean the drain conduit.