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This high pressure drain cleaning guide will help you understand the terrific benefits of this plumbing technology and service. High pressure water jetting utilizes force pressurized water that is pulled through to clear drains by ripping apart blockage and flushing the remaining debris. The jet nozzle that provides the high pressure water jetting is powerful enough to scrub and clean the sides of drains and pipes in addition to clearing blockages making it a highly efficient drain clearing and cleaning system.
High pressure drain cleaning equipment is made up of professional, industrial grade components including a flexible line which can pass through drain elbows and handle several thousand PSI. The jet nozzle which can use multiple back-firing jets to pull the line through the drain pipes and a forward firing jet which breaks apart the blockages. There are many types of jetter nozzles available to the professional plumbing contractor and each one does something a little different. Some are great for clearing grease and sludge others for cutting tree roots and even others that bang the inside of pipe to knock off stubborn grease and scale build-up.
High pressure drain cleaning systems are suitable for residential and commercial drains. For the service to be most effective it is important to discover the correct drain opening in order to access the source of the problem without having to pass through traps and tight drain elbows which could stop the jet nozzle from pulling forward.
Debris, grease, sand, and sludge are the usual suspects when it comes to drain line blockages. A high pressure drain cleaning system can flush out the system by breaking up the debris and sludge, emulsifying the grease, penetrating hardened scale, and pulverizing minor tree roots if they are the problem. If your plumbing professional does determine that tree roots are the problem, a commercial hydrojetter is the only sure-fire way to rid yourself of the problem. Make sure that you follow up your drain cleaning with 6 month treatments of Root-X to ensure no new roots grow in the line. In the spring and winter tree roots grown and bore deep down for water so their tiny hairlike filaments and can grow very quickly blocking your sewer system.
High pressure drain cleaning is an environmentally safe, cost-effective, and highly efficient plumbing service to consider when it’s time to clean your sewer and drain pipes. It’s especially useful in restaurants and similar establishments that accumulate grease, sludge, debris, and mineral deposits in the drain lines. Scheduling regular sewer jetting service keeps your drains clean. In the long run, you are saving yourself a ton of money in major repair costs and you are guarding against significant revenue loss during the aforementioned repairs. If you don’t service the waste lines it’s not a matter of if it’s just a matter of when.
High pressure jetting is beneficial for home drain and sewer systems as well but it’s not a good idea to use it for older homes with ceramic and clay or wood composite drain pipes. Talk to your plumbing professional about your waste system. It may be necessary to video inspect the sewer line to assess it’s condition. We often say of the line is in such bad shape that jetting will destroy it its only a matter of time before it needs to be replaced. Although you may be able to get away with sewer rodding for a while it’s only a temporary fix.
You will find that high pressure water jetting drain cleaning systems are highly effective when used for gutter and landscaping drain lines, sewer drain lines that flow from your home or building to a septic tank or city sewer, and drain tile lines that are found around buildings. These systems can also effective for thawing frozen pipes and sewer drains as they are able to effectively clear the lines. Please be sure you have an open area when using a hydrojetter to clear ice. The amount of water produced by professional jetting equipment is pretty astounding. You will experience some flooding if the line takes some time to clear. The water backs up out of line until the blockage is clear.
When a professional is going to perform a high pressure drain cleaning service they will locate the main drain cleanout that is found in your basement or outside as well as the priority drain opening and another alternative opening to be on the safe side. They will plan to access the blockage typically from a downhill opening so they can work in an uphill direction as it is most effective.
By having a professional plumber use a high pressure drain cleaning system rather than a traditional drain cleaning method, efficient power is utilized which can scrub and clean the pipes as well as removed clogs and blockages. It takes less work than conventional methods such as a drain auger, or plumber’s snake, and is more affordable than using a drain snake of the same length. Overall, there are many benefits to using a high pressure drain cleaning so call your local plumber today.
I read your post. This is the first time I read your full post. Awesome writing about benefits of high pressure drain cleaning. It’s really helpful. Thank you so much for giving the important information.
Thanks a ton. It’s funny I was the plumber that rodded everything until I saw what rodding did to a sewer compared to hydro jetting. It’s not even close.
I beg to differ about your last statement of affordablity and cost regarding auger vs. hydrojetting, at least when it comes to a company by the name of “Minutemen Sewer & Drain”. These guys are crooks! We have a low spot that requires periodic maintenance of about every 2 years, at a cost of about $180-$300 per visit. In an emergency. Minuteman was called because our usual serviceman was unavailable. The Minuteman guy quoted us $350 for the job then proceeded to barely run the line with his auger. He then proceeded with his sales pitch of hydrojetting with would run us about $1600. He explained that he had to first scope out the line and then he could proceed when it was done. (NOTE: He was already told of the root problem and the low spot before he even did this procedure.) Given the situation we were in we agreed to this hydrojetting thing, 2 years later the same problem. I agree that the job was much simpler for him and cost effective for “Minuteman” but not to the customers they serve. I wouldn’t recommend these guys to my worst enemy. Perhaps we just got taken but what can you do when you basement is full of fecal matter. A word of warning or buyer beware! Perhaps you could clarify that last statement for the next time some tech tries to justify to their customer the ridiculous notion of hydrojetting being affordable or cost effective. Feel free to respond 🙂
I’m a huge fan of hydrojetting in most cases. Especially when tree roots are involved. Having said that I would never take the advice of the customer. I’ve had far too many instances where the homeowner “knew” where the piping ran or was told what the issue was and it wasn’t close to the actual diagnosis. I’ve kissed a few frogs along the way so I would always do the diagnosing first before I make a recommendation. That being said if I found a low spot in a waste line I would be remiss in not recommending you have it fixed so we don’t have to come back over and over to rod the line. This is one of those times where rodding is the simpler more cost-effective solution to a recurring problem. Rodding with a belly in the waste line does pose it’s own issues. When you have a low spot in the line, that spot becomes a repository for toilet paper and human waste. Over time it turns into sludge which is thick and black. If it gets bad enough you can punch a rod through the line drains but the sludge remains sort of closing over the penetration. Hydrojetting removes that sludge completely but because there is a low spot it’s bound to return. Was the service tech trying to take advantage of your situation? I’m not certain but his “pitch” should have been “I recommend we fix the low spot in the drain line and it will be X, I can hydrojet to make sure I’m removing all sludge and waste from the line and maybe this will take care of the issue for some time but there is no guarantee and it will be Y or I can rod and I’ll be back in a bit to do it again for Z” The choice is yours.