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What is Hydro Jetting Drain Cleaning?

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Keeping your commercial or residential drains clean isn’t an easy task, especially once your drain has a strong debris wall built up. Not only is a clogged drain not allowing your water to run freely, but it could also be having other, more serious effects on your building or home.  

If your drain is clogged, it is best to call a professional plumber. When the plumber arrives, there are a few cleaning methods, but none more effective than hydro jetting. If you are wondering what hydro jetting is and why it’s so effective, we’re going to break it all down for you below. 

What is Hydro Jetting?

While hydro jetting isn’t a new technique used by plumbers, it used to be quite costly and required extensive equipment. Today, hydro jetting is a long-term, cost-effective way to clean your drains, requiring two plumbers on-site and takes a minimum of two hours.

The process of hydro jetting uses high pressurized water (up to 3500 psi) to clean the inside surfaces of drain pipes. When it comes to drain pipes, they can be clogged from years of use, potentially even before you moved into your house if you purchased it from someone else. 

Once the plumber has determined that the drain is clogged, they will feed a hose-like device down your drain. The attachment at the front of the hose is what sets hydro jetting apart from all others. On the front, there are multiple water jets, one spraying forward, with the others spraying sideways and backward. The sideways and backward sprayers work to propel the debris forward and clean the sides of the drain. 

While the hydro jet is working, the clogged debris will be pushed through the drain to the other side. This process ensures that not only are major blockages cleared but that the drain is completely clean, reducing the risk of blockages in the near future. 

Why Clean Your Drains? 

It is clear to everyone when their drain is severely clogged. Water and other liquids aren’t even breaking the surface of the drain. However, even if your drain doesn’t seem to be clogged, blockages may be occurring, causing other negative effects on your plumbing. 

These are all common signs that your drain may be clogged:

  • Increased water bills 
  • Slowed draining 
  • Noisy pipes (hissing and squeaking) 
  • Bad smelling sink 
  • Constant clogs

If you are experiencing any of the signs listed above, it is best to call a plumber

Cleaning your drains before the blockage creates too much of a problem will protect your drains from major backups and more serious plumbing issues. 

Hydro Jetting vs Snaking 

A similar technique that is often used to unclog drains is snaking. Snaking is also used to clear major blockages in a drain, but without using water. Snaking is done by inserting a rod into the drain, then allowing the rod to spin around, cleaning up any major debris. 

While snaking can effectively clear blockages, it does not clean the drain nearly as well as hydro jetting. Snaking relies on the debris getting attached to the rod and then being pulled out by the plumber, instead of it being pushed clearly through the drain. This leaves your drain open to problems in the future. 

It is worth noting that because hydro jetting does use high pressurized water, it could be potentially dangerous if not done by a professional. If you are in-experienced with hydro jetting, it is best to leave it to a plumber. 

Elderly man bent down picking leaves out of his clogged drain

Pros of Hydro Jetting 

In addition to successfully cleaning your drain, there are other pros worth noting when choosing hydro jetting. 

Long-term Solution 

Hydro jetting doesn’t just clear large blockages that are causing the immediate problem. Its high-pressurized water system leaves drains nearly spotless after cleaning. After your pipes have been hydro jetted, they are not at risk of a blockage in the near future, allowing you to focus on the things you care about most.

Environmentally Friendly

Before calling a plumber, many people will often try to fix the blockage themselves. Often unsuccessful, the toxins in the store-bought chemicals are no match for hydro jetting. In addition to them not working properly, they can be extremely harmful to the environment and your drain. 

Since hydro jetting is powered by water alone, it is completely environmentally safe. This makes it a great choice not only for people who have clogged drains but for people who are looking for a safe solution to their plumbing issues. 

Unclog Your Drains Today

If you are dealing with a clogged drain either in a commercial building or a residential home, calling a plumber to help you out will save you the hassle of fighting with the drain yourself. 

Now that you understand how effective hydro jetting is, you can rest assured that if your drains are clogged, you have an easy solution to clear them up and get your water back to flowing normally. 

Looking for more information on hydro jetting and our services? Book an appointment now! 

Thomas Howard

Written by Thomas Howard

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