If you’re dealing with clogged or slow drains, it’s worth looking into hydro jetting. This pipe-cleaning method uses pressurized water to clean drains. It’s an increasingly popular option because it often works better than traditional methods like drain snaking. To see whether hydro jetting is right for your situation, it’s useful to learn a little more about how it works and why it’s so effective.
What Is Hydro Jetting?
If you’ve ever seen something cleaned with a pressure washer before, you probably have a decent idea of how hydro jetting works. This plumbing technique uses highly pressurized water to blast away debris. During a hydro jetting job, your plumber will insert a specialized hose into your pipes. They will then run water through your system at a force of around 1,500 psi to 5,000 psi. The physical pressure of the water manually pushes through the pipes to break up clogs and clean pipes.
For a while, hydro jetting was mostly used for commercial sites. Its extremely effective results made it ideal for industrial-grade clogs that needed serious manpower to get rid of. However, there are now smaller versions of hydro jetting equipment that are ideal for residential sewage systems. The hydro jetting process typically involves your plumber sending a camera through your pipes to assess your system and then running the hydro jetting equipment. From start to finish, most hydro jetting jobs are done in one to two hours.
The Advantages of Hydro Jetting
How does hydro jetting measure up to other options like chemical drain cleaners or drain snakes? Here are some of the most common reasons that homeowners are turning to hydro jetting.
1. Non-Invasive Repairs
With particularly stubborn clogs, most plumbers need to cut open your walls or dig up your lawn to access the pipe. This can make any repair a lot more expensive and time-consuming because it turns your home into a construction site. If you don’t want to have to deal with invasive repairs, hydro jetting is an excellent option. It’s powerful enough to remove serious clogs in hard-to-reach locations. This lets you clear clogs without having a lot of cleanup to manage.
2. Extremely Versatile
Another great thing about hydro jetting is that it works in all sorts of situations. Traditional clog-removal methods often only work with certain types of clogs. For example, if you have grease buildup coating the inside of a pipe, a drain snake can’t grab the grease and yank it out. This can make plumbing repairs tricky because plumbers usually have to identify the cause of the clog and find the right tool for the job. Meanwhile, hydro jetting can handle almost anything. It can remove grease, small particles like sand, and toilet paper. It can even tackle tough problems like tree roots growing into your pipes. Anything that’s getting in the way of your drainage system can be removed with hydro jetting.
3. Sanitary and Straightforward
The unfortunate reality of plumbing is that it’s often a messy job. Even if you have an expert plumber who works hard to treat your property respectfully, it’s normal for some wastewater to get splashed around when they’re plumbing or snaking your drains. If you don’t like the idea of having sewage come into contact with your home, hydro jetting can be a very reassuring option. Since the water pushes all debris away from your house, it’s often an option with less cleanup. Hydro jetting is also less likely to leave any residue. Unlike chemical drain cleaners, it doesn’t include caustic substances that can cling to your pipes or splash up and cause chemical burns.
4. Gentle on Pipes
The idea of blasting water through pipes at high speeds might not sound like the gentlest option, but compared to other clog removal methods, it’s actually very mild. Hydro jetting doesn’t involve pushing a metal snake through drains, so there’s less physical contact with your plumbing. Furthermore, it doesn’t generate dangerously high levels of heat and corrosion like chemical drain cleaners can. Hydro jetting is a safe, reliable option for a variety of pipes including PVC pipes, steel pipes, cast iron pipes, and cement pipes. While the extreme pressure can still cause problems if your pipes are already in bad shape, it’s still usually gentler than all the other alternatives.
5. Eco-Friendly
If you’re interested in environmentally friendly ways of cleaning your plumbing, hydro jetting is the ideal solution. Unlike chemical drain cleaners, hydro jetting doesn’t include toxic materials. Instead, the substance that your plumber uses to clean your drains is just normal water. This is very important because it means less pollution. Traditional drain cleaning chemicals end up contaminating wastewater. Environmental studies have found that they end up in lakes and rivers where they can damage wildlife. Fortunately, this doesn’t happen with hydro jetting. Since it’s plain water, it doesn’t have a negative effect once it passes through your drains.
6. Extremely Efficient
If you try to unclog a drain yourself, you’re likely to end up with repeated clogs. This happens because any small bit of debris that is left behind will end up blocking water flow and letting more debris build up. Hydro jetting solves this problem because it cleans away every particle in your drain. This method of clearing clogs thoroughly rinses your pipes, so you can be confident the clog is dealt with on the first try. It even clears away a lot of bacteria sitting in your drains, so it’s ideal if you’re dealing with stinky drains.
7. Works Well In Tight Spaces
Especially if you have an older house with unconventional plumbing, hydro jetting is ideal. This form of drain cleaning works well in small spaces that cannot be reached with a drain snake. If you have tight corners, narrow drain openings, or unconventional pipe sizes, hydro jetting is a great choice. Since this technique uses water, it can reach anywhere in your house. You don’t need to worry about fitting a drain snake in your plumbing or navigating the semi-rigid material around bends in pipes.
8. Save Time and Money
In the long run, the efficiency of hydro jetting is great for your wallet. Compared to mechanical drain cleaning methods, hydro jetting does a better job of permanently removing clogs. This results in fewer calls to the plumber and less of a need for repairs. Not only does hydro jetting remove clogs, but it also cleans your drains. This process leads to some major savings. While your drains might need to be cleaned as often as every six months, hydro jetting only needs to be done every four years or so.
To experience all the benefits of hydro jetting yourself, turn to Huft Home Services. Our talented plumbers ensure you end up with clean, clear pipes that efficiently drain waste. We also help people throughout Sacramento and the surrounding areas with a variety of other plumbing, HVAC, and electrical services. To learn more about Huft Home Services, contact us now.
