A clogged drain can require some work, but most do clear with patience and a little elbow grease. However, when your plumbing pipes, including the main drain, are clogged to the point where all the fixtures in your house are backing up, you may need to use extra force. This is where hydro jetting comes in.
What’s Hydro Jetting?
Hydro jetting uses a jet of water released under high pressure to clear out plumbing pipes. The pressure can range from 1,500 to 60,000 pounds per square inch, though plumbers don’t often go higher than 4,000 psi for residential plumbing systems. Since the pressure is high, hydro jetting is often used on the main drain or the sewer pipe, and it’s a job for a professional. If done incorrectly, hydro jetting can destroy your pipes and even injure the operator.
The benefit of hydro jetting is that it completely cleans out your pipes, which makes it harder for clogs to form in the future. It doesn’t use harsh drain cleaners, and it gets rid of extremely tough clogs, including those caused by tree roots.
When Should You Consider Hydro Jetting?
You might consider calling the plumber in for hydro jetting if your plumbing keeps backing up no matter what you do. This is especially true if every fixture in your house is either backed up, slow to drain, has a terrible smell or makes some strange, gurgling sound when it finally drains. This is a sign that there’s a bad clog somewhere in the plumbing.
What Happens During a Hydro Jetting Session?
After you call a professional plumber for hydro jetting, they’ll inspect your pipes with a video camera. Not every type of plumbing pipe can withstand this process. Some houses have old pipes made from lead or clay. Those pipes have to be snaked and will need replacement at some point.
If the plumber determines that your plumbing can stand hydro jetting, they’ll insert a hose with a nozzle and turn on the hydro jetting machine. The plumber finds the main drain, removes the cleanout plug and inserts the hydro jet there. Some hydro jets have teeth that scour the walls of the pipe. In the end, the debris is loosened and finally blasted into the sewer or the septic system. A hydro jet session usually takes about an hour.
If you have clogs you can’t clear, don’t hesitate to ask for help. For hydro jetting and other drain cleaning services, get in touch with our professional plumbers at Benicia Plumbing of Benicia, CA.