Benefits of Water Jetting
Benefits of Water Jetting
01/31/2023
Just about every homeowner in Washington has had to deal with the headache of clogged or slow-moving drains at some point. Some people try to resolve the problem by purchasing chemical drain cleaners, but that’s not a great solution. Chemical drain cleaners contain caustic agents that wear away at the pipes and can eventually cause plumbing failures.
The better solution is to contact a plumber for professional drain cleaning. For minor clogs, all that may be required is snaking the drain. However, for serious blockages, most experts recommend a process known as water jetting or hydro-jetting.
What Is Hydro-Jetting?
Hydro-jetting is an advanced pipe cleaning process that involves pushing a high-pressure water jet through the plumbing system to remove built-up hair, grease, mineral scale, and even tree roots. It’s the most effective way to clear severe blockages in residential wastewater systems.
While plumbing snakes can puncture minor clogs and help to break them apart, they will have little effect on large blockages. Eventually, the clog will re-form and increase the risk of more severe sewer line problems. Unlike snaking, hydro-jetting doesn’t just puncture clogs. It also removes buildups from the interior pipe walls to clean the pipes thoroughly and prevent future blockages.
The Benefits of Hydro-Jetting
The idea of blasting pressurized water through the plumbing system may sound odd, but it’s the best way to clear clogs and clean the pipes to prevent them from reforming immediately. Before hydro-jetting the pipes, the plumber will perform a video inspection to locate the clog and identify other areas of built-up debris. He or she will then use specialized equipment to blast out the clog and remove dirt and grime.
Not sure if hydro-jetting is really worth it? Most homeowners who have dealt with recurring clogs don’t need convincing. Those who do should consider the following benefits before deciding whether it’s worth looking up a Plumber near me with all the necessary equipment and expertise.
Thorough Cleaning
Drain snaking doesn’t clean pipes. It only pierces the clogs so that more water can get through. Hydro-jetting, on the other hand, will remove even the smallest particles of dust. The equipment used during hydro-jetting applies water pressurized at an average of 4,000 psi. That pressure level is strong enough to clear any obstruction or build-up, allowing the wastewater to run smoothly and reduce the chances that the pipes will get clogged again in the future. Some homeowners even schedule regular hydro-jetting as a form of preventative maintenance.
Remove Residue
Residential wastewater pipes take a serious beating. They don’t just transport water to the municipal sewer drains. In most cases, they also transport at least small amounts of soap, grease, food particles, sand, mud, and other debris. Even if the debris particles aren’t large enough to clog the pipes by themselves, they’ll start to build upon the interior walls. Over time, those residues increase the chances of developing blockages. Hydro-jetting removes the residue before it can develop into serious clogs.
Minimally Invasive Blockage Removal
Modern plumbing systems are surprisingly complex. To complicate matters further, most of their wastewater pipes are hidden behind walls and ceilings or in hard-to-reach crawlspaces. Opening up the walls to uncover the pipes for manual cleaning isn’t just a hassle. It can also cause extensive damage and create the need for costly repairs, especially if the plumber entrusted with this essential task doesn’t know how to perform other forms of home repairs.
Hydro-jetting removes all those hassles, risks, and costs since there’s no need to access the pipes manually. Instead, the plumber will be able to insert the pressurized water hose directly into the drains to wash out pipes and remove blockages even in difficult-to-reach places.
Reduced Bacterial Growth
Wastewater pipes almost always harbor bacteria. These bacteria can produce unpleasant odors, and some of them can even make residents sick, especially if clogs cause the bacteria-filled water to back up into the living areas of the home. Hydro-jetting removes bacteria along with all the other accumulated dirt and grime in the pipes, helping to keep residents healthy.
Cost-Effectiveness
Hydro-jetting is a surprisingly affordable form of home plumbing maintenance. It doesn’t require removing parts of the walls to access the pipes, nor does it need to be performed frequently for maximum effect. After having the pipes hydro-jetted, homeowners won’t have to worry about calling the plumber to resolve further clogs. The same can’t be said of drain snaking, which provides only a temporary solution.
Keep Drains Running Smoothly for Longer
Hydro-jetting removes close to 100% of the dirt, grease, and grime from drainage pipes and sewer lines. As a result, it helps to keep the pipes clean for longer. While clogs resolved through drain snaking almost always recur quickly, homeowners who schedule hydro-jetting won’t have to worry about dealing with the same drainage problems over and over. For maximum impact, some homeowners even schedule preventative hydro-jetting once every year or two to keep their pipes clean and their drains running smoothly all the time.
Embrace Environmentally Friendly Solutions
Attempting to resolve clogs using chemical drain cleaners is terrible for the environment. These cleaning chemicals contain toxic substances that can wind up polluting surrounding ecosystems. The same can’t be said of hydro-jetting. Instead of caustic chemicals, this technologically advanced solution uses nothing more harmful than a highly pressurized jet of water.
Signs It’s Time for Hydro-Jetting
Don’t want to schedule routine hydro-jetting services as part of an annual plumbing maintenance plan? That’s just fine as long as homeowners keep an eye out for signs that their pipes are beginning to get clogged with residue and debris. Don’t wait until a serious clog causes a wastewater backup and jeopardizes the family’s health and wellbeing. Instead, look for the following signs it’s time to call a professional plumbing service for hydro-jetting in Washington State.
Slow-Moving Drains
If just one drain in the house is starting to remove water at a slower rate, the problem is probably in the individual drain pipe coming from the sink, toilet, or tub. If all the drains are getting progressively slower, it’s more likely that the clog is in the main sewer line. This problem usually manifests itself first on the bottom story of the home.
There are several issues that could be causing the drains to slow down. They include:
- Tree root infiltration into the sewer line
- Cave-ins resulting from shifting ground
- Severe clogs from improper use of the drainage system
- Neglected drain pipes and sewer lines with mineral, grease, or other buildup lining the pipe walls
- Acute clogs from improper objects flushed down the toilet or introduced via the sinks
Unless the clog is occurring as a result of a cave-in, all these problems can be resolved with hydro-jetting. The pressurized water can flush out just about any dirt, residues, or debris that’s blocking the drains. All it takes is a quick visit from a professional plumber with access to the right equipment to get the water flowing as usual again.
Foul Odors
Foul odors coming from the drains are often indicative of a serious clog occurring somewhere in the wastewater pipes. As the clog accumulates more organic debris, the unpleasant odors will only get worse. In some cases, they can even start to attract fruit flies to the areas around the drains, or even vermin. Few homeowners need to be told twice that these problems are a sign it’s time to call a plumber for help.
Noisy Drain Pipes
It’s normal to hear the sound of rushing water flowing freely through the drains after flushing a toilet or running a faucet. No drain is completely silent, even when it’s functioning at optimal efficiency. That said, it’s important to keep an ear out for other sounds, such as gurgling and bubbling noises. They often occur as negative pressure from clogs creates air pockets in the pipes, and they can even be most audible in drains other than the one currently in use.
Wastewater Backups
If a sewer line clog is serious enough, it will eventually cause the wastewater from the drain system to back up into the home. Most residents notice this problem first in their showers or bathtubs on the first stories of their homes since those are the drains that are the closest to the ground. As the problem worsens, toilets can start to overflow and sinks will stop draining properly, as well.
It’s best not to wait until clogs start causing serious wastewater backups. The water may contain dangerous bacteria and pathogens that could place residents’ health at risk. It’s always better to call a plumber to schedule hydro-jetting services before the clog gets bad enough to cause wastewater backups.
Hire a Professional to Resolve Clogs
Some homeowners assume that they’ll save money by avoiding hydro-jetting and instead of using chemical cleaners, drain snakes, or pipe augers to resolve problems with drain and sewer line clogs. Unfortunately, that’s never the case. Even if a chemical drain cleaner or rented drain pipe auger resolves the immediate problem, it will cause more trouble over time.
Chemical drain cleaners damage pipes. When used properly, a drain pipe auger shouldn’t cause damage, but most homeowners don’t know how to use these specialized tools. Plus, even in the hands of a trained plumbing technician, a drain snake or pipe auger won’t be as effective as hydro-jetting at resolving clogs and stopping them from recurring. These tools can penetrate blockages to let the water through, but they don’t remove mineral scale, grease residue, and other built-up substances from the pipe walls.
Professional plumbers with access to hydro-jetting technology have all the right tools to deep clean not just drain pipes but also sewer lines, if necessary. They’re also trained to begin each service visit with an inspection of the pipes to locate the clogs and identify other underlying issues that could be contributing to their formation. The plumbers then use this information to provide more targeted and more effective cleaning services.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hydro-Jetting
Still, have concerns about hydro-jetting and how it works? Find answers to some of Washington State homeowners’ most common questions.
Will Hydro-Jetting Cause Pipe Damage?
Hydro-jetting will not cause pipe damage if it’s performed by a trained professional. It doesn’t involve the use of dangerous chemicals or tools that could puncture the pipes, so as long as homeowners hire reputable plumbers, they should have nothing to worry about.
How Long Does Hydro-Jetting Take?
In most cases, hydro-jetting can resolve clogs within an hour. If there’s a serious blockage in the main sewer line, it can take up to three hours to eliminate it completely.
Will Hydro-Jetting Cut Through Roots?
Unlike drain snaking, hydro-jetting can clear tree roots from sewer lines. It will not, however, stop them from growing back or resolve the damage they caused.
How Often Should Homeowners Schedule Preventative Hydro-Jetting?
Sewer lines need to be cleaned out once every 18 to 22 months. Hydro-jetting is the most effective and cost-efficient way to perform this routine sewer line maintenance task.
How Much Does Hydro-Jetting Cost?
The cost of hiring a hydro-jetting service varies significantly depending on the circumstances. Cleaning out a clog from a minor drain pipe will be fast and easy while removing tree roots from the main sewer line will take significantly more time and effort. The best way to find out how much hydro-jetting will cost is to call Lavergne Plumbing for a quote.
How Long Do Sewer Lines Last?
Sewer lines can last 100 years or longer, but only if they’re well-maintained. Regular hydro-jetting, along with some careful landscape maintenance, can extend the longevity of both PVC and cast iron sewer lines.
Is It Okay to Hydro-Jet Cast Iron Pipes?
New homes almost always have PVC drains and sewer lines, but older houses were constructed using cast iron wastewater pipes. Since many of these pipes are already very old and corroded, hydro-jetting may exacerbate existing damage. However, hydro-jetting is perfectly safe for cast iron pipes that are not already suffering from excessive wear and corrosion.
Schedule a Service Call Today
Looking for a plumber in Washington State who can handle all local homeowners’ drain cleaning needs? Look no further than Lavergne Plumbing. These industry-leading local plumbers are proud to provide fast, reliable, affordable service to homeowners across Skagit and Whatcom counties. Schedule an appointment online or call (360) 583-6608 to get in touch with a plumbing technician who can help today.