High pressure water jetting is a low-cost and reliable way to remove blockages from your pipes and care for your plumbing. Over time, your plumbing will accumulate buildup that can cause complications such as slowed draining, gurgling, or total clogging. High pressure water jetting is one of the primary ways to combat this. Many people will immediately try using drain snakes or chemicals, but these can damage your plumbing system and often leave behind many materials.
What is High Pressure Water Jetting?
Your drains and sewer lines do a lot of work that is underappreciated. Whether it’s hair, soap scum, kitchen grease, food waste, or anything else down the commode, your plumbing is what allows all of this waste to exit your home efficiently. Taking care of your pipes will ensure the longevity of your plumbing, and hydro jetting is one of the best ways to keep your drains clear.
Did you ever play with a water hose and find out you could increase the speed of the water stream by pushing your thumb over the nozzle? High pressure water jetting uses a similar principle. Small nozzle holes control the speed and direction of a water jet to cut and push material through plumbing pipes. One primary water jet points forward, cutting through blockages in the pipe, while multiple jets point backward, moving the hose through the pipe and pushing debris out. It also works like a pressure washer on the inside walls of your pipes. Hydro jetting will leave them squeaky clean and like they were just put in yesterday.
Water jetting can clean out even the most difficult materials in your sewer system. For example, tree roots are known to grow through pipes in your yard, and the pressure from water jetting will cut through them with ease. Hydro jets sustain a water pressure of around 4000 PSI, which can easily cut through roots. In addition, any paper or organic waste will not stand a chance against a hydro jet.
Hydro jets still do not generally harm your pipes themselves, and the service is quite eco-friendly. Unlike other methods, hydro jetting uses only water. As a result, you will not have to worry about harmful chemicals or other substances entering your home or yard.
When Do I Need High Pressure Water Jetting?
Hydro jetting is more than just a way to unclog your plumbing. It also cleans the walls of your pipes, which reduces build-up, foul smell, and extends the life of your plumbing. It is best to hydro jet your plumbing once every year and a half or so as routine maintenance, but more or less often might be optimal for the current state of your pipes. Doing so will dramatically reduce the potential for clogs and ensure your drains work exactly how they are intended to work.
If you have not had hydro jetting done before, you may want to look at some warning signs that make your drains at a higher risk for clogs. For example, do your pipes not drain as fast as they used to? Do they make gurgling sounds when draining liquid? These are signs of buildup, even if your pipes are not completely clogged. These are clear signs that you should use high pressure water jetting, or you may have more severe blockages down the line.
Are There Alternatives?
The two ways most homeowners will try to clean their drains is by either using a drain snake or with chemicals. Unfortunately, neither of these methods is as effective as hydro jetting for many reasons.
Drain snakes come in two forms you may be familiar with. First, there are shorter plastic snakes that you simply push into your drain and pull out. These can be helpful for hair or visible build-up at the top of the pipe, but they are not always the most effective. Plastic drain snakes are usually single-use and leave a lot of material behind.
There are also metal drain snakes that are either manual or electric. These are very effective for simple clogs, and they are fantastic to have in a pinch. However, they can, unfortunately, also damage your pipes. Manual drain snakes are easier to use, but they can still be very easy to crack or break your pipes if you are unfamiliar with your plumbing structure.
Chemicals should almost always be avoided when clearing your drains. Chemicals like Drano are usually very toxic to the environment, can severely harm you, and cause significant damage to your plumbing. These chemicals might temporarily fix the problem, but they can do permanent damage to your body and even corrode your pipes.
Though hydro jetting is generally safe for your pipes, there are also certain circumstances in which high pressure water jetting could damage your pipes. For people with damaged or older plumbing, you might have to look at different methods to unclog and clean your pipes. This is why a professional plumber is necessary when inspecting and determining the best solution for your home.
Get High Pressure Water Jetting with Goodbee Plumbing
Do you have slow-moving pipes, or has it been a while since you last had a plumber come out to your home? Just like having your teeth cleaned, having your drains cleaned is best done routinely, and the small routine cost is much more efficient than having a sizeable unexpected problem arise far down the line.
Take care of your pipes now with Goodbee Plumbing. Our workmanship is 100% satisfaction guaranteed. We serve residential and commercial customers, drawing from almost three decades of experience in the industry. Whether it’s high pressure water jetting, inspections, or other general plumbing services, Goodbee has the tools and expertise to make it happen. Our family-owned, local business is just a call away from discussing a phone estimate for the exact services you are looking for.
Contact Goodbee today to connect with a trusted, reliable neighborhood plumber.