When it comes to routine drain clogs, routine drain cleaning will usually do the trick. But homeowners who have a serious blockage in their drainpipe need a serious solution.
Enter Water Jetting (also known as hydro jetting) and Hydro Flushing
Water jetting and hydro flushing are essentially the same thing. It’s the diameter of your drainpipes that will determine which you need. Sewer lines 3” in diameter or less can be line jetted. Sewer lines 4” or greater in diameter should be hydro flushed.
Hydro Jetting uses high-pressure water to safely clean drains and sewer pipes that are 3” or smaller in diameter. State-of-the-art pumps and flexible heavy-duty hoses mounted with special nozzles propel ordinary water under extremely high pressure into the sewer line. Even the toughest blockages and buildups can’t stand up to water jetting.
Why is Water Jetting or Hydro Flushing Necessary?
Severe blockages in your drainpipes can require jetting or flushing. Here are a few main causes of severe clogs:
Tree Roots—When water flows through your drainpipes, it releases a vapor. That vapor is made up of moisture, nutrients, and oxygen—all of which are necessary for trees to continue growing and thriving. You’ve probably heard that trees and plants grow towards the sun. When that vapor is released, the roots will grow toward it, searching for the source, which happens to be in your sewer pipe.
Sewer vapors typically will escape into the soil surrounding the pipe through a small crack or a loose joint connecting two pipes together. When the tree roots find the source of the vapor, they will infiltrate the pipes through that tiny crack or loose joint and continue to grow. That causes the roots to capture all the fats, oil, grease, and grit (FOGG) in your pipes, causing a blockage. This is why having your sewer pipes inspected with a camera is so important! Locating and repairing tiny cracks and loose joints can help to keep these roots out of your drain pipes, and keep your drains running smoothly.
Grease build-up—When grease is hot, it’s a liquid, but when it cools, it turns into a sludgy solid that congeals with other grime and debris to clog up your home’s plumbing system. In commercial restaurants, the problems are exacerbated due to the sheer volume of grease. A “fatburg” is a large mass that’s created when “FOG” (fats, oils, and grease) is poured down your drain and bind to the calcium buildup in your drainpipes. These fatbergs can grow to the size of a truck, requiring an entire team of plumbing professionals to break up and can take the better part of a week to remove.
Hardened water scales—How hard or soft the water in your home is depends on where you live and what type of water system you have. Here in St. Louis, our water ranges from moderately hard to hard. Our water is rich in calcium, which is the primary source of water hardness, and can cause scale to build up. While our high-mineral content water is safe to drink and use for washing, it can lead to costly problems in your home’s plumbing over time.
Debris or sludge—Inside your sewer pipes, debris and grit travel with water out and away from your home. But small increments of that debris can begin to cling to the pipe walls. And when things like hot grease are poured down a drain and congeal with that debris, it starts to build up. Overtime, that small bit of sludge turns into a much bigger blockage. Add to that a potential root infiltration and now there’s a huge clog to contend with that can’t always be removed by traditional drain cleaning methods.
Conventional techniques, such as snaking the drain with an auger or drain snake, will clear clogs but can’t completely flush the pipe. Water jetting is the only method proven to clean 100% of the line. Your plumbercan use hydro jetting service to effectively:
- penetrate and melt away grease.
- break up sludge, hair clogs, and other debris.
- destroy and remove tree roots.
- cut through and remove hard minerals.
- flush out the entire system without digging up floors or landscaping or tearing up walls.
The Benefits of Hydro Flushing
- Hydro flushing is cost effective. Rather than calling for plumbing services every time you have a clogged drain, hydro jetting your drain pipes will provide a longer-lasting solution.
- Hydro flushing is safe. The only thing your plumber will use is water. So you don’t have to worry about harsh chemicals leaking out into your home or yard.
- Hydro flushing is sanitary. This drain cleaning technique uses so much force that it even cleans tiny microbes and gets rid of foul odors that could seep into your home from your plumbing system.
Hydro flushing works in the same way as line jetting; state-of-the-art pumps and flexible heavy-duty hoses mounted with special nozzles propel ordinary water under extremely high pressure into the sewer pipe.
If your drains are 3” or smaller in diameter, they’ll require water jetting. If your drains are 4” or larger in diameter, they’ll require hydro flushing. Either way, keep in mind that the high pressure of the water could damage your sewer lines, so this is not a DIY project and should only be performed by a licensed professional plumber.
While there are many benefits to water jetting or hydro flushing your sewer lines, neither will fix displaced or collapsed pipes. In this case, you’ll need to have your sewer lines repaired by a professional plumber.
Plumber’s Pro Tip: Setting up scheduled hydro flushing maintenance for your commercial business will help to prevent sewer backups that can turn into costly repairs and expensive downtime down the road.
Did You Know: While water jetting and hydro flushing are both more expensive than some other traditional methods of drain cleaning, they are the only proven methods that will flush your sewer line or drain 100%. We offer a one-year warranty on all parts and labor excluding washers.
Note: We don’t typically recommend the use of commercial drain cleaners. That’s because most of these solutions include chemicals that can be harmful to your home’s pipes and to the people in your home. Be sure to check the labels on any drain cleaning solutions before purchasing to ensure that they are safe for residential use.
Maplewood Plumbing and Sewer has been providing water jetting and hydro flushing plumbing services in St. Louis homes for more than 30 years. Contact us today at 314-696-5401 or here for more information or to request a bid.
We are also experts in hot water heater installation, tankless water heater installation, garbage disposal repair and replacement, bathroom plumbing, residential plumbing, kitchen plumbing, and basement plumbing. Give us a call at 314-696-5401 or fill out the contact form here for more information or to request a bid.