One of the most common plumbing problems that a homeowner deals with is clogged drains. It could be a slow-draining kitchen sink, a backed-up shower, or a main sewer line issue. Understanding how to effectively clear it starts with understanding the difference between drain snaking and hydro jetting.
What Is Drain Snaking?
Other than using a plunger, a drain snake is a more traditional way to clear clogs. You will also hear it called a handheld drain snake auger. There are manual and electric drain snakes. Homeowners often use manual drain snakes, which are useful for clogs that are near the drain. Electric drain snakes are longer, and most plumbers have one in their company vehicle. Drain snakes have a long, flexible metal cable with a corkscrew-like tip. As the cable gets inserted into your line, that tip rotates as it moves forward. The rotating tip helps break apart or hook onto any clog so that it can be removed or pushed through your pipe.
It can be an effective method when it comes to hair clogs in your showers or tubs. It can clear food buildup in your kitchen drain and even remove small objects stuck in your pipe. It’s more of a localized method for clearing out debris. Drain snaking effectively goes straight to the blockage and breaks it apart, restoring flow through your drain line.
While drain snaking can be effective for some localized control, it only clears a path through the clog. It’s important to note that it doesn’t clean the pipe of debris. Residue, sludge, and grease often remain on the walls of your pipes. This buildup can accumulate over time, leading to recurring problems. It’s best to think of drain snaking as a quick fix to restore flow. However, it shouldn’t be considered a long-term solution.
What Is Hydro Jetting?
A hydro jetter can be thought of as a more powerful and advanced drain cleaning tool. Instead of using a mechanical cable, like a drain snake, a hydro jetter uses high-pressure water. This water comes out up to 4,000 PSI, which helps to blast through blockages inside your pipes. It comes with a specialized hose with multi-directional nozzles. They get inserted directly into your pipe.
As it blasts through your pipe, the pressurized water spurting out of it will scour the entire interior surface of your piping. Hydro jetting is extremely effective in removing all types of blockages. These include grease and oil buildup, soap scum and sludge, mineral deposits, and even scaling. It can break through ice and tree roots. Hydro jetting is extremely effective at removing years of accumulated debris from your pipe.
The main thing to be aware of hydro jetting service is that it doesn’t just punch a hole through the clog as drain snaking does. Rather, it completely cleans all pipe walls, restoring the flow to your piping system as well. Hydro jetting is great for dealing with the source of the issue so that you don’t have to deal with recurring clogs.
Which Method Do You Need?
Whether you should get drain snaking or hydro jetting service really depends on the type of clog that you’re dealing with. Snaking can be effective for a recent clog in a localized area. For example, if you have some hair buildup in your sink or food debris, it can typically be cleared. As long as you keep up with yearly pipe cleanings, you can typically use a drain snake to remove small clogs and restore functionality without recurring issues.
Hydro jetting service is best when you’re dealing with recurring clogs. If there’s grease buildup in your kitchen lines or you notice slow drains throughout your home, hydro jetting is a more effective long-term solution. Issues like gurgling noises, slow drainage, and standing water all lead to underlying issues with a buildup along your pipe walls.
While hydro jetting can be highly effective for clearing clogs out of your main sewer line, it does have some limitations that you should be aware of. We don’t recommend hydro jetting if you have old or fragile pipes. For example, if you have deteriorated cast iron, you don’t want to use hydro jetting as the high-pressure water can bust apart the pipe. Our plumbers would do a sewer camera inspection to get a good look at the condition of your plumbing, then suggest pipe replacement as the best option if they’re brittle, old, or damaged.
Using Hydro Jetting as a Preventive Measure
As a homeowner, keeping up with plumbing maintenance is one of the best ways to minimize your risk of experiencing a clog. While hydro jetting can be great for handling clogs in your line, it’s also an ideal method for preventative care. Most residential plumbing systems can benefit from a hydro jetting service at least once a year.
It’s typically recommended to get this in the fall before the winter season hits, when water usage greatly increases. During this service, our plumbers will thoroughly clean the inside of your sewer line to remove any debris buildup. By removing this debris and restoring the full pipe diameter, you can greatly decrease your risk of experiencing a plumbing clog in the coming year.
Tips for Preventing Plumbing Clogs
While hydro jetting can be a great form of preventative maintenance to protect your plumbing system, there are many other things that you can do to greatly minimize your risk of experiencing a clog. One of the most important things to keep in mind is that grease, fats, and oils can all solidify as they cool down, traveling through your pipes. These turn into a gel-like substance that can cause blockages over time as they accumulate more debris.
It’s a good rule of thumb to always have an alternative for getting rid of your cooking oils. It could be as simple as using a used can to pour your grease into so it can solidify, then throw it in the trash. You always want to avoid pouring grease, fats, or oils directly down your drain.
Another important tip is always to use strainers over your drain. Strainers are effective at catching food particles in your kitchen sink before they get down in your drain. They’re also great for showers, where they can catch hair and soap scum before they get down your drain. It’s important to keep your strainers clean to ensure maximum effectiveness and drainage in your systems.
There are many non-degradable items that you don’t want to put down your drains. Some common ones include cotton swabs, floss, and sanitary products. Even so-called flushable wipes have been shown not to degrade over time, leading to clogging issues. It’s best to have a garbage can to dispose of these items so that they don’t get flushed down your drains.
Reliable Drain Cleaning Service
Woodward Heating Air Plumbing offers drain cleaning services in Salem, OR, and the surrounding areas. We can also help with all your plumbing installation, replacement, repair, and inspection needs.
Call our office at Woodward Heating Air Plumbing today to schedule your next drain cleaning.
