Cleaning the drains in your Seattle, WA home is an important part of your ongoing property maintenance. Most plumbers recommend scheduling professional drain cleaning service at least once a year. With regular drain cleaning, you can avoid common problems like slow-moving drains, foul drain odors, and annoying drain gnat infestations. Hydro-jetting is a top choice for drain cleaning. This quick, convenient, and minimally invasive drain cleaning method is highly effective.
What Is Hydro-Jetting?
Hydro-jetting flushes drains and dirty pipe interiors with high-pressure jets of water. Hydro-jetting uses water pressure levels of up to 5,000 pounds per square inch (psi). This fast-moving water is forceful enough to break up solid and semi-solid obstructions, slough off grease, slime, and biofilm, and push silt, sediment, and sand toward the sewer main.
How Plumbers Perform Hydro-Jetting
Before starting your hydro-jetting treatment, your plumber may perform a sewer line camera inspection to assess the integrity of your pipes and look for blockages. Given the exceedingly high pressure used in these treatments, hydro-jetting isn’t always suitable for old pipes or pipes with advanced wear and corrosion. These inspections also allow plumbers to adjust pressure levels accordingly. If you have normal build-ups of grease, soap scum, and hair in your wastewater pipes, your plumber might use 1,500 psi. If you have congealed “flushable” wipes in your plumbing system or other trapped, slow-degrading items, your plumber may use 3,500 psi instead.
Plumbers perform hydro-jetting via plumbing cleanouts or other access points. They insert long, pressurized hoses into wastewater pipes and turn them on. As these hoses slowly move through pipes, they clean off waste and force it toward municipal sewer systems. The entire process takes just 60 to 90 minutes.
Why Is Hydro-Jetting So Effective?
Hydro-jetting uses high-pressure water in a relatively small and contained environment. This focuses pressurized jets directly on pipe walls for maximum effectiveness. Even tough, tacky grime and heavy, hard-water sediment are lifted off and flushed away.
The high-pressure jets used in hydro-jetting are also powerful enough to break through invasive tree roots and weeds. If your sewer line has been encroached upon and roots are inhibiting the movement of wastewater away from your house, hydro-jetting is an excellent solution.
When Should You Schedule Hydro-Jetting?
Annual drain cleaning works best for large, busy households. If you have lots of people cooking, bathing, showering, and using the toilets in your home, your drains and wastewater pipes could develop thick buildups of grease, biofilm, and hair within just months. However, if you have a smaller household and fewer people using your plumbing system, then you may be advised to schedule drain cleaning every 18 to 22 months.
Signs You Need Hydro-Jetting Service Now
Hydro-jetting is an excellent option for general drain and sewer line maintenance. However, it’s also an effective corrective technique for sewer line blockages, tough plumbing clogs, and whole-house backups. Even if you’re up to date with all recommended plumbing maintenance, you may need hydro-jetting service if you have:
- Noisy drains
- A wet, marshy lawn
- Malfunctioning plumbing-connected appliances
- Sewer gas odors in your home or yard
If all the drains in your house start moving slowly or stop moving, hydro-jetting can clear your wastewater pipes and sewer lines completely.
How Does Hydro-Jetting Stack Up to Other Drain Cleaning Methods?
Hydro-jetting is one of several methods that plumbers can use to clean dirty drains and resolve major sewer line blockages. Plumbers can also use mechanized rooter machines that send long drain augers or snakes into wastewater pipes to manually slough off buildups. These machines break up solid and semi-solid waste. They can also pierce through slow-degrading items like congealed wipes and pull them out.
While hydro-jetting is a highly effective drain cleaning method, it can accelerate the deterioration of aging pipes. However, rooter service can scratch off protective pipe coatings or cause perforations. Pre-treatment camera line inspections minimize the risk of these and other damages by giving plumbers a clear view of pipe interiors, the chance to assess cumulative pipe wear, and the ability to choose the best cleaning drain method for each home.
Proudly serving Seattle since 1977, we offer top-notch plumbing, drain, and sewer services. Homeowners can count on us for expert water line repairs, gas line installations, hydro-jet cleaning, and n s. To schedule an appointment, contact Raymark Plumbing & Sewer today.