Nobody wants to wake up in the morning to a clogged drain. This common problem is one that many homeowners experience and try to remedy themselves, often making the problem worse than it was before. Clogged and blocked drains can be a huge inconvenience to your day-to-day life. Don’t keep dealing with the same problem day in and day out.
A chronically clogged drain may seem like the end of the world with a huge bill tacked on for good measure, but it is likely not as serious as you fear. Typically drain clogs are localized to a single drain or bathroom and can be remedied quickly and inexpensively by a trained professional.
If you are a New Jersey homeowner and you find yourself in this situation, give Guaranteed Service a call today! We are New Jersey’s leading plumbing and sewage service experts. We have the tools and experience necessary to take care of your drain cleaning and flushing needs the right way, every time. Guaranteed!
There are a few different ways we clean drains out, however, one of the most common methods is known as hydro jetting. This process is fast, thorough, effective, and all-natural. Not to mention it is totally safe for your drain lines. Having your system regularly cleaned and flushed is an essential part of your home’s maintenance needs and for main lines, hydro jetting is the best way to do so.
What’s The Deal With Hydro Jetting?
If you have never heard of hydro jetting, don’t worry. You are not alone. Most homeowners do not know what hydro jetting is, much less when their drains need it. Hydro jetting is an essential part of cleaning out your backed-up sewage lines and can seriously improve the pressure and quality of your water.
Understanding the process, purpose, and need for hydro jetting and other sewage removal techniques is vital knowledge for every homeowner, despite the seemingly mysterious nature of the topic. It is important to remember that sewage is not–no pun intended–a dirty word. Keeping an open mind and being receptive to learning new things about your home servicing needs can help keep your plumbing and sewage systems running as efficiently as possible.
How Does It Work?
Hydro jetting is a process that utilizes high-pressure angled sprayers to break up and remove obstructions from your sewage lines. Essentially, you are pressure washing your pipes, but with an extremely limited space that centralizes and intensifies the water pressure delivered. This technique is so powerful that it is often used to break up tree roots that have grown into pipelines – Though this is a sign that your pipe has cracks in it, which calls for a much larger repair. The water pressure coming from specially designed hoses is strong enough to clear out nearly any blockage that your system might take on.
When you call to have a plumber come out to clean your main sewer line, they will likely suggest hydro jetting, though there are a few steps that your contractor will have to go through first to properly de-clog, flush, and thoroughly clean your system. First, they will have to find the problem. This is typically done with a CCTV video camera that is snaked down a section of your piping system called the cleanout. This pipe is capped off and not connected to any outlets but is connected to the rest of the internal systems. They will move this camera around until the blockage is found.
This feed will also help them confirm that your pipes do not have any cracks or other damages that could be made worse by hydro jetting. Older pipes are prone to rust and breakdown which can make them too sensitive for hydro jetting. If they find any areas of your drainage system that have collapsed, they will need to go in and repair that damage before any hydro jetting is done. This video feed is one of the most important steps in the sewage removal process and should only be done by a licensed professional.
After your pipes have been assessed, the hydro jetting can begin. The hydro jetting system is made up of 4 parts: a hose, nozzle, water connection, and a machine that pressurizes the water. One of the great things about hydro jetting is that it does not use any harmful chemicals that can cause water quality issues down the road. Nothing is put into the hydro jetting system except water.
From here, your service professional will put the nozzle and hose into your system through the cleanout. They will feed in the hose until they find the blockage again. When the nozzle meets the blockage, a stream of angled, highly pressurized water will shoot out and remove the obstruction. This could take a few minutes of targeted jetting if the object causing your system to not work properly is large or overly hard. Things like calcium and grease buildup can typically be removed in a matter of seconds whereas other harder deposits can take much longer to break down.
Signs That Your System Needs Hydro Jetting
While hydro jetting is an extremely useful technique used by most plumbing and sewage removal professionals, how do you know when you need to call in the big guns versus when Drain-O might get the job done?
First and foremost, you should not be using Drain-O or snaking your own drains regularly. If clogs and back-ups are happening frequently in your home, it is best to call a licensed professional to come out, inspect the pipes, evaluate the issue, and talk you through the best solution. Some signs that your drains might be in need of hydro jetting are:
- Poor water pressure
- Bad smells coming from your drain
- Slow draining
- Frequent clogging
- Clogging in multiple plumbing fixtures (more than one toilet, sink, tub, etc.)
- Water/sewage backing up into any fixture
- Off noises like gurgling or wheezing coming from your drain
Sewage Removal
So, where does all that grime and gunk go? Well, when your lines are hydro jetted you do not have to worry about sewage backing up your system again. The hydro jetting process obliterates all blockages into small enough pieces that they can travel through any sewage treatment route the same way other wastewater does.
In the rare case that a customer has a blockage that might be too hard to break down, or is otherwise not suitable for hydro jetting, our trained service professionals are able to remove the section of the drain with the obstruction in question and replace it with a clean section of pipe if that is what’s necessary. This is the exception, though, not the rule. Most blocked drains simply need to be thoroughly cleaned, and then any obstructions can travel through the line and into the sewage treatment plant with the rest of your gray water.
How Often Should You Have Your Pipes Professionally Cleaned?
Though every home and every system is different, experts recommend that you have your pipes professionally cleaned at least every other year. Regular drain cleaning is one of the most effective ways to keep them free of any blockages, helping to prevent problems. Blocked drains can be a nightmare to deal with, so keeping your drains clean is essential.
Over time pipes will inevitably accrue build-up of different types such as calcite, roots, waste, and other materials that could potentially block, clog, or slow down the flow of water through your pipes. Even if your drains are not showing signs of a blockage, getting your drains professionally cleaned every once in a while is an important part of keeping your home’s plumbing and sewage lines running properly.
Who Should You Call For Your Hydro Jetting Needs?
Hydro jetting is not a DIY job. Just because it is similar to pressure washing in some ways, that does not mean that anyone with a pressure washing and a free afternoon should attempt to hydro jet their own pipes. Not only is this not likely to work, but you could also cause serious damage to your pipes. Replacing the plumbing and pipelines for your entire home could cost you quite a bit of money, so it is always better to play things safe and call a professional plumber or sewage removal specialist to ensure that the job gets done right.
An experienced hydro jetting contractor can make all the difference in completing your project as successfully and efficiently as possible. They know how to use the equipment and manipulate the camera system to find the blockage. They know the amount of water pressure necessary to break up and dislodge different types of obstructions without damaging the pipes. They know how best to remove the debris after it is broken up without it negatively impacting your sewage system. This is why we stress to every homeowner that hydro jetting is not a DIY project. Only experienced contractors should be brought in to meet your hydro jetting needs.
Guaranteed Service
At Guaranteed Service, we understand the stress of having a chronically clogged drain. We know how scary it can feel to worry about extensive underlying damage to your pipes and we are here to make that stress disappear!
Using our decades of experience and state-of-the-art tools, our team of friendly technicians will work quickly to resolve your issue and keep you and your property protected. We know you demand the absolute best for your home, and that is what we deliver to every customer, every time. We are New Jersey’s leading HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and sewage removal experts and we can help you find that peace of mind again.
To schedule your consultation or your regular drain cleaning, give Guaranteed Service a call at (732) 242-7480 or visit us online today!