04 Dec What is Hydro Jetting?
Always Affordable Plumbing Puts Water Under Pressure to Clear Out Pipes
Always Affordable Plumbing Sacramento | Hydro Jetting
There’s an old saying: Fight fire with fire. In other words, you can use something’s helpful qualities to combat its negative qualities. At Always Affordable Plumbing in Sacramento, we like that idea. So we came up with a similar saying of our own: Fight water with water.
We think it’s catchy, but we’ll admit it does need a little work. Why? Water can be a pain when it sits instead of draining. However, that doesn’t mean the water itself is the problem. The actual culprit is the clog causing the water to sit.
Fight clogs with water? It doesn’t have the same ring to it. We’ll keep working on it. But either way, what’s important is that water is doing the work to get a blocked drain moving again. The secret is in a technique called “hydro jetting.”
Yes, Hydro Jetting Is What It Sounds Like
We literally jet water into pipes to blast away stuff you don’t want sitting in there. For example, hydro jetting can loosen and remove wads of hair, grease, and other debris. In addition, it also works to address soap residue and mineral buildup. If left unchecked, mineral deposits can slowly constrict a pipe. Constriction makes water drain more slowly and can create conditions where clogs form more easily. Furthermore, hydro jetting can remove tree roots that have intruded into the pipes.
Hydro jetting’s high-pressure blasts of water serve as an alternative to drain snakes and rods. Most importantly, if you have a clog, you should work with a plumber who knows which method would work best. Very old pipes, for example, may not handle the high pressure of hydro jetting well. During a hydro jetting session, the water pressure can reach more than 5,000 pounds per square inch. That sort of pressure can move 20 gallons a minute into the pipes!
How Does Hydro Jetting Work?
Firstly, a plumber uses a “cleanout” to access your home’s plumbing system. This is a convenient way to reach the necessary pipes. Before starting the process, the plumber should check the system to be sure the pipes can handle it. It is also important to see that there is no dramatic tree root intrusion. Removing significant roots with hydro jetting can cause dirt and other debris to fall in. As a result, the whole pipe might even collapse. In short, this would be an even bigger problem, so a pre-jetting inspection is key.
After confirming that hydro jetting is the way to go, the plumber inserts a special hose “downstream.” This means the work starts at the end of the line. The goal is not to force clogs up and out into your home, however. Rather, the jets of water break up clogs and deposits, which then fall out. Yes, gravity is crucial to this technique. In fact, gravity is what moves water and waste out of many homes and into the sewers. Hydro jetting makes use of this force to encourage loosened clogs to move along naturally.
After the treatment, a follow-up pipe inspection can ensure everything looks the way it should.
Which Clogs Require Hydro Jetting?
If you have an obvious clog, you can try to dislodge it with a plunger or auger. That is to say, you can certainly work on the problem yourself. But if it proves too much for you to handle, or if clogs keep happening, hydro jetting might be the answer.
Contact Always Affordable Plumbing at any time to discover whether hydro jetting can clear your blocked drain. Reach us at (916) 970-0099.
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Find out more about Always Affordable Plumbing (Lic. #1003782) by calling (916) 970-0099.
Always Affordable Plumbing Sacramento | Hydro Jetting