Most homes in Indianapolis, IN, will occasionally experience problems with slow drains, clogs and various drain and sewer issues. Having a plumber snake the drain and drainpipe works well in some situations. However, this isn’t always the best option. Instead, there are many times when the most effective solution is to have the drain or sewer line hydro jetted.
What Is Hydro Jetting?
Hydro jetting is essentially pressure washing the inside of drains and sewer lines to blast away fat, scum and scale. It can also be used to get rid of clogs and blockages. The process works by using a special type of pressure washer that has a long hose and nozzle connected to it. After turning the machine on, the plumber begins feeding the nozzle and hose down through the drainpipe or sewer line. The pressurized jet of water that sprays out of the nozzle works to fully clean the pipe by scouring the insides of it. The jet of water is also strong enough that it blasts straight through clogs to allow the pipe to drain properly again.
What Issues Can Hydro Jetting Address?
Hydro jetting is commonly used for removing tree roots that are growing inside sewer lines. Tree roots often end up breaking through a sewer line in search of food and water. Roots can also get inside the sewer line if the joints that connect the pipes aren’t fully sealed. This is often the case with older sewer lines, especially if the sewer line is cast iron. If the roots aren’t too thick, hydro jetting can usually cut straight through them and wash them away.
Hydro jetting can also be a great option for extending the life of old sewer lines. This process lessens the chances of them clogging. One major issue with cast iron sewer lines is that they continually corrode, leading to a thick layer of scale building up inside them. The issue is even worse if the home has hard water. You’ll also end up with mineral deposits collecting inside the pipe. As the rust and scale build up, they start choking off the pipe so that less waste can flow through at one time. This creates the risk of clogs since paper products and other solid items can end up getting stuck and creating an obstruction that prevents the sewer line from draining properly. Hydro jetting helps to overcome this issue since the nozzle will blast away much of the rust and scale so that the pipe is no longer choked off.
When done properly, hydro jetting can also overcome issues with drainpipes inside the house that frequently clog. This makes it an effective option for eliminating clogs and a good preventative maintenance measure that lessens the chances of future clogs.
Is Hydro Jetting Safe for Pipes?
Hydro jetting is generally considered safe for use on most types of drain and sewer pipes. However, it depends largely on the age and condition of the pipe and any current issues it has. Old drain and sewer lines are often brittle and can be damaged by hydro jetting them. That’s why you always want to make sure that a plumber first inspects your pipes with a drain camera to ensure they are strong enough to withstand the jet of water without suffering damage. It’s also important to make sure that there are no cracks or loose connections that can allow the water to leak out. This is especially true when cleaning drainpipes inside the house. In this instance, you don’t want water to leak inside your walls and ceilings.
Another thing to note is that you don’t want to hydro jet a pipe that is fully clogged without first using a sewer auger or pipe snake to break through the clog. If the pipe is fully clogged, the water from the hydro-jet machine can quickly start backing up. That means you may end up with sewage backing up in a floor drain if the plumber first doesn’t take steps to make sure the water can start to drain out of the pipe.
It’s especially important that a plumber take precautions when hydro jetting drainpipes inside the house. If not, there’s a high chance the water will come back up out of toilets and other fixtures and end up flooding parts of the house. That’s why you should make sure whichever plumbing company you choose is experienced and knows what they’re doing.
If you’re hydro jetting a sewer line to get rid of scale and rust, you also want to make sure that the scale gets washed out into the sewer main and doesn’t back up the sewer line. If not, there’s a high chance that the line will clog soon. This potential issue is why plumbers typically use different nozzles for different situations. Some nozzles used to use jets of water in a backward direction instead of the front. This type of nozzle is usually the best choice when cleaning a sewer line through the sewer cleanout outside. That’s because it will basically pull all the rust and scale back down the pipe and into the sewer main instead of just washing everything up into the sewer line underneath the home’s foundation.
The Importance of Professional Drain and Sewer Cleaning
Hiring an experienced professional plumbing company such as Hope Plumbing is always important when you need to have your drains or sewer line cleaned or unclogged. The main reason is to ensure that you don’t end up damaging your plumbing, which can easily happen if you try to snake a pipe yourself. The risk of damage is especially high if you use chemical drain cleaning products. The corrosive chemicals in these products can eat away at your pipes.
Hiring a plumber is especially important when facing sewer issues. One reason is simply that there is no way you can effectively unclog or clean your sewer line yourself. There is also a high risk that you’ll end up with sewage backing up inside if you don’t get your sewer issue taken care of properly and promptly. One other thing to note is that tree roots and major clogs can also end up causing a sewer line to break or collapse. You shouldn’t ignore sewer issues since it could lead to you having to pay several thousand dollars for a sewer line replacement.
When you need the help of an honest, reliable plumbing company in the Indianapolis area, Hope Plumbing is the one to turn to. We offer expert plumbing repairs and installation services as well as professional hydro jetting, sewer rooting and drain cleaning. Whatever plumbing, drain or sewer service you need, you can trust that we’ll arrive on time with everything we need to get the job done correctly. We take pride in providing exceptional plumbing services and offering our customers great value for their money. Whether it’s hydro jetting your sewer line, water heater installation or any other service, give us a call to get the immediate help you need.
