How Does Drain Jetting Work
- Posted by:
- Admin
- Tags:
- Posted date:
- 22-11-2021
Do you want to find out how does drain jetting work? Find out more about what drain jetting is and how it can benefit your drainage problem.
How Does Drain Jetting Work?
A drain jet is a piece of professional plumbing equipment designed to perform a deep cleanse of a drainage pipe. The equipment consists of a long high pressure hose with a jetting nozzle on the end, which has holes around its sides facing backwards and a hole at the front. The hose is connected to a powerful water pump filled with a large volume of water.
A drain jetting works by inserting the hose into the drain affected by the clog and then pumping water through the nozzle at incredibly high pressure. The sheer force of the water jets are enough to break apart and flush away any debris, whether it is made of fat, grease, limescale or any other substance that commonly cause blocked drains.
The design of the nozzle is important in its overall function. The front hole propels a jet of water forwards to break through clogs like a drill while the rear-facing holes blast the sides of the drain pipes inner walls while also moving the hose forwards. In this manner, the drain jet can make its way through the pipe under its own power, cleaning all of the insides along the way.
Does My Home Need Drain Jetting?
Whether or not drain jetting services are necessary for your home depends on a few things. The first and most obvious question you want to ask yourself is how bad the drain blockage is? Can you see the clog? Have previous attempts failed to dislodge it? If it can be removed with simple DIY methods, then you might want to try that first as it will likely be a bit cheaper, but if it doesn't go away, then you likely need a drain jetting.
Another reason you might want a drain jetting for your home is if you have just moved in. Even if there are no obvious blockages in any of the drains upon first look, it is still possible that their general condition is poor. Getting a drain jetting service for your new home will completely clean the whole drainage system and practically ensure that you won't have any unexpected plumbing problems for the foreseeable future.
What Is Drain Jetting
A drain jetting is a high-pressure water jetting service offered by many plumbing and drain companies. It involved a professional plumber using a specialised piece of power washing equipment to perform a thorough cleanse of your drain. The purpose of this can vary.
Most commonly, a drain jetting service is used when a customer has a difficult to unblock or reoccurring clog in a drain that they can't otherwise deal with. The drain jetting will unblock the clog with high-pressure jets of water. Other use cases include regular drain jetting done as a typical plumbing maintenance procedure to ensure the insides of pipes are clean and the flow of water is at maximum efficiency.
Can I carry out high-pressure drain jetting myself?
Technically there is nothing stopping you from performing a drain jetting yourself. The equipment required to perform the service is prohibitively expensive and impractical for most domestic cases, however, and is not a cost-effective manner of dealing with a clog or two.
If you had the money to spare and the interest to do so, the next factor to consider before attempting to carry out this procedure yourself is health and safety. Water moving at sufficient velocity can cut through steel. While the water pressure of commercial drain jetting systems are not quite so powerful, they are still capable of piercing skin and can cause serious injury if misused.
Using a high-pressure water jet necessitates a certain level of protective equipment and risk management to be used safely. For example, an inexperienced water jet user might overlook the fact that the hose and reel of the system can and will move during the procedure, which can cause them to trip or worse.
Furthermore, all of the water and waste that gets flushed out of the pipes has to escape somewhere, and it will likely be a nearby manhole or outlet. If you are not prepared for such an outcome, then it could cause an incredibly unsanitary mess and could potentially hurt yourself or others.
These are all risks that professional plumbers are trained and experienced in managing. Therefore we would advise that instead of performing a drain jetting procedure yourself, leave it to the professionals. If you still want to perform it yourself, however, call a professional for advice on things to keep in mind and ensure you take the proper health and safety precautions.
What types of jetting units are available?
A train jetting system is relatively simple in concept, which means the form that they take can be quite varied. The most common type of jetting unit you will see in use are mounted on the back of trucks which can also carry the large quantity of water required for the process.
Though rarer and having little domestic applications, there are also jetting systems that are mounted on a trolley. These have the advantage of being readily available for construction sites and such but are impractical for use in homes and enclosed spaces.
Is Drain Jetting Worth it
Drain jetting is almost universally worth it. There are several benefits that the process gives besides the obvious removal of drain blockages.
Drain jetting is one of the most eco-friendly ways to clean your drains that exists. This is because there are no harsh chemicals used in the process. It's just water.
This has the side benefit of being healthy for your pipes as well. Some chemicals used in drain cleaners can wear away at pipes and cause more damage than they fix.
Removing a clog is often only half the battle. Clogged drains are one of those plumbing problems that are likely to occur more than once due to the leftover residue in the drain, which more traditional drain cleaning methods don't deal with.
The drain jetting clears absolutely everything leaving the pipe almost good as new which prevents the problem from happening again.
If you have ever unblocked any drains with drain rods, then you likely know it can take a frustrating amount of time and effort to properly clean it out.
In contrast, a drain jetting service takes typically about an hour from start to finish and requires minimal effort beyond the setup.
Are you looking for blocked drains clearance in the Ipswich and Suffolk area? Find out more about our local drain jetting services below.