Drain Snakes vs Hydrojetting

Introducing Drain Snakes and Hydrojetting

Clogged drains are a common nuisance that can disrupt homes and businesses. To clear them, dealing with a clogged drain often involves employing methods such as using a plumbing snake or hydrojetting.

A drain snake, also called an auger, is a long, flexible steel cable with a spiral metal tip. the snaking drain technique works for minor clogs when the tool is inserted into the pipe, though roots and hardened blockages may require repeat interventions.

It is manually navigated down into your drain line to physically seize, ensnare, and extract impediments such as hair, grease, soap scum, and diminutive items.

Hydrojetting uses high-powered water propelled through pipes to scour interiors and forcibly dislodge stubborn debris. Also called water jetting, it employs specialised jetting machines connected to high-pressure hoses which generate water speeds exceeding 60km/hr. This aggressive pressurized water stream permeates into drain pipes, attacking any intrusive roots, grease deposits, or partial blockages to clear out debris.

Assessing the pros cons of each drain unclogging method, whether drain snaking or hydrojetting, hinges on factors like pipe design, the nature of the blockage, accessibility, and the risk of inflicting damage on pipes. A professional plumber should be consulted for persistent or serious blockages to evaluate the situation and decide which method is the most effective technique for clearing drains.

When to Use Drain Snakes

Plumbing snakes, adept at moving through pipe interiors, can take care of minor clogs resulting from accumulations of hair, soap residue, small objects, or loose debris. As an affordable DIY snaking method, homeowners can also employ Plumbers snakes before calling a professional. Drain snaking, unlike more intense snaking hydro jetting methods, is also less likely to can damage pipes or plumbing fixtures.

Drain snakes are often the go-to choice when blockages can easily become particularly tricky:

• The clog is accessible and located less than 50 feet from the drain access point
• There are some plumbing layouts with multiple bends where a sturdy snake can manoeuvre more nimbly than a hydrojetting hose
• The drainage pipes are cast iron or clay rather than PVC plastic
• The blockage is partial rather than a complete clog
• Repeated attempts at resolving a situation where clogs can hint at the more stubborn nature of the obstruction, pointing to a more tenacious blockage

When dealing with blockages deeper than 50 feet in sewer lines, which might indicate a significant obstruction, hydrojetting might be the necessary course of action. Likewise, the choice between hydro jetting snaking methods can depend on the situation, as a drain snake can often clear roots, rust deposits in older pipes and hardened clogs, yet in some cases may require resorting to hydro jetting. However, trying an affordable drain snake first enables homeowners to then pursue hydrojetting if the snaking approach fails.

Snaking Small Pipes

Snaking hydro techniques work well especially for pipes of all shapes and sizes, particularly those with a small diameter of up to 4 inches or 10cm. Their narrow steel cable is adept at clearing out tight spots, elbow joints, T-junctions and P-traps common in smaller household drain lines.

Unlike bulky hydrojetting hoses that produce a powerful stream water, drain snakes nimbly navigate the many bends found under bathroom or kitchen sinks. Manoeuvring a drain snake down pipe networks inside your home to target a blockage requires both diligence and expertise, but it can successfully remove minor hair and soap clogs in areas with reduced water flow.

Confronting and clearing clogs in straight pipelines, such as your sewer line, stirs the debate of snaking vs hydro jetting, with hydro jetting often delivering a more powerful solution. However, when comes to the more confined sections of your plumbing system, located beneath sinks and riddled with sharp angles, a DIY or professional drain snake often becomes the wiser strategy.

Snaking Limitations

While drain snakes do a great job at tackling minor clogs as a diy project, they have limitations when facing severe blockages:

• On the other hand, snakes struggle clearing hardened debris, thick roots, rust or mineral deposits that fill entire pipe sections.
• They lack High-pressure water that can used effectively to remove mineral buildup and scour inside pipe interiors down to the bare surface.
• Drain snakes can only crawl from one end to another, forward and back, unable to divert sideways to clear junctions or offsets in your plumbing.
• Kinks and pipe damage can block a snake’s path, preventing access beyond obstruction points.
• Snaking takes time, repeatedly working a cable through stubborn clogs with no guarantee of success.

Within the diverse plumbing system setups of residences and businesses in Peakhurst, drain snakes may not suffice at obstructive, rooted tangles or inside your sewer when facing scale-encrusted pipes that call for the superior force of a hydro jetter.

For the most heavy-duty drain challenges, you’ll want to consider hydrojetting as the top choice. Still, skillfully applied drain snaking remains a cost-effective solution for many common clogs before considering pricey hydro flushing.

Understanding Hydrojetting

Using jetting snaking techniques, hydrojetting’s efficiency comes from different types of high-powered streams of water pressure to clear fully or partially blocked drains. Specialists command all equipment for hydrojetting, which can generate a highpressure water jet with water pressures surpassing 1000 psi, channeled through a slim hose finished with a purpose-built nozzle. As the operator guides the hose into the plumbing, the vigorous stream of water undertakes to clear your pipes’ interior, abrading the inner walls and forcibly ejecting all collected debris from pipes too.

This water cannon effect pulverises buildups, efficiently working to clean pipes of thick oils grease, tree roots, mud, silt, pipescale, and rubble to restore flow. The force of water delivered by hydrojetting is perfectly suited to blast through tenacious clogs and solidified sediments within pipe interiors where regular drain snakes fall short.

Suitable applications for hydro jetting include:

• Clearing grease-logged restaurant drain lines
• Blasting invasive tree roots infiltrating the main sewer pipe
• Removing mineral scale in old pipes
• Eliminating years of construction debris inside new PVC or concrete pipes
• Scouring residential sink pipes impassable to standard drain snakes

As an innovative method that uses eco-friendly water-based processes with no chemicals, hydrojetting is more reliable than chemical drain cleaners and will not corrode pipes or contaminate the environment, while effectively dealing with clogs such as thick grease and invasive roots. When angled properly, the stream becomes an effective option clearing blockages without damaging pipes. Still, only qualified technicians should operate these machines to prevent pipe perforations.

Hydrojetting Capabilities

Dealing clogged, stubborn blockages with hydrojetting is highly effective, pulverising serious obstructions that outmaneuver regular cable snakes, including those related to heaterstank water systems. This brute hydraulic force offers an effective clearing mechanism against obstructions like:

• Thick grease deposits coating restaurant pipes
• Intrusive roots wrapped around your sewer mains
• Hardened scale lining deteriorated plumbing
• Mud, silt and debris crammed in newly installed pipes

While a snake can either poke or prod at blockages, hydrojetting offers a more thorough cleaning option, clearing pipes completely, removing buildup and restoring walls to near original condition. This comprehensive cleaning helps protect your pipes from current clogs and safeguard against future clogs, with reduced risk of build-ups resurfacing after the pipes are cleared.

Hydrojetting also excels when hub-to-hub pipes lack a straight throughway, allowing the jetting hose to blast clogs at angles a snake cannot navigate to dislodge sticky stubborn gunk. Powerful 3600 psi hydro jet blasters available from Peakhurst Plumbing make fast work to get rid of clogs that get stuck in seriously stopped drains.

Hydrojetting Limitations

While hydrojetting is powerful enough to be highly effective at clearing severe clogs, some limitations still exist:

• Old metal pipes can be too fragile, risking perforations from high-powered water jets
• PVC and ABS plastic piping may not withstand heat from prolonged jet blasting
• Hydrojetting cannot clear offset joints or lateral branches unable to access via the jetting hose
• The process is ineffective against hardened mineral deposits that resist scouring
• Equipment purchase/rental and service fees generally exceed basic snaking costs

Due to the blend of state-of-the-art and aging pipes found in Peakhurst, technicians must gauge compatibility to avoid any harm to the modern plumbing infrastructure. Hydrojetting also struggles clearing multiple bends or branch lines where flexible drain snakes can still manoeuvre.

While drain snakes have some inherent weaknesses, they remain the cheaper, gentler home improvement option for basic clogs before considering jetting vs traditional methods.

Comparing Effectiveness for Different Clogs

For thick buildup of grease and oil like in restaurant pipes, hydro jets are vastly superior. Its forceful water streams can pulverise years of sticky grease that snakes merely slide over.

Root Infiltration

Extensive root masses growing into your sewer line and the rest of the drain system are best handled by hydrojetting. The water jetting can shred and destroy the larger roots that snakes cannot grab onto.

When mud, silt, construction material or other dense debris jams new or recently repaired pipes, Hydrojetting provides the brute force needed to power through clog and blow out the blockages faster.

Grease Clogs

Grease buildup from food residues flowing down kitchen sinks is a common culprit behind a nasty clogged drain. While drain snakes can more than just physically hook and dislodge minor grease deposits, thick accumulations coating pipes often resist a snaking cable’s efforts.

In contrast, professional hydrojetting efficiently pulverises years of caked-on grease thanks to highly pressurised water blasting at speeds up to 60km/hr. This intense jet stream scrubs down drain interiors to the bare surface, removing sticky residues that cling to walls which snakes merely slide over.

Hydrojetting’s scouring effectiveness is proven in cleaning notoriously greasy drains in commercial kitchens and restaurants. Even large melted grease blobs solidified in pipes are no match for a concentrated water jet cutting through the sludge. Hydrojetting ensures all loosened grease oil and other gunk come out, whereas snakes simply drag out what they can grab.

While both approaches have merits, hydro jetting best addresses any type of blockage, obliterating thick grease with unmatched power, offering a superior solution for your drains. To get your home and businesses battling grease-laden pipes clean, Peakhurst Plumbing’s professional hydrojetting service promises fast, eco-friendly drain cleaning.

Roots

Tree roots infiltrating and wrapping around underground sewer pipes is another common cause of stubborn drain clogs. While drain snakes can tunnel through root nests, this only clears temporary passages but does not remove the larger roots.

Hydrojetting is better equipped to eliminate root masses. High-pressure water jets can systematically break up roots and destroy the tangled bundles over repeated jetting sessions. Hydrojetting also clears away root debris more thoroughly, penetrating deep plumbing layers, compared to snakes that simply drag out what they pull loose.

For smaller hair-like roots sprouting in household pipes, the choice between snake hydro methods remains crucial for ripping out initial tendrils making its way into the plumbing. But as larger rope-like roots take hold in ageing sewer mains, Peakhurst Plumbing’s industrial hydrojetting service is required to decisively defeat deep root infestations.

Heavy Debris

When mud, silt, construction debris or other dense materials completely clog freshly installed pipes or pipes damaged by recent digging, hydrojetting is the most efficient clearing method.

Drain snakes often cannot bore through tightly packed rubble and sediment filling a pipe. But hydrojetting’s concentrated high-pressure water jets can steadily blast away the blockage choking inside your line.

Hydro jetting vs traditional drain methods stands out as its scouring action also removes fine silt coatings and purges all loose material from the system, reducing chances of re-clogging. While snaking grabs and pulls out what it can, hydrojetting forcibly ejects all debris in its path until pipes are cleared.

Cost Comparison

Drain snaking offers a cheaper short-term solution for minor clogs, with basic hand-powered snakes costing homeowners $50100 and professional snaking averaging $150 per hour.

Hydrojetting has pricier upfront costs, including the option to own hydro jet water equipment, which costs around $45,000 for an industry-grade machine. Plumbers commonly charge $250-500 per hour to deal with a tough clog, what can be a significant blockage remediation cost. But hydrojetting’s superior clearing abilities save long-term expense from repeat snaking or pipe repairs if severe clogs reoccur.

Factoring in labour and potential drainage issues down the line,attempts should be made to snake first before hydrojetting more stubborn pipes. Hydrojetting also carries risk and can potentially damage your pipes if improperly done, incurring repair bills. For the type of blockage that requires sewer repair, Peakhurst Plumbing’s hydrojetting service promises expert cleaning with care to avoid unnecessary costs.

Environmental Impact

Hydrojetting is considered an environmentally safe drain cleaning method since it utilises only highly pressurised water rather than chemicals. The expelled water can be collected and managed correctly to ensure it doesn’t end up contaminating natural habitats or compromising your system.

In contrast, drain snakes employ steel cables that may eventually corrode and leach compounds into pipes over years of use. Additionally, manually feeding a cable snake through pipes risks scratching or scuffing ageing pipe walls, introducing metal particles that could enter water supplies if perforations later occur.

However, hydrojetting does consume large volumes of water during operations. Responsible technicians will recycle output water wherever possible rather than wasting clean water resources unnecessarily. Hydrojetting also risks potential pipe damage, which we don’t want, if improperly directed, demanding skilled operators.

Ultimately, While both methods have environmental considerations, if youre dealing with an issue, hydrojettings avoidance of caustic chemicals renders it the greener choice. But economic and practical factors should also help determine the best option when weighing up drain cleaning methods.

When to Call a Professional

Although tackling minor obstructions might be attempted as DIY endeavors through the use of plumbing tools, Knowing when to call for assistance depends on several factors, yet certain conditions necessitate reaching out to a pro from Peakhurst Plumbing:

• Repeated snaking efforts that need drain intervention provide no relief, indicating a severe clog
• Clogs are located deep within pipe networks exceeding 50 feet
• Significant root intrusions, grease buildup, or pipe damage is suspected
• Partial clogs reappear shortly after snaking showing an underlying issue
• Plumbing layouts contain tricky multi-bends, junctions or vertical stacks
• Specialist hydrojetting equipment is required for a comprehensive fix

Your local team at Peakhurst Plumbing is equipped with sophisticated tools and know-how to examine all types of pipes and determine the most fitting method, be it snaking, hydrojetting, or executing pipe repairs. With 20 years of experience in the Peakhurst area since our inception, we promise reliable solutions you can trust for even the most stubborn clogged drains.

For affordable drain inspections and quotes on professional drain cleaning services, email [email protected], call 1300 349 338 or book an appointment online.