New Innovations: What Is Hydro Jetting and How Can My Plumbing Benefit?
Hydro jetting is essentially high-pressure water blasting for the interior of your pipes. It’s often prescribed to remove debris, blockages, clogs or buildup on the inside of pipes. It’s also non-invasive and doesn’t pose some of the environmental or corrosive risks of other blockage removal options.
Why Not Just Use Drano or Other Chemical-Based Blockage Removers?
Clog busters like Drano work their magic on clogs and blockages thanks to strong chemicals that eat away at whatever is stopping your water from draining. Those powerful chemicals are also creating heat and eating away at your pipes while they’re working on the blockage. Some chemicals are so powerful they’ve even been known to soften PVC pipes and cause toilets to crack.
The danger for pipe damage increases with each successive use of these chemicals, or when they’re used on pipes that are already old and corroded. If your home’s drainage pipes are already compromised and you pour a corrosive chemical down them, there may be unintended consequences.
These chemicals are also just dangerous to have around, especially if you have kids or pets. Clog removers are hazardous chemicals and ingesting them could be fatal. These chemicals are so strong they can even irritate eyes, make breathing painful or burn the skin on contact. The fumes that drift from the bottle or up through your drain could cause health issues without you ever needing to ingest any of the liquid.
Some clog removal solutions like Drano are also loaded with chemicals that are unsafe for the environment. When the “empty” bottles (or not so empty) get thrown out they go into landfills and can risk leaking into the surrounding environment. When they’re washed down the drain, they go into the wastewater supply and may eventually make their way into the water table.
These are toxic chemicals and the less you have them around your home the better.
Hydro jetting doesn’t have those problems. It can break up clogs and scour the inside of pipes clean better than any dangerous chemical solution, and it’s perfectly safe from an environmental and health standpoint since hydro jetting only uses water.
Home and businesses in the Washington, D.C. area should trust their hydro jetting work to professionals. Hydro jetting is safe for pipes, so long as there isn’t existing damage that could be exacerbated by the high pressure. If there is a risk for damage, it’s generally attributable to mistakes made by amateurs.
Also keep in mind that professionals are insured. If they mess up, their commercial insurance will cover it. If you rent hydro jetting equipment and subsequently break your pipes, there’s not much you can do other than pay for fixing it out of pocket.
Our professional plumbers will inspect your piping first and will let you know if it is unsafe to attempt hydro jetting. If it turns out hydro jetting isn’t the best approach for your home, we can provide effective alternative options to restore the health of your plumbing system.
How Hydro Jetting Works
The hydro jetting nozzle, which is on the end of a thin, almost snake-like wire, shoots out several jets of high-powered water between 1,500 and 5,000 PSI. One jet shoots water forward to break through clogs in pipes while the others shoot at an angle behind the nozzle. These side jets scour the walls on the interior of the pipe clean.
It should also be noted that hydro jetting isn’t just for plumbing inside a home or business, it can also be used on sewage lines connecting a home or business to the main municipal sewer system.
Most professional plumbers will first recommend a video inspection for hydro jetting. This allows plumbers to identify where a clog or problem may lie and develop an effective plan of attack to clear the blockage and clean the pipes. It’s also an opportunity for a plumber to identify any broken or compromised pipes.
The hydro jet is strong enough to break up sludgy debris, emulsify grease and even pulverize roots out of existence. If a sewer line is penetrated by roots a plumber may first perform a video inspection, then hydro jet to get rid of the root intrusion, then determine whether relining, replacement or some other option will offer the best sewer line repair solution.
Get Your Plumbing Diagnosed by the Washington, D.C. Area Experts
If your drains are draining slow or not draining at all, or you’re noticing leaks in visible pipes, it’s likely time to call out the professionals. At Vito Services we’re committed to developing reliable, effective and environmentally safe solutions to our neighbors’ plumbing problems.
Give us a call at 800-438-8486 to schedule an appointment or call 866-211-8536 for 24/7 emergency plumbing services.