Snaking vs Hydro Jetting & Your Kingston Home
Hi Kingston, John THE Plumber here to talk about Snaking vs Hydro Jetting! We get an amount of calls that you have a blockage of sorts and that a plunger isn’t cutting the mustard. It usually means that your blockage is solid enough that a more forceful tool is required to clean the drain. Professional Plumbers like us will use one of two solutions for blockages and pipe cleaning which are known as “hydro jetting” and “plumbing snakes”. For us to decide which method is best for you we need to assess the root cause of the problem. Once the cause has been determined we can then tell you what will be best for your particular situation. Below we explain each method so you can understand better what we are talking about.
Your Snaking vs Hydro Jetting Guide
Hydro Jetting
Hydro jetting is a very powerful tool. It’s a high pressured hose that sends pressurized water through your pipes, attacking anything and everything that is causing your blockages. The perks of Hydro Jetting are listed below:
- Pipe Materials: Regardless of what your pipes happen to be made of hydro jets can work through your clogs with ease
- Best Cleaner: Due to the power of the hydro jets, the water pressure will cut through anything that is blocking you, resulting in very clean pipes
- It’s Quick: It doesn’t matter how bad your clog is, the pressure of the water is a strong force and will have you unblocked and your water running in no time!
NOTE: If you have one of those older homes in the Kingston area, you may well still have older and more fragile pipes. If this is this case the water pressure from these hoses could cause substantial damage. If fragile pipes are discovered, a plumber will most likely decide to go with the snaking method to achieve maximum results without causing you further problems.
Plumbing Snakes
Plumbing snakes (also known as plumbing augers), have been around longer that Hydro Jets and have always been recognized as an effective means of handling a clog. The snake is a steel cable with a coil at the end of it (see why it’s called a snake!); the cable is inserted into your drain lines, and the coil at the end is used to break through what is causing your obstruction while pulling it out at the same time. Below are the pros of using this method:
- Gentle: Snakes don’t have the power that hydro jets do. If your pipes are fragile this is the method you should be choosing to avoid damages
- Efficient: Even though it’s more gentle that a hydro jet, snaking your pipes is still very strong and will efficiently handle smaller to medium clogs without any issues
- Reliable: It’s reputation speaks for itself; you can’t go wrong with a snake
- Tree Roots: A snake is the only answer if you have tree roots. A hydro jet can be used afterwards should you choose, but the snake is the method you need to use in this situation.
NOTE: The one downside to the snake method is that it only provides a temporary solution. It will break down and remove the debris, but buildup in your pipe will continue to grow which will means more clogs for you down the road. To truly rid your pipes of this issue, utilizing a hydro jet after the snake is a perfect combination.
If your plunger isn’t cutting through your blockages and/or you have any other plumbing questions, give us a call today at John THE Plumber Kingston and we’ll be pleased to send one of our knowledgeable professionals over to you right away to discuss these options with you further.To discover more on the full range of emergency services offered by our Kingston-based John the Plumber, please call our offices today at 343-477-1970 or visit our business website at johntheplumber.ca/kingston
