Hydro Jetting in San Jose, CA
Most drains get cleared with a cable, and for most blockages that is the right tool. It punches through whatever is in the way and the water runs again. What it does not do is touch the layer of grease, soap and scale coating the inside of the pipe, and on a kitchen line that coating is the actual problem. The blockage was just the day it finally closed.
Jetting works differently. A high-pressure hose goes down the line and scours the pipe wall, taking the buildup off and returning the pipe to the diameter it was built with.
It is not the answer to everything. A hair clog in a bathroom sink does not need it and we will not sell it to you. Where it earns its money is a kitchen line that keeps coming back, a main line with grease or soft root material in it, and clearing a pipe properly before running a camera so you see the pipe rather than the residue.
When people call us about this
- The same kitchen drain has been cleared more than once in a year
- Grease build-up suspected in a main line
- Slow drainage across several fixtures at once
- Soft root material found during a previous clearing
- Preparing a line for camera inspection so the walls are actually visible
Questions we get asked
Will jetting damage my pipes?+
Not if the pipe is sound and whoever is holding the hose knows what the line is made of. On healthy copper, ABS, PVC or cast iron in reasonable condition, jetting is well within tolerance. On a line that is already cracked, badly scaled, or old clay that has shifted at the joints, high pressure can find those weaknesses. This is exactly why we camera a line first when there is any doubt about its condition, rather than sending pressure down a pipe nobody has looked at. If we think your line is too far gone for jetting, we will tell you and clear it another way.
How is this different from snaking a drain?+
A cable is mechanical: it bores through the blockage and pulls some of it back. That restores flow, which is why the drain works again when the plumber leaves. But the pipe wall is still coated, so the effective diameter is still reduced, and the next thing down the line catches on it. Jetting scours that wall clean with water pressure instead, taking off the grease, soap and scale and returning the pipe to the diameter it was built with. For a one-off clog a cable is cheaper and completely adequate. For a drain that keeps coming back, you are paying repeatedly for a symptom.
How often would I need it done?+
For a normal household, this should not be a regular appointment. If a line has been jetted properly and the pipe underneath is in good condition, you should get years out of it rather than months. If you find yourself needing it annually, that is telling you something about the pipe rather than about your habits, usually a belly holding water, a section that has lost its fall, or root intrusion that keeps reopening. At that point the useful next step is a camera, not another jetting. Restaurants and heavy commercial kitchens are the exception and do genuinely benefit from a schedule.
Further reading: Why Your Main Line Backs Up Every Year at About the Same Time.
Describe it to us and we will tell you what it is.
Phone consultations do not cost anything. If it turns out to be something you can sort out yourself, we will say so.
Related work
Hydro Jetting across the South Bay
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