Washing Machine Woes: Tips For Addressing Leaks

Snaking Vs Hydro-Jetting: How Each Drain Cleaning Technique Works

When your residential drains stop flowing, you're staring at clogged pipes. To remove the blockages and get the wastewater flowing smoothly again, you'll need to clean the pipes.

Residential drain cleaning is intended to remove all of the oil, dirt, grime, and debris that build up inside of your drains over time, resulting in blockages. There are various techniques that can be used to clean blocked drains.

Here are two common drain cleaning methods that professional plumbers usually use to help residential clients maintain clean drain pipes.

Snaking

If you're staring at blockages in the smaller drains of the house, such as the kitchen sink, bathtub, and bathroom sink drains, your plumber can fix the issue using a drain snake. Sometimes referred to as a plumbing auger, a drain snake is a long, flexible metal cable with a coiled spiral on one end and a handle on the other end. The auger head (coiled part of this handheld plumbing tool) is pushed into the blocked drain by twisting the handle. As the drain snake enters the drain, it dislodges any buildup that may be preventing the wastewater from draining. It also removes hair and other difficult-to-remove debris that may be trapped inside your drains.

Residential-grade drain snakes are easy-to-use drain cleaning tools. If you have one in your home, try using it before bringing in a professional plumber.

Hydro-Jetting

If all of the drains throughout your house are draining slowly, it's likely that your main sewer line is blocked. Thrusting a drain snake down individual drains won't do much to clear the blockages because the problem is with the main drain.

In such a situation, you can benefit from a hydro-jetting service. Hydro-jetting, also known as water-jetting, is a drain cleaning technique that involves using a high-pressure hose to flush out blockages inside your drains. As the high-pressure water hits the internal walls of your drains pipes, it breaks apart any debris that may have accumulated there over time. This drain cleaning technique works well for the larger drains of your house, including the toilet drains and the main sewer line.

While you can tackle some drain cleaning jobs yourself, others will require the experience and specialized equipment that only the professionals at a plumbing company can provide. If you encounter a blocked drain that you can't fix yourself, never hesitate to ask a residential plumber near you for help. They can provide more information regarding drain cleaning.