If you’ve recently had your drain snaked and, a few weeks later, the same line is starting to slow down again, it usually means snaking isn’t the right tool for the job. Snaking can only do so much for simple clogs and obstructions, and often isn’t a lasting solution for buildup coating the inside of your pipe. Hydro jetting cleans the pipe walls, clearing away grease, scale, and root growth so your drains stay clear long-term.
Below, we’ll walk you through when to use hydro jetting instead of snaking so you can skip the repeat calls and get your drains flowing again fast.
Not Every Drain Clog Can Be Fixed with a Snake
When you’re dealing with buildup instead of a single obstruction, snaking usually isn’t the right solution. Years of grease, mineral scale, and root growth can narrow your pipe and trap everything moving through it. Snaking only bores a channel through that layer, so the rest stays behind and fills back in.
How Drain Snaking Works
Drain snaking involves feeding a flexible cable with a cutting head into the pipe to cut through the obstruction. It’s a cost-effective, quick solution that can clear simple blockages, like hair-packed shower lines, toys lodged in a toilet, or a single branch.
While snaking restores flow, it doesn’t clean the inside of your pipe. The cable punches a hole through the clog, but the grease, scale, and roots built up in the pipe wall still catch whatever comes down next.
Dealing with a recurring drain clog? Schedule a drain inspection with our Norcross team to find the root cause.
What Makes Hydro Jetting Different?
Hydro jetting drain cleaning cleans the full diameter of the pipe using pressurized water, up to 4,000 PSI. Plumbers insert a high-pressure hose into your pipe, fitted with a nozzle that pulls itself upstream while spraying backward. The reverse jet cuts through roots, hardened grease, and mineral scale, then flushes it out of your system and restores your pipes’ original capacity.
Not sure what’s inside your line? Ask about a sewer camera inspection to determine if hydro jetting vs drain snaking is the right solution.
Sign #1: Your Drains Keep Clogging
If your drain clogs keep coming back every few months, the blockage may never have been fully removed. A kitchen sink that backs up repeatedly or a tub that empties slowly no matter how many times you snake it usually means you’re dealing with a narrowed pipe that needs a full cleaning.
We often see this in older homes around Chamblee and Tucker, where original galvanized or cast iron lines have lost significant interior diameter over the years. If you’re tired of the same drain backing up, contact our team to see if hydro jetting is right for you.
Sign #2: Multiple Drains Are Slow or Backing Up
When more than one drain throughout your house slows down, it usually means you have a main sewer line clog. Gurgling toilets or water surfacing at the lowest fixture in the house both signal a main-line issue that requires a more powerful cleaning method.
Many split-level homes in areas like Stone Mountain and Doraville show the first symptoms when water backs up in the basement floor drain. If you spot water pooling around that drain or see a slowdown in more than one, schedule a sewer line cleaning to avoid a costly backup and a middle-of-the-night emergency call.
Sign #3: Tree Roots Have Invaded Your Sewer Line
Root intrusion is one of the most common sewer line problems in Metro Atlanta, where mature water oaks, willow oaks, and pines line the streets of neighborhoods like Druid Hills and Grant Park. The roots of these decades-old trees grow towards the moisture escaping from joints in clay and cast iron lines, then expand inside the pipe until they block everything moving through it.
If you suspect roots are in your line, ask about our financing options for sewer repair and replacement that break down your upfront costs to make things a little more manageable.
Sign #4: Grease and Sludge Have Built Up Inside Your Pipes
When grease and sludge build up inside your lines, snaking only offers a temporary solution. Cooking fats harden into a layer that thickens over time, narrowing your pipe’s diameter and catching everything that follows. A cable can bore a hole through that layer, but it won’t remove any of it.
If your drain lines are slow, smell sour, or have clogs that keep coming back, contact our team to see if hydro jetting is the right fit.
Is Hydro Jetting Safe for Older Pipes?
Hydro jetting is safe for older pipes, as long as we perform a camera inspection first. Older homes across Atlanta often have Orangeburg and cast iron pipes that have thinned or deformed from the inside. If a camera inspection reveals fragile walls, our technicians can adjust the pressure and nozzle selection to clean the line without putting it at risk.
Have an older home? Schedule a camera inspection before any cleaning work to confirm your pipes can handle it.
How Chen Plumbing Determines the Best Drain Cleaning Solution
At Chen Plumbing, we use camera inspections and on-site diagnostics to recommend the right drain cleaning solution for your pipes. A sewer camera inspection shows us the blockage location, your pipe material, and the backup’s root cause.
If it’s a simple clog, we’ll recommend snaking to keep your costs down. But if it comes from a pipe coated in buildup, we’ll perform hydro jetting to clear the blockage for good and save you from having to call back in a few months.
Professional Hydro Jetting Services Throughout Metro Atlanta
At Chen Plumbing, we’re proud to provide hydro jetting services for Atlanta homes. You can count on our plumbers for service in the following counties:
- Gwinnett
- DeKalb
- Fulton
- Clayton
- Henry
To keep your drains flowing clear, consider joining our membership plan for routine drain maintenance. Members receive scheduled plumbing inspections, service discounts, and priority scheduling, putting you at the top of the list when something goes wrong.
Schedule Hydro Jetting with Chen Plumbing Today
If your drains keep clogging or multiple fixtures are moving slowly, contact our team at (404) 814-5113. Our licensed and insured plumbers will perform a camera inspection to show you what’s happening inside and walk you through your options for clearing it.
