Signs jetting may help
- The same drain clogs again after being snaked
- A kitchen line that backs up from years of grease
- Slow drains in the whole house with no broken pipe
- Roots that keep coming back through the joints
- A sewer line that smells even after cleaning
- Scale or buildup in an older pipe
If one sink is slow, you probably do not need this. Start with drain cleaning.
How jetting works
A hose with a special nozzle goes into the line through a cleanout. Water is pumped through at high pressure and sprays out of the nozzle in several directions. The jets push the nozzle forward, scrape the walls and flush the debris down the line. A snake cuts a path through a blockage. A jetter cleans the whole circle of the pipe.
What the job involves
- Find the access point. The plumber opens a cleanout, or removes a toilet if there is no cleanout.
- Look first. Many plumbers run a camera before jetting, because water pressure is not right for a pipe that is cracked or collapsed. See sewer camera inspection.
- Run the hose. The nozzle works its way down the line and then back, so the walls are rinsed twice.
- Cut roots if needed. Heavy roots may need a cutting head or a snake first.
- Check the result. A final camera pass shows the clean pipe and any damage the buildup was hiding.
Jetting or snaking?
- A snake breaks or hooks a single clog near a fixture. It cuts a path through roots, and the risk to the pipe is low.
- A jetter scours grease, scale and buildup along the pipe wall. It clears more of a root mass, but roots regrow, and it is not for broken or fragile pipe.
Jetting is not always better. It is a tool for buildup and roots, not for a pipe that has collapsed. A collapsed line needs sewer line repair.
What affects the price
No number here is a quote. The price depends on how long and how big the line is, how heavy the buildup is, how easy the cleanout is to reach, whether roots must be cut first, whether a camera inspection is included, and whether it is an emergency call. Ask what is included before the work starts.
How often is jetting needed?
There is no set schedule. A healthy line may never need it. Lines with known roots or heavy grease sometimes need it every year or two. Write down the date after each cleaning. If the clog comes back in a few months, ask for a camera pass instead of another round of the same work, because the cause may be a damaged pipe that no amount of cleaning will fix.
When the line is already backed up
A line that is backing up into the house is a main sewer line clog first. Stop using water, then call. Jetting may be part of the answer once the plumber sees what is in the pipe.
Johnson City and East Tennessee specifics
- The cleanout is the door. Johnson City's code calls for a cleanout within five feet of the building on a building sewer, another at each turn greater than 45 degrees, and more at least every 75 feet on a four-inch pipe. If your house has one, the plumber can jet from it. If it does not, ask about adding one.
- Pipe size. The code sets four inches as the minimum size of a building sewer. Jetting hoses and nozzles are chosen to fit the pipe, so tell the plumber what you know about your line.
- You own the line on your side. Johnson City's code makes the property owner responsible for maintaining the building sewer on private property. If the blockage is in the city's main, that is Johnson City Water & Sewer Services.
Before you call
- Locate your cleanout, usually a capped pipe in the yard, basement or crawlspace.
- Stop running water if drains are backing up.
- Do not pour chemical drain cleaner in first. It can burn skin and hurt the plumber.
- Keep grease out of the sink after the line is clean. Cool it and throw it in the trash. Grease hardens in pipes.