If you have lived in Woodstock or the surrounding area for long enough then you will eventually have had an incident where your kitchen sink started making a kind of burping or gurgling noise, or the shower started to turn into a bucket owing to the water not draining out properly. You can try and plunge it or pour something into it that makes grand claims about destroying grease, yet ultimately the drains are slow and not working properly. The question arises in these instances: should you use a plumbing snake on the drain or is it time for hydro-jetting?
There are many factors to consider with plumbing and recurring clogs like this. For instance, you and your plumber need to consider what might still be stuck to the pipe walls, or what's going on further down the drain line, or indeed what kind of pipe you are dealing with in the first place, as this will have an impact too. This is the stuff that determines whether the action you take will fix the issue for two days or for two years.
Why recurring clogs are different from regular clogs
Recurring clogs and regular ones are different things. A one-time clog is often a simple obstruction, as might occur when somebody poured something they shouldn't have down a drain, or put a little too much paper into the toilet. These clogs are annoying, yet they are also usually straightforward to fix.
Conversely, recurring clogs are more symptomatic of a systemic issue with the drains in your home. These recurring clogs are caused by things like grease collecting or roots creeping up close to pipes and putting pressure on them.
In Woodstock and the surrounding suburban districts of north Atlanta there are a mix of older and newer homes with pipes made from different materials and of different ages. For instance, some are older sewer lines that have been there for decades. Therefore the same kind of clog can mean different things depending on the house type.
When faced with these kinds of persistent plumbing issues, it's definitely advisable to consult with a professional plumber who can provide you with effective solutions tailored to your specific situation. If you are in need of expert plumbing services in Woodstock or somewhere nearby in Georgia, don't hesitate to contact us at Plumb N Plumber.
What a drain snake does
When people say “snaking” when it comes to plumbing work, they are referring to a cable device with an auger head that is used to break through a blockage in the pipes of a sink or in a toilet. The device or metal cable is fed into the pipe where a hand cannot go and is then used to break through the debris that is causing the blockage. The auger can be a hand snake if the job is a small bathroom issue, or a powered machine for a main sewer line.
Snaking is very useful and is often the fastest way to unblock a pipe and restore normal water flow.
However, what homeowners often don't realize is that with recurring clog situations, the snake is only punching a hole through the clog. Unfortunately it is not fully cleaning the pipe, meaning that there is a still a wider underlying problem that needs to be solved.
For example, if the walls of the pipe are coated with grease and soap scum snaking might only free up enough room for water to get through again while leaving most of the debris behind in the pipe. The water starts flowing again but the gap through the pipe is still narrow. The next clog basically starts forming straight away again because the walls of the pipe are still covered in material onto which the next wave of debris will stick.
What is hydro-jetting?
Hydro-jetting uses high-pressure water and a specialized nozzle to clean the inside of the pipe. Unlike with the snake, this is not just breaking a hole through the clog. Instead it is dealing with the wider blockage and providing a longer-lasting solution.
Jetting is about restoring the inside diameter of the line as much as possible, washing away grease and debris, or in many cases even cutting through small roots that have intruded into the pipe. It's a cleaning process for the pipes, not a solution that simply opens up a gap in the blockage.
A proper jetting job can scour the walls of a pipe and flush nigh-on all the debris further downstream so it doesn't settle right back into the same spot. When recurring clogs are caused by a major buildup of grease or soap scum, jetting is the best option to change the whole complexion of the drain.
This being said, jetting is not the automatic solution for every house and blockage. There are complicating factors and the best plumbers take these into account.
Types of blockage: Grease, soap scum, sludge and roots
Before determining whether snaking or jetting is the best solution for a blocked drain, the type of blockage needs to be considered. Clogs in your kitchen drains are often caused by pouring bacon grease straight down the drain. Over time this coats the edges of the pipe and then it catches other food particles, thickens and forms a clog.
While snaking through that kind of buildup often gives you some temporary relief, hydro-jetting is usually the best solution to actually remove it.
Bathroom drains get blocked by soap scum, hair, toothpaste sludge and so-called “flushable” wipes that aren't really flushable. Snaking can poke through these as well, but jetting can wash out the whole drain and provide a more lasting fix.
When it comes to the exterior pipes, if your home has mature trees growing outside, or indeed even if your neighbor does and the roots have begun colonizing your property underground, then the roots can start to intrude into your pipes. Basically, these roots are seeking moisture and gravitate towards small cracks and loose joints in the sewer lines that are an invitation for them to grow towards them.
In these cases, a snake with a cutting head attached to it can cut through these roots, which makes it seem like snaking has fixed the issue when it comes to root intrusion. However, the roots will grow back and the more they come back, the more they catch waste, and the more often you end up with a clog.
Hydro-jetting can cut the roots and clear the clog too, while it can also flush the sewer line better afterwards than with snaking alone. To complicate matters, though, if the roots are entering through a structural defect in the pipes, you are dealing with more than just cleaning out the pipe. It will need to be repaired or perhaps even require a replacement section depending on what a camera inspection shows up.
Pipe material matters more than most people think
While the above suggests that hydro-jetting is the clear option to go for, not every pipe should be hydro-jetted aggressively. Similarly, not every pipe responds well to repeated snaking either. The right approach depends on what the pipes involved are made of and what condition they are in.
PVC pipes are common in newer homes and generally handle jetting well when done correctly. Cast iron pipes, which are frequently seen in older homes, can have scale and corrosion on the inside. Jetting can be great for cleaning cast iron pipes when they are still structurally sound, because it can remove years of internal buildup inside the pipes. But if the cast iron has deteriorated, the wrong pressure and nozzle choice can damage the structural integrity of the pipe rather than cleaning it.
Sewers that are made of clay tiles, which you'll still see in some systems in older homes, can be fragile at the joints. Jetting can still be used in these cases, but it has to be undertaken carefully and a camera inspection is needed beforehand so that the plumber is not guessing about what they're doing.
Orangeburg is another pipe material. This older fiber pipe can become deformed over time. If your home's pipes are made of it, you really need a professional assessment of the situation before any aggressive cleaning method is used.
This is why a good plumber doesn't just say they'll use jetting automatically. They need to examine what the pipes are made of and will often recommend using a camera, because the tool that is used is only as good as the information that is available before using it.
The unseen issue: The inside of the pipe after the clog is fixed
A drain can run after snaking and still not be properly fixed. From the homeowner's point of view, it appears that the water is running down the drain again and everything is fixed, but from a diagnostic point of view, the success or failure of the job is based on whether or not the real source of the clog has been identified and remedied.
A camera inspection is what will reveal the real problem. With this you can see if there's grease and scum coating the pipe or if roots are encroaching, and so forth. You can also see whether the snake just made a hole through a bigger mess or if it actually fixed the issue.
If the sewer line has a groove or a section of it is hanging lower than the rest, then no amount of snaking or jetting will permanently fix the fact that waste is settling in that spot and that it will build back up and clog the pipe again eventually. Cleaning helps in the short term, but the structure of the pipe will lead to a recurrence. Equally, if the pipe has roots coming through a gap in a joint, cleaning will help but the opening in the pipe is still there and it will create another problem down the line.
When snaking is the right move
Snaking is often the right call when you have a sudden and isolated clog and you need to get the water flowing again quickly. It is also the best fix when the blockage has been caused by an item being flushed that shouldn't have been or a localized tangle of hair stuck in the pipe which a cable can punch through.
Snaking can also be a practical first step when not much is known about the wider plumbing system and you want to get clogged water out of the system before deciding on the next course. Sometimes you cannot even get a camera through the pipe until you clear the water that is there.
The key when deciding which method to use is being realistic about what needs to be accomplished. If you have had three clogs in the last six months caused by the same pipe, the odds are high that snaking is just buying you a bit of time and you need to do a deeper clean to provide a lasting fix.
When hydro-jetting is the best option
Hydro-jetting is the best option when the problem is buildup, especially with kitchen drains where grease-based clogs will respond particularly well to this method of cleaning.
Jetting also makes sense when you are trying to fix a system that has become chronically slow and which is draining sluggishly. Cleaning via water pressure is the best way to actually restore full capacity to your kitchen and so forth in these cases.
Still, this is not magic. If you have a broken or collapsed pipe, jetting is not going to rebuild it, and if the issue is a groove or gap in your pipe, it needs to be used correctly. Cleaning is not the same as correcting a structural defect in your pipes.
Why using drain chemicals is a really bad idea
A lot of homeowners try chemical drain cleaner to unclog a pipe before they call a plumber. This is understandable in a way, as the bottle does promises to unclog your drains.
However, the problem is that many of these chemical drain cleaners don't actually work and instead they sit in the water above the clog. Later these dangerous chemicals can splash back up the pipe during snaking. They can also damage certain pipes and fittings over time, especially if they are used repeatedly.
If you already used a chemical cleaner, tell your plumber. Don't be embarrassed. This is a safety issue and the plumber will want to know, as it changes how the job will have to be approached.
If you are constantly using chemicals to free clogs you are not really solving the problem; you are just dissolving a small channel through the debris and leaving the main clog as an ongoing problem.
What if the underlying issue is not a clog at all?
Sometimes the real problem with your pipes is not a clog at all. For instance, a groove or belly in the sewer line is a structural problem rather than a clog issue. The pipe dips at a point and waste settles there. The clogs are symptoms here, whereas the belly is the real issue. You can clean it repeatedly and it will keep blocking. In this case the long-term fix is fixing that section of pipe, which can involve excavation of the section and replacement.
Similarly, a partial collapse or offset joint can behave like a recurring clog. You might snake it and it might start working again for a bit, but then some paper catches on the lip and it clogs all over again and backs up. This is not a dirty pipe issue. The reality is that the pipes are not aligning correctly in this case.
Transparent pricing and drain work
Transparent pricing is important when it comes to drain cleaning. It means you understand what you are paying for upfront and why. Snaking is typically priced differently from hydro-jetting because the equipment and time needed differ, on top of which camera inspections can often be required. These are either priced separately or bundled with the main job depending on the company and the situation. Excavation of pipes and repairs, when needed, are a completely different category.
If you are in Woodstock, Georgia you want a plumber who will explain the costs and tradeoffs of the different methods in plain English, not just someone who will say jetting is always better. As the above demonstrates that is not always the case.
Plumb N Plumber built their name in the north Atlanta suburbs by being a reliable and trustworthy neighborhood plumber. They started in 2014 as one guy and a truck, and now they have three teams out daily working throughout the area. That kind of growth only happens when people are being treated well by their provider and they are fixing their drain issues effectively.
For high-quality solutions to your drainage problems, consider professional drain cleaning services which can provide lasting results that don't rely on chemical treatments.
Local plumbing help in Woodstock and what to ask about when you call
If you are in Woodstock or nearby areas like Canton, Holly Springs, Hickory Flat, Sixes, Kennesaw, Marietta, Roswell, East Cobb, Alpharetta, Milton, or even up over in Ball Ground and Lake Lanier, and you have a drain issue, give Plumb N Plumber a call.
When you call, ask how they decide between snaking and hydro-jetting and if they recommend a camera inspection for repeated problems. Ask how they price it as well and what is included in that rate. Pay attention to whether the answers sound like someone actually trying to diagnose the problem or someone trying to up-sell you.
Plumb N Plumber is headquartered right in Woodstock at 2449 E Cherokee Dr, Woodstock, GA 30188 They are open from Monday through Friday, 08:00 AM to 08:00 PM. Their team includes licensed and experienced plumbing professionals, including Master Plumber Matthew LoPiccolo (MP210628) and Journeyman Plumber Andrew Bridges (JP507671), along with J.T. O'Neill, Taylor Melton, Parker Bonchonsky, and Ben McCullough. They are a professional team and know when to stop and inspect before charging forward with ineffective methods.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What causes recurring clogs in drains in homes in Woodstock?
Recurring clogs in homes in Woodstock are caused by a build up of grease, sludge, soap scum, root intrusions, or pipes sagging where waste settles repeatedly. These issues differ from one-off clogs and usually indicate an ongoing pattern of clogs that require professional plumbing assistance.
How does snaking a drain work and when is it effective?
Snaking involves sending a metal cable with an auger head attached to the top down a drain and using it to break through blockages. It's a fast and effective method for clearing blockages, but it often only creates a small opening in the clog without fully cleaning the surrounding pipe walls, which can then lead to the clog recurring in a few months' time.
What is hydro-jetting and how does it differ from snaking?
Hydro-jetting uses water sprayed with high-pressure into a drain in order to thoroughly clean inside the pipes by washing away grease and other buildup, as well as sometimes cutting through roots that have intruded into the pipe. Unlike snaking, which just opens a hole in the clog, hydro-jetting restores the pipe's full diameter by removing all of the residue and debris for longer-lasting results.
How do tree roots cause recurring drain clogs in Woodstock homes?
The roots of trees are always looking for moisture and can infiltrate sewer lines through small cracks or loose joints. This kind of root intrusion blocks drains repeatedly as roots grow inside the pipes. Hydro-jetting can sometimes cut through these roots depending on the severity of the problem, but professional assessment is needed in order to determine if the material the pipe is made from makes it a suitable candidate for this kind of work.
When should I consider contacting a professional plumbing services for recurring drain issues in Woodstock?
If you experience persistent or recurring clogs despite attempting to plunge or snake the drain, it is advisable to consult a professional plumber who can diagnose what the underlying cause of the problem is. They will then provide a tailored solution such as hydro-jetting to restore your drains to full working order.
