Hydro jetting for drains and sewer lines

It is a pipe cleaning done with water under high pressure. The plumber feeds a flexible hose through a cleanout, in the basement or outside. At the end of the hose, a nozzle fires jets pointed backwards, which pull it forward through the pipe, and sometimes one jet pointed forward that breaks up the clog. As it is slowly drawn back, the nozzle scours the wall all the way around.

It is not just a stronger unclogging. A snake reopens a path through the clog, but it leaves the layer of grease or scale stuck to the pipe, where debris catches again. The water jet removes that layer. The line gets its full width back, and the loosened debris flows to the sewer with the water. For a drain blocked once by an object or hair, regular drain cleaning is often enough.

High pressure is safe for a line in good condition, but an old pipe deserves a check. Older houses often have a cast iron sewer line, sometimes eaten away from the inside, or clay pipe whose joints have shifted. A crushed or broken section should not get full pressure.

That is why the plumber starts by looking at the material, age and access points of the line, then adapts the nozzle and the pressure. If a break is suspected, the plumber suggests looking with the camera first. The other way around, a dirty drain often needs cleaning before a video inspection, so the picture shows the pipe wall rather than the build-up. In Montréal, the City in fact asks owners to have the drain cleaned and roots removed before the video inspection that goes with a repair request.

A well-cleaned line stays clear for a long time if you avoid sending down what blocks it. Let cooking grease set in a container, then put it in the right bin instead of the sink. Flush only toilet paper: wipes, dental floss and hygiene products don’t belong in the drain. Put a strainer on the shower drain to catch hair.

In Montréal, owners are responsible for maintaining the entire sewer connection of their building, up to the municipal sewer under the street, which includes cutting roots, even under public property. If your line has had roots before, a preventive cleaning saves you from waiting for the next clog. And if dirty water is already coming up in the basement, see our page on sewer backups.