Your toilets aren’t flushing correctly and more than one of your drains is clogged, causing water to back up into others. If this describes the situation in your home’s plumbing, your problem is most likely a clogged main sewer line. When you’re trying to get rid of a blockage like this one, you may assume it’s time to snake your drains. In this situation, however, hydro jetting is a solution that will deliver more effective results.
Hydro jetting is a process that uses a flexible hose to deliver a high-pressure blast of water into a pipe. Before a plumber does this kind of repair, they will inspect the sewer line to determine the scope of the problem. Most of these systems use approximately 35,000 psi, which is enough to remove even the biggest, most stubborn blockages. Hydro jetting costs more than other methods of unclogging a main sewer line, but can help you save in the long run.
Have a stubborn clog in your sewer line? Contact Plumbing Kings today to see if hydro jetting is a solution.
Options for Cleaning or Unclogging Your Main Sewer Line
When it comes to unclogging your main sewer line, there are several different options to consider across a wide range of price points. These include:
- Running hot water through the pipes for 10 minutes
- Opting to use a force-ball plunger
- Using chemical drain cleaners
- Using a snake on the sewer line
Chemical drain cleaning treatments typically cost anywhere from $5 to $300. The average cost of snaking a drain is $100 to $250. Hydro jetting is the next step after these other measures have failed. While you may be able to use chemicals or rent a snake on your own, hydro jetting is a job best left to the professionals.
When Is Hydro Jetting Necessary?
When is it time to call a plumber to learn more about hydro jetting? Your plumbing is a candidate for hydro jetting if you have tree roots in your pipes, you have multiple drains and plumbing fixtures backing up, your pipes are clogged with grease and hair, or you need your pipes cleaned out before they are relined. This process will also prevent hazardous waste back-ups in the future.
Snaking your main sewer line or using chemical agents to dissolve a blockage may be less expensive than hydro jetting, but in cases where hydro jetting is necessary these measures won’t be efficient. These are solutions for blockages that aren’t as big or as difficult to get rid of. Some blockages are so severe that a force-ball plunger and other less-costly options simply won’t cut it.
Whether or not a drain snake will work on your clog depends on its location and severity. For clogs that are tough or farther down in your drain system, a snake won’t do the trick. If you’re researching hydro jetting now, chances are you have already attempted to use a snake to unclog your main sewer line and failed.
Toxic chemicals have the potential to injure your eyes, your skin, and the lining of your pipes. They are limited because they can only dissolve certain types of clogs. If you use them on the wrong kind, you could end up making the situation worse.
How Much Does It Cost to Hydro Jet a Sewer Line?
Removing a tough blockage from a sewer line costs the average American homeowner anywhere from $100 to $900 dollars. The average cost to hydro jet a clogged sewer line is $350 to $600. If the problem is severe, the cost of hydro jetting could be $1,000 or higher. This is higher than snaking your sewer line, but as hydro jetting removes build-ups around the interior of your pipe and doesn’t simply punch a hole through a blockage, the results will last much longer.
Cost to Replace Sewer Line
There are some cases in which hydro jetting won’t be effective. This can happen when your pipes are damaged or deteriorated beyond repair. In these cases, hydro jetting can actually make the problem worse because the pressure can damage the pipe further.
When this is the case, you’ll need to repair or replace your main sewer line. If your plumbing is a candidate for trenchless pipe repair, it’ll cost you an average of $160 per foot. Dig-and-replace repairs can be even more costly when you factor in secondary costs related to the foundations, driveways, and walkways that are damaged by this kind of repair. If you’ve got a lawn, you will also need to include the cost of sod installation.
The average cost of repairing a sewer main is $1,000 to $7,500. One of the best things about hydro jetting is it will help stop the clog from coming right back by blasting the debris out of the pipes that attracts and collects it. Choosing hydro jetting now can make your repairs last longer, giving you more time to put off this ultra-expensive repair.
