Snaking vs Hydro Jetting & Your Home

Anthony's Plumbing

July 29, 2020 - Wednesday

Snaking vs Hydro Jetting & Your Home

Hi Southern California, Anthony from Anthony’s Plumbing here to talk about Snaking vs Hydro Jetting! We get a number of calls that you have a blockage of some kind and that a plunger isn’t quite working. It usually means that your blockage is solid enough that a more forceful tool is required to clean the drain. Professional Plumbers like us will use one of two solutions for blockages and pipe cleaning which are known as “hydro jetting” and “plumbing snakes”. For us to decide which method is best for you we need to assess the root cause of the problem. Once the cause has been determined we can then tell you what will be best for your particular situation. Below we explain each method so you can understand better what we are talking about.

Your Snaking vs Hydro Jetting Guide

Hydro Jetting

Hydro jetting is a very powerful tool. It’s a high-pressured hose that sends pressurized water through your pipes, attacking anything and everything that is causing your blockages. The perks of Hydro Jetting are listed below:

•  It’s Fast: It doesn’t matter how bad your clog is, the pressure of the water is a strong force and will have you unblocked and your water running in no time!

• Best Cleaner: Due to the power of the hydro jets, the water pressure will cut through anything that is blocking you, resulting in very clean pipes

• Pipe Materials: Regardless of what your pipes happen to be made of hydro jets can work through your clogs with ease

NOTE: If you have one of those older homes, you may well still have older and more fragile pipes. If this is this case the water pressure from these hoses could cause substantial damage. If fragile pipes are discovered, a plumber will most likely decide to go with the snaking method to achieve maximum results without causing you further problems.

Plumbing Snakes

Plumbing snakes (also known as plumbing augers), have been around longer that Hydro Jets and have always been recognized as an effective means of handling a clog. The snake is a steel cable with a coil at the end of it (see why it’s called a snake!); the cable is inserted into your drain lines, and the coil at the end is used to break through what is causing your obstruction while pulling it out at the same time. Below are the pros of using this method:

• Gentle: Snakes don’t have the power that hydro jets do. If your pipes are fragile this is the method you should be choosing to avoid damages

• Efficient: Even though it’s more gentle than a hydro jet, snaking your pipes is still very strong and will efficiently handle smaller to medium clogs without any issues

• Reliable: It’s reputation speaks for itself; you can’t go wrong with a snake

• Tree Roots: A snake is the only answer if you have tree roots. A hydro jet can be used afterwards should you choose, but the snake is the method you need to use in this situation.

 NOTE: The one downside to the snake method is that it only provides a temporary solution. It will break down and remove the debris, but buildup in your pipe will continue to grow which will means more clogs for you down the road. To truly rid your pipes of this issue, utilizing a hydro jet after the snake is a perfect combination.

If your plunger isn’t cutting through your blockages and/or you have any other plumbing questions, give us a call today at Anthony’s Plumbing and we’ll be pleased to send one of our knowledgeable professionals over to you right away to discuss these options with you further.

To discover more on the full range of emergency services offered by Anthony’s Plumbing, please call our offices today at 909-823-3807 or visit our website at www.anthonyplumber.com.

Before Using Liquid Drain Cleaners… Think Again

Anthony's Plumbing

July 1, 2020 - Wednesday

Before Using Liquid Drain Cleaners… Think Again

Let’s play “what if?” What if you have a drain that is slow or clogged in your kitchen or bathroom? In that case, calling a plumber might not be your first choice. Most people believe that using a commercial liquid drain cleaner you buy in the store is cheaper and requires very little effort, so why call for professional help. Actually, there are a number of reasons: your pipes, your health and the often poor performance of liquid drain cleaners, just to name a few.

Care For Your Pipes

Most liquid drain cleaners work by creating a chemical reaction right inside your drainpipe, often with the help of hydrochloric acid. These reactions typically generate heat, and that heat can do some irreversible damage to the pipe itself.

This is especially true if the cleaner doesn’t do a quick or complete job of dissolving the clog because the liquid chemicals will just sit on top of the clog while the chemical reaction is concentrated on one small section of the pipe.

If the pipe is plastic, the high heat could partially melt and deform the material. Metal pipes are more resilient, but the heat can weaken the metal in such a way that cracks and leaks become more likely down the line. This is especially true for older pipes.

Protect Your Health

If drain cleaning chemicals can do that kind of damage to your pipes, just imagine what they can do to you. The fumes released from the use of these products may prove irritating to the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs.

Though not all drain cleaner formulas are the same, some may cause burns if you accidentally get them on your skin. Even worse is if you accidentally get some in your eyes, which is why it’s a good idea to always wear safety goggles and avoid splashing if you use these products.

Get Your Money’s Worth

Even if you manage to avoid damaging your pipes or compromising your health, there’s never a guarantee that a drain cleaner will be effective. The sad reality is: if the clog is caused by anything other than a simple hairball or grease buildup, the drain cleaner is unlikely to help at all.

One of the greatest advantages of calling a plumber to clear a drain is the ability to diagnose the cause of the clog. If there’s a break in a pipe that’s allowing other material to push inside, or if the root cause is located deeper in your drainage system, using a liquid drain cleaner is a complete waste of money.

Try Elbow Grease

Instead of immediately reaching for the bottle of liquid chemicals, try clearing a clogged drain the old fashioned way: use a plunger. Just be sure to practice proper plunger technique for the best possible results.

If that doesn’t work, you may be able to clear the drain on your own using a plumbing snake. There are scaled-down versions that can be powered by almost any electrical drill. They aren’t quite as powerful as the ones plumbers use, but they’re more than enough for your usual hair or grease clogs. Some people have found that a wire hangar can be effective if you bend the end to create a small “L” shape and use that to pull up any hairballs that may be causing the blockage.

Do you have a clog that needs clearing? Try the plunger, the snake or the wire hangar if you’re the DIY type, but resist the urge to choose the chemical solution. If you can’t extract the obstruction on your own, relying on the expertise of your local plumbing professional is always the preferred option. If you need us, we are here 24/7 for all your plumbing needs. Call Anthony’s Plumbing at: (909) 823-3807!