Professional Drain Cleaning and How it Works

One of the most common plumbing problems that professionals encounter is a clogged drain. Though this seems like a fairly simple problem, drain cleaning is not always as straightforward as it seems. If the clog is particularly deep or large, multiple steps and tools may be involved in its removal.

Primarily, professionals rely on tools such as the drain snake, video inspection equipment, and hydro jetting. These are the most common ways to get rid of stubborn plumbing clogs.

Using a Drain Snake

Drain snakes also called drain rooters or augers, use a long cable with a spiral-shaped head. The head rotates through the pipe and physically attempts to break up the clog like a drill digging into the ground. Drain augers come in various sizes, from handheld devices to large motorized units. The advantages of using a drain snake to unclog a drain include:

• Easy Reach: The drain auger has a long cable and can reach much farther than a plunger or similar tool. It goes right to the clog to break it up.
• Versatile: Due to the different sizes available, plumbers can clear almost any drain via this method.
• Non-corrosive: Unlike chemical drain cleaners, the drain snake takes care of the clog but does little to no damage to the drain pipe if handled correctly by a professional.
• Evidence: When snaking a drain, the head often grabs onto the clog and pulls it back up when the auger is removed. Seeing what the clog is made of can lead to better preventative measures in the future.

Using Water Pressure with Hydro Jetting

Homeowners can think of hydro jetting as a power washer for their drains and pipes. Hydrojetting can be used to both break-up clogs and prevent them. It uses a special expanding nozzle on the end of a hose to attack the clog with a stream of high-pressure water coming from different directions.

The balloon-like part of the nozzle fills with water, expanding to wedge inside the pipe to prevent reverse flow. Then the water is forced out of the nozzle to break up the clog, so it continues down the drain. Hydrojetting is an effective solution for breaking up clogs that contain organic matter, including tree roots.

Using Video Inspection Equipment

Although it cannot be used to actually clean the drain itself, video inspection equipment is a helpful tool to help clear clogs. Plumbing technicians can use it to pinpoint the location of a clog and help them plan a course of action based on the location and any additional damage spotted by the camera. 

Video inspection equipment consists of a small camera on the end of a flexible tube that can be sent through the pipes to determine the cause of a plumbing problem and a screen to show what the camera is capturing. This gives the technician more information to plan a precise and accurate solution. Video inspection equipment can also be used to find other plumbing problems, such as:

• Collapsed pipes
• Pipe corrosion
• Leaks
• Cracks
• Disconnected pipes

About Korte Does It All.

Korte Does It All has over 50 years of experience serving the community of Fort Wayne, IN, and the surrounding areas. They offer 24/7 live answers, fast response times, and financing. Call us today for drain cleaning services in Fort Wayne, IN.