When your plumbing backs up, smells foul, or drains slowly, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. In New Jersey, these common plumbing issues are more than a nuisance; they can mean costly damage if left unresolved. Fortunately, Zeek Plumbing offers a range of powerful techniques for diagnosing and fixing drain and sewer problems, from traditional snaking to advanced drain cleaning and camera inspections. We provide expert residential plumbing services and commercial drain cleaning solutions, including emergency drain cleaning when you need it most. In this guide, we’ll break down the types of drain snaking, drain cleaning methods, hydro jetting, and new technology that New Jersey homeowners and businesses rely on to keep their pipes flowing smoothly.
1. Drain Snaking: The Classic Clog Clearer
Drain snaking, also referred to as drain cleaning, is one of the oldest and most widely used methods for clearing clogged drains.
What Is Drain Snaking?
A drain snake is a long, flexible cable with a coiled metal head that’s inserted into the clogged drain. As the technician feeds it in, the head rotates, breaking up or hooking onto the obstruction so it can be pulled out or pushed through the main.
Types of Snakes Used by NJ Plumbers
Drain snaking isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution; plumbers have many different types of snakes to tackle different types of clogs. For effective and safe service, always choose a licensed plumber in New Jersey, ensuring you receive expert drain snaking services.
- Augers: Small, hand-powered snakes ideal for shallow clogs in toilets, shower/tub drains, and bathroom sinks. They’re effective for smaller and looser clogs such as hair or soap scum buildup.
- Motorized Drain Snakes: These are larger, motorized cables used for deeper clogs in main sewer lines or difficult residential blockages. They’re more powerful and can reach further into the drainage system vs a local clog at just one sink drain. These are often used in conjunction with sewer line inspection services to ensure comprehensive cleaning.
- Toilet Augers: Specially shaped tools designed to navigate the curves of a toilet drain without damaging porcelain. They’re essential for toilet backups localized at just the toilet itself. You would not use a toilet auger to clean a sewer main clog.
When Snaking Works Best
Drain snaking is excellent for all types of clogs.
- Minor clogs near one fixture, such as a sink drain or shower drain
- Hair and soap buildup
- Food particles or paper clogs
- Paper towels or feminine products
Limitations to Know
While effective for many issues, snaking may only punch a hole through the clog. If the line is filled with grease, a drain snake may create an opening through the grease, but it will settle again, resulting in the clog returning.
2. Drain Cleaning Methods: Going Beyond Snaking
“Drain cleaning” is a broader category that includes snaking but also incorporates different types of drain cleaning techniques to remove buildup and prevent recurring clogs.
Common Drain Cleaning Approaches in NJ
- Chemical and Enzyme Treatments: Everyone has seen the advertisements for drain cleaning products that promise to break through all clogs! These may help in the short term, but they use a chemical reaction to break down organic material. That same chemical reaction can break down your drains over time. Many DIY drain cleaning tricks also carry risks of damaging pipes if not done correctly. Similarly, questions like should you use salt down your drain often arise, but these home remedies can sometimes exacerbate problems or have little effect on stubborn clogs.
- Mechanical Cleaning Tools: Beyond basic snaking, plumbers may use specialized drain heads to tackle different types of clogs. Some attachments are better for breaking apart hair, while there are root cutter attachments, which can help break apart roots that grew into a sewer main. These tools are often paired with pipe inspection services and camera inspections to ensure thorough cleaning.
- High-Pressure Water (Hydro Jetting): This is the most advanced cleaning method and is discussed in detail below as high-pressure drain jetting.
Choosing the Right Drain Cleaning Solution:
Zeek Plumbing will consider the following to determine the correction solution:
- The severity of the clog
- History of recurring issues
- Pipe material and age
- Whether the problem affects a single drain or the entire sewer line
In New Jersey, experienced professional drain cleaning services use these methods to target complex situations effectively, from heavy grease in a restaurant’s kitchen sink drain requiring commercial drain cleaning to root intrusion into the sewer main of a residential home, which often benefits from sewer line inspection services as part of our residential plumbing services.
3. Hydro Jetting: Deep Cleaning with High-Pressure Power
When snaking just won’t cut it, plumbers often turn to hydro jetting, one of the most powerful drain cleaning techniques available. Zeek Plumbing provides comprehensive sewer jetting services for deep cleaning, also known as high-pressure drain jetting.
What Is Hydro Jetting?
Hydro jetting uses high-pressure water (often up to 3,000–4,000 PSI or more) blasted through the pipe via a specialized nozzle. The water jets scrub away not just the clog but the entire interior surface of the pipe, removing grease, sludge, mineral scale, roots, and stubborn buildup. This process is the core of high-pressure drain jetting.
How It Works
The process typically follows these steps:
- Drain Snaking Service Call: Before jetting, Zeek Plumbing typically recommends snaking the drain, as the cause of the clog is not yet determined. Jetting costs more money due to the amount of equipment and the jetting machine that needs to be on site.
- Jetting is Required to Clear Clog: During the snaking service call, Zeek Plumbing technicians may be unable to clear the clog with a snake if the main is filled with grease, scale build-up, or other larger clogs, indicating the need for high-pressure drain jetting.
- Jetting Service Call: Zeek Plumbing brings all jetting equipment on site and feeds a pressurized hose through the system to blast away any grease and scale buildup.
- Maintenance Scheduling: If the property is a restaurant, grocery store, or food processing plant that may deal with a lot of meat products and food debris, clogs can become frequent issues. Zeek Plumbing may recommend a bi-annual or bi-monthly jetting schedule to clear grease and debris buildup before it becomes a full blockage, often as part of our commercial drain cleaning offerings.
When Hydro Jetting Is Best
Hydro jetting is ideal for:
- Grease and sludge buildup in kitchen and sewer lines, a common need for commercial drain cleaning
- Tree root intrusion causes repeated clogs, often identified through sewer line inspection services.
- Recurring drain issues that snaking can’t fix, providing a powerful solution through residential plumbing services.
- Preventative maintenance for commercial or residential systems, leveraging high-pressure drain jetting for long-term pipe health.
It’s especially valuable in older New Jersey towns with older sewer mains that have been accumulating debris and scale buildup for many years. It solidifies over time, and the snake will not remove that.
Benefits
- Thorough cleaning: removes residue that leads to future problems.
- Eco-friendly: no harsh chemicals, just high-pressure water
- Prevents recurring issues: reduces repeat service calls as grease can settle.
Considerations & Limitations
- Higher cost than snaking
- Jetting can only be done on larger drains; you can’t jet (1) sink drain
- Not always suitable for very weak or damaged pipes
Despite these considerations, many NJ plumbers see hydro jetting as the long-term solution for problem drains.
4. Camera Inspections: Seeing What’s Inside
Seeing What’s Inside Before deciding on hydro jetting, plumbers often perform a camera inspection, also called video pipe inspection services or sewer scoping. These sewer line inspection services are crucial.
What It Is
A plumber feeds a waterproof camera attached to a flexible cable into your drainage system. High-definition video feeds allow them to see inside the pipes in real time, offering invaluable pipe inspection services.
Why Camera Inspections Matter
A camera inspection:
- Pinpoints the exact location of clogs or damage, a key benefit of sewer line inspection services.
- Detects cracks, root intrusion, offsets, or corrosion, providing detailed insights through pipe inspection services.
- Helps determine whether hydro jetting is safe
- Saves money by avoiding trial-and-error methods
- Provides visual documentation for homeowners or buyers
This non-invasive diagnostic tool helps plumbers tailor the most effective solution, whether snaking, jetting, relining, or repairing.
5. What Costs to Expect For Drain Cleaning in New Jersey
In NJ, the cost can vary based on the method and severity:
- Snaking: Lowest cost, typically billed hourly as plumbers do not know the extent of the clog or what machine is required to break it apart the clog.
- Hydro Jetting: Most expensive due to the machinery required. Jetting machines and equipment are very expensive, and that is factored into the costs for high-pressure drain jetting. Two technicians are often required to work the jetter as one man handles the machine, the other handles the jetting head at the drain itself.
- Camera Inspection: Pricing is typically between snaking and jetting. There is the cost of the camera equipment factored into the costs for pipe inspection services and sewer line inspection services, but it is not as large as jetting. Often, it does not require two technicians, but pricing can vary depending on how many drains need to be scoped.
Final Tips for NJ Homeowners
- Don’t ignore recurring clogs: If the same drain continually backs up, there are many causes that will not be resolved by snaking, such as a back-pitched drain line or grease-filled within the drain. Addressing these can prevent the need for emergency drain cleaning later.
- Schedule maintenance: To answer the question of how often to clean your home drains, we recommend scheduling annual snaking of your underground drains to prevent backups during rainstorms. Sink drains and shower drains don’t need maintenance snaking, but exterior drainage systems battle more debris.
- Choose licensed and insured plumbers: Many handymen or homeowners can buy snaking equipment and snake drains. Will they do a thorough enough job to prevent it from happening again? Will they use the correct equipment for the clog at hand and not damage your plumbing and drainage systems? A licensed plumber in New Jersey ensures quality and expertise.
Final Thoughts
Drain problems don’t have to disrupt your life. From classic drain snaking for quick fixes to high-pressure drain jetting for deep cleaning and pipe inspection services and camera inspections for accurate diagnosis, New Jersey homeowners have powerful tools at their disposal through Zeek Plumbing. We offer comprehensive residential plumbing services and commercial drain cleaning, including emergency drain cleaning and sewer line inspection services. Knowing the difference between these methods helps you make smarter decisions, save money, and keep your plumbing flowing smoothly all year round!
Ready to tackle your clog with confidence? Contact Zeek Plumbing today at 866-635-0200 to inspect your system and recommend the best solution for your home or business!
