Hydro jetting in Hartford

Inside the jetter

A hydro jetter forces water along a hose to a nozzle at pressures in the thousands of pounds per square inch. Jets angled backward propel the nozzle up the line and do most of the scouring; a forward jet breaks up whatever lies ahead. Because the jets sweep the full circumference, the nozzle cleans the entire pipe wall as it travels rather than cutting a channel through the middle. Roots are sheared off where they enter, grease is broken down and carried away, and sand, scale and mineral deposits are flushed downstream to the main. A cable auger drills a hole through a clog and leaves the rest; jetting hands the pipe its original diameter back. Around Hartford it is the tool of choice for a lateral with repeat backups, a commercial kitchen drain that clogs on a schedule, and any pipe that is about to be lined.

When cleaning is the whole job

If the camera shows a pipe that is structurally intact and simply fouled, whether by grease in a restaurant line, silt in a storm drain or a one-off root mass in a lateral with otherwise tight joints, jetting is the complete fix. The pipe is cleaned, the camera confirms the result, and no repair is proposed. That outcome is common and entirely proper, and a contractor willing to review the footage and tell you no repair is needed has earned your trust for the next time. The contractors listed in the directory of verified contractors are expected to make that call from the video rather than from the sales forecast.

When cleaning is the first step

Roots get into a pipe through openings: offset joints in clay, cracks in cast iron, separated joints in PVC. An older Hartford lateral in shifting soil may have a dozen such openings along its length. Jetting removes this season's growth; it cannot close the gaps the roots came through, so they return, often within a year. A line that is jetted on a schedule is a line that should be lined, because a liner seals every opening at once and the cycle ends. The jetting still happens, since a liner bonds only to a clean wall, but it happens once, as preparation, rather than as a recurring bill. How the two steps fit together is covered at the trenchless methods reference.

Matching the pressure to the pipe

A 4-inch house lateral, a 6-inch commercial drain and a 12-inch storm line take different hoses, nozzles and pressures, and the camera run ahead of jetting tells the operator the pipe material and its state of repair. Set up correctly, a jetter does no harm to sound clay, iron, ABS or PVC. It may, however, uncover damage that was there all along: once the root ball or grease plug that had been holding a fractured section in place is washed away, the fracture shows itself. The camera documents it, and the recommendation changes from cleaning to repair.

Grease lines and commercial kitchens

Food-service drains are the toughest jetting work in Hartford. Grease cools and hardens on the rough interior of a cast iron line, narrowing it until the kitchen backs up at the worst moment. A grease nozzle, sometimes over several passes, restores the bore, and the work is booked before opening or after close. For a line that needs this every few months, lining is the lasting fix: the smooth liner wall collects grease far more slowly and cleans faster when it does.

What the visit includes

An initial camera run, the jetting, and a follow-up camera run that verifies the cleaning and records what the pipe wall looks like once it is bare. Sound pipe means the work is finished. Damaged pipe means the footage feeds into a lining or repair proposal, and you decide with the evidence in front of you. What the listed contractors had to show to be included is explained at the verification standard.

Estimates are free. Call now: (877) 880-8125.

Other trenchless services in Hartford

Questions we hear about hydro jetting