The right tool for the right blockage
Roots, grease, and scale each require a different approach. A cable that snaps a root might just bounce off a grease plug. A hydro jet that obliterates grease might not touch a fully grown root mass. We carry both, and we run a camera first so we know what we're dealing with before we start cutting.
The result. Blockages cleared the first time, with documentation of the actual condition of your line, so if something's about to fail, you find out now instead of next month at 2 AM.
Our process
- Camera scope first, high resolution video down your main line to locate and identify the problem
- Method selection, hydro jet, cable, or both, based on what the camera shows
- Clear the line, fully restore flow, not just punch a hole through the blockage
- Verify with camera, confirm the line is clear end to end
- Written report, including video clips and notes on any condition issues we observed
What causes sewer line blockages
- Tree roots. The #1 cause in older clay and Orangeburg lines
- Grease accumulation, cooking fats that solidify in cold pipe sections
- Scale & mineral buildup, common in cast iron lines
- Flushed wipes & foreign objects, "flushable" wipes are not actually flushable
- Pipe belly or sag, low spot where water and solids settle
- Broken or collapsed pipe, requires excavation or trenchless repair
Hydro jetting vs. cabling
Hydro jetting uses high pressure water (up to 4,000 PSI) to scour the inside of the pipe, best for grease, scale, sludge, and root mats. It cleans the pipe rather than just clearing a path.
Mechanical cabling uses a rotating cable with cutting heads, best for solid root masses and reaching deeper blockages where the jet won't penetrate.
For most residential lines we use both. Cable first to break up the obstruction, jet second to clean the pipe walls. That's why our work tends to last, we're not just kicking the can down the road.