The Magnificent Hydro Jet Machine
The hydro jet machine is the most significant advancement in plumbing technology in the last fifty years. With its powerful jet of high-pressure water, the hydro jet literally blasts away even the most stubborn obstruction in a water or sewer line.
After removing the obstruction, the hydro jet machine then cleans and scours the insides of the pipe, restoring it almost to new.
The hydrojet machine is a big improvement on the cabling or auguring device (also called a plumber’s “snake”). These devices sometimes only succeed in drilling a small hole through the obstruction, and this hole will close up again soon. The hydro jet completely breaks up the obstruction and washes it away.
Also, cabling devices are not effective beyond a distance of about 100 feet. The hydrojet machine can go hundreds of feet down a pipe without losing any effectiveness.
Camera the Line before Hydrojetting
Before beginning the hydro-jetting, the technician inserts a video camera on a stiff cable into the pipe. This allows him (and the customer) to see exactly where the obstruction is located and exactly what it looks like. The technician then fires up the jetter and when the required water pressure is reached, he inserts the jet’s nozzle into the pipe and feeds it all the way to the obstruction.
When the technician feels he has cleared the obstruction, he inserts the camera into the line again to make sure. And sometimes a really stubborn obstruction requires a second pass with the jetter.
Clearing plumbing obstructions from pipes has come a long way from the plunger and the auguring device. There is virtually no obstruction that a jetter cannot clear – it literally blasts away the material.
Never put your hand in front of a jet from a hydro jet machine – it will blow your fingers off. Plumbers love the hydrojet machine because it always does the job. These machines are really expensive – they can cost up to $50,000, but those plumbing companies that can afford these devices absolutely love them.
