Curious if a domestic pressure washer can handle drain jetting?
We’ve been asked this question countless times, and if you’re experiencing drain problems (foul smells, poor drainage, backups, etc.) and happen to have a domestic pressure washer in your garage or shed, you may be wondering the same thing.
Are household pressure washers the same as the drain jetters used by drainage professionals such as the Mega-Rod team to get wastewater flowing again?
Would the pressure washer you bought from your local DIY store unblock and clean your underground pipes?
How does it compare to drain jetting equipment?
Drain jetters and domestic pressure washers both emit high-pressure jets of water in order to get rid of grime and other unwelcome substances. And they both feature motors, pumps, hoses and nozzles. But that’s where the similarities end.
Drain jetting equipment is significantly more powerful, effective and precise than the domestic pressure washer you use to clean your car, bike or patio. Household pressure washers remove dirt from flattish surfaces. By contrast, a drain jetter is specifically designed to eliminate even stubborn blockages in many different types and sizes of drain, as well as deep-cleaning drainage systems and dramatically improving the flow of wastewater.
When you ask a drainage company to carry out drain jetting at your property, you’ll see some impressive equipment at work. We usually begin by conducting a CCTV drain camera inspection to locate and identify the issue. For example, your drain problems may be caused by cooking fat solidifying in the pipework. We can rapidly resolve an issue like that with a drain jetter, one of the most remarkable tools at our disposal.
Drain jetting is the best, most effective way to clear and clean drains. It requires a large volume of water, which can be drawn either from a tank on board one of our vehicles or the municipal water supply. The drain jetter’s motor drives a pump that pressurises the water with the aid of pistons. The amount of water being used, as well as the water pressure, is controlled, monitored and adjusted with a hand-held control panel or similar device.
The pressurised water is forced through a hose that’s fed into the drains. The hose is flexible enough to negotiate bends and long enough to reach deep inside the pipework. Its nozzle shapes and directs the water jets. Different nozzles are available for different purposes. For instance, penetrator nozzles emit particularly intense, narrow jets to cut through dense obstructions with laser-like ease and precision, while rotating nozzles ensure drains receive a 360° clean.
Front jets are directed forwards – they blast and break down blockages and congestion. Back jets are directed backwards – they spray and scour pipe walls to remove any greasy/grimy residue, enhancing the drain unblocking and drain cleaning process. The back jets also act like the thrusters on a rocket – they provide the force needed to propel the hose through the drainage system.
Once broken down, rogue substances flow from drains to the sewers and/or are ejected from the drain opening and disposed of by our experts.
‘The interaction between pressure and flow ensures comprehensive cleaning of the entire drain pipe infrastructure,’ emphasises Rioned, which supplies drain jetters to the drainage industry.
The pressure at which jets leave a typical drain jetter is 3,000-8,000 pounds per square inch (PSI). The amount of water the jetter discharges (i.e. the flow rate) is likely to be around 4-25 gallons per minute (GPM). With household pressure washers, water pressures of 1,000 PSI and flow rates of 2.5 GPM are common – in a nutshell, they can’t match the power of professional drain jetting.
Domestic pressure washers fall short in other areas too. Their hoses are shorter and less flexible than drain jetting hoses, so they’re ill-suited to underground pipe networks. They tend to be supplied with simple spray gun-style nozzles rather than the specialist options used by drainage experts. And it’s harder to fine-tune the pressure and flow rates than with a drain jetter.
In short, we’d never advise homeowners to try and jet their drains with domestic pressure washers. You’re highly unlikely to resolve your drainage problems and may do more harm than good. Plus, you risk exposing yourself to the hazardous substances found in wastewater.
When you want to blast blockages, clear congestion and deep-clean drains, a household pressure washer just won’t do.
Thankfully, you can rely on Mega-Rod’s Bristol and Bath drain jetting service instead. We’re a Which? Trusted Trader with decades of experience resolving drainage problems.
Need your drains jetting? Call Mega-Rod today on 01225 422980.
