Not every blockage gives way to a plunger or a set of drain rods. When a pipe is packed with compacted grease, scale, or years of built-up debris, drain jetting is usually the tool that gets it properly clear, rather than just pushing the problem a little further down the line.
What drain jetting actually is
Drain jetting uses a specialist machine to send a controlled, high-pressure jet of water through the pipe via a flexible hose. The hose is fed into the drain from an access point, and the water pressure breaks up and flushes out whatever is causing the blockage, from grease and scale to smaller debris and root intrusion.
Unlike a plunger, which relies on suction near the surface, or rods, which push through a blockage mechanically, jetting cleans the full internal diameter of the pipe as it passes through, which is why it tends to leave the drain properly clear rather than just passable.
When jetting is the right tool
- Recurring blockages in the same section of pipe
- Grease and fat build-up along a longer run
- Root ingress that’s narrowed the pipe over time
- General maintenance to clear scale before it becomes a full blockage
Why this isn’t a DIY job
Jetting equipment operates at pressures well beyond anything available to buy for home use, and getting it wrong carries real risk. Too much pressure, or the wrong nozzle for the pipe material, can damage older or fragile pipework, particularly pitch fibre or aging clay pipes. There’s also a genuine safety risk in handling high-pressure equipment without training.
Our engineers assess the pipe first, often using a CCTV survey, to understand what they’re dealing with and choose the right pressure and nozzle for the job. If pipework does turn out to be damaged, our drain relining service can often fix it without excavation.
Getting a stubborn blockage sorted
If you’ve tried the basics and a blockage still isn’t shifting, it’s a sign the problem needs proper equipment. Call us on 0333 200 1623 and we’ll get an engineer out to jet it properly.