Snake vs. hydro-jet — when each one is right.
Most plumbers reach for the snake because it's faster and cheaper to charge for. We use both, but we'll tell you which actually solves your problem.
For: solid blockages
Hair clogs, kid toys, soap-scum lumps. Punches a clear path through. Usually fine for kitchen and bath traps.
For: grease, scale, recurring clogs
3,500 PSI water blast that scours the pipe wall. Removes grease, mineral scale, and root intrusion — restores full pipe diameter.
Camera before. Camera after.
For mainline cleanings, we run the sewer camera before we jet so we know what we're dealing with — roots, bellies, broken pipe, foreign object — and we run it after so you can see it's actually clear. Video gets emailed to you with the invoice.
What we look for on the camera pass:
- Root intrusion — DFW has aggressive tree roots; cast iron from the 60s-70s is a magnet
- Pipe bellies — sagging sections that catch debris (won't be fixed by jetting)
- Cracked or offset joints — these need repair, not just cleaning
- Foreign objects — surprisingly common; we've pulled out everything from cell phones to action figures
Common DFW drain problems we see.
Kitchen drain backs up regularly.
Almost always grease buildup in the line, often with a partial clog at the trap. Hydro-jet fixes it. Stop pouring bacon grease down there and you might not see us for a decade.
Floor drain in the garage gurgles.
Means air is being forced past a clog in the main. Don't ignore — that's a few weeks before sewage in the lowest drain.
Multiple drains slow at once.
Your main line is restricted. Snake it for a band-aid; jet it to actually fix it.
Sewer smell, no visible problem.
Could be a dry trap (run water in unused sinks for 30 seconds) or a venting issue. We inspect for free if a snake or jet is on the bill.