Hydro Jetting & Main Line Cleaning in St. Joseph, MO

Hydro jetting and main line cleaning clear the lateral between your house and the city main when drains slow down or back up. A cable machine with a cutter punches through a clog and cuts roots. A hydro jetter sends water at high pressure through a nozzle that pulls itself down the line and sprays back against the pipe wall, flushing out grease, scale, silt and fine roots that a cable leaves behind.

Choosing between cabling and jetting

The two tools do different jobs, and many St. Joseph laterals need both. A heavy root mass in a clay joint is often cut first with a cable, then the line is jetted to flush the pieces and clean the wall. Grease buildup from kitchen drains and sludge in a sagging section respond better to jetting. Angi lists main line snaking at about $100 to $400 and hydro jetting at about $350 to $600 for a typical visit.

Is jetting safe for old pipe?

Jetting is safe for sound pipe, including old clay, which tolerates aggressive cleaning well. It is not safe for every line. Orangeburg fiber pipe that has softened or flattened can be torn apart by a jet or a cutter, and a cracked or offset section can break further. That is why we prefer to camera the line before jetting an older lateral, or at least after the first pass, and adjust pressure and nozzle to the pipe.

Cleaning is maintenance, not a repair

Roots come back through the same joints. If a line needs clearing every few months, the money is better spent on lining or repairing the joints the roots enter through. The city's homeowner guide recommends inspection and cleaning of the private lateral every two to five years; a line that needs it far more often has a defect worth finding.

Before storm season

Where downspouts, sump pumps or area drains were tied into a lateral years ago, heavy rain sends extra water down a pipe that may already be partly blocked. The city's guide says those connections should be removed. A clean line and disconnected roof drains both lower the chance of a basement backup when the system is loaded.

What to do if the line backs up

Stop running water, keep people and pets away from sewage, and do not open a basement cleanout under pressure; the city's guide warns against it. If neighbors are backing up too, the city main may be the problem, and the city lists a Sewer Backup line at 816-236-1485. If it is only your house, call us at (816) 680-4869.