Snaking, Hydro Jetting or a Camera? Which Drain Service You Need

Start by sizing up the problem

The first question is not which machine to use. It is whether the clog sits in one fixture's own drain or in a line that several fixtures share.

If only one sink, tub or toilet is slow, the blockage is usually close by, in that fixture's trap or branch drain. That is the do-it-yourself tier. If several fixtures act up at once, the lowest drains in the house back up first, or water appears when a different fixture drains, the trouble is probably in the main line. A main-line stoppage is a job for a cable machine, a jetter or both.

Whatever the scope, stop using water in the house while the line is backed up. Every flush and every load of laundry adds to what has to come back out somewhere.

Plungers and hand augers: the do-it-yourself tier

A plunger pushes and pulls the water already sitting in the fixture to work the clog loose. The shape matters. Plunger maker Korky's guide to sink and toilet plungers says a flat cup plunger is made for flat drains such as sinks and tubs, while a flange or beehive plunger is designed to seal inside a toilet's outlet. A cup plunger in a toilet mostly splashes.

The next step up is a hand auger, often called a snake. One handheld drum auger, described in its operator's manual, carries 25 feet of quarter-inch cable for 3/4- to 1 1/2-inch drain lines such as sinks, tubs and showers, and the manufacturer says it is not recommended for toilets.

Toilets get their own tool, the toilet (or closet) auger. Its guide tube sits in the bowl's outlet, and the cable is turned by hand or with a drill through the toilet's built-in trap. The instructions for one powered toilet auger list a 6-foot cable for 2- to 4-inch drains and warn that the cable and cutter can damage the porcelain if the guide tube isn't seated in the drain.

These tools are sized for a single fixture. Our step-by-step guide on how to unclog a drain yourself covers using them safely and the points at which to stop.

Cable machines: drum and sectional

Snaking or rodding a main line usually means an electric cable machine. A motor spins a coiled steel cable with a cutting tool on the end, and the operator feeds it into the line until it bores through the stoppage.

A drum machine stores its cable coiled inside a rotating drum. The manufacturer's K-400 manual, for example, rates that machine for 1 1/2- to 4-inch lines up to 100 feet, depending on the cable size, and states plainly that it is not designed to remove root blockages.

A sectional machine uses separate lengths of heavier cable, joined one at a time as they go into the pipe. The K-1500 manual describes 15-foot sections, lines of 2 to 10 inches, and a reach of 200 feet with 1 1/4-inch cable. The cable spins at 600 to 700 RPM and stops as soon as the operator lets go of the clutch handle.

The manuals also describe good technique. The drum-machine manual tells operators to start with the smallest tool to get backed-up water moving, to keep the largest cutter no bigger than the pipe's inside diameter minus one inch, and to make several passes for a complete cleaning.

Two cautions apply to every cutting tool:

• Pipe condition. The manufacturer says its machine, used properly, won't damage a drain in good condition. A drain in poor condition may not clean well and could be damaged, and the manual names a camera inspection as the best way to check condition before cleaning. If your home may have older clay, cast-iron or fiber pipe, read our guide to old sewer pipe materials before anyone runs a cutter.
• Cross bores. Utilities sometimes install pipe and cable by boring underground, and Atlanta Gas Light explains that a gas pipe can be pulled through a sewer line by mistake, creating a cross bore. Its guidance for customers says clearing a yard line with a mechanical rotary device, without first locating utilities or running a camera, is discouraged and could be dangerous. The sectional-machine manual gives the same warning about gas and electric lines. If a gas pipe turns up inside the sewer line, Atlanta Gas Light says to stop all work and report it to the gas utility as a natural gas emergency.

If you smell a rotten-egg odor while a line is being cleared, treat it as a gas leak. Atlanta Gas Light's instructions are to leave the area right away, avoid anything that could make a spark, including phones and light switches, and not try to find or stop the leak yourself. Call 911 or the gas company only once you are out of the area and somewhere safe, and stay away until the gas company or emergency crews say it's safe to return. If a different company delivers your gas, follow its emergency instructions.

Hydro jetting

A water jetter feeds a flexible hose into the line and blasts water through a nozzle on its tip. Jets on the nozzle that point backward pull the hose forward. The KJ-2200/KJ-3100 manual says the operator usually feeds the hose the full distance to be cleaned and then pulls it back slowly, about a foot a minute for heavy buildup, so the spray scrubs the pipe wall and flushes debris downstream. The same manual describes its jetters as using water pressure and flow together to clear grease, sludge, sediment and roots.

Pressure and flow depend on the machine. That manual lists 2,200 psi at 2.4 gallons per minute for 1 1/4- to 6-inch lines on the smaller model, and 3,000 psi at 5.5 gallons per minute for 2- to 10-inch lines on the larger one. Nozzles differ as well: some are built for distance, some add a forward jet to punch through solid grease, and one is listed for roots.

Jetting has its own cautions:

• The manual repeats the warning about drains in poor condition and again points to a camera inspection first.
• High-pressure water can inject under the skin and cause serious injury, so the hose must never run with its end outside the drain.
• Gas-engine jetters produce carbon monoxide. The manual says to run them outdoors only, never inside, even with doors and windows open.
• If the jetter draws water from your outdoor faucet, the manual says the connection must be protected against backflow.

When roots are the issue, see our guide to tree roots in sewer lines for how cutting, jetting and longer-term fixes compare.

Camera inspection

A sewer camera doesn't clear anything. It shows why the line clogged and where. The camera head rides on the end of a stiff push cable, and a counter tracks how far it has traveled. RIDGID's SeeSnake Standard reel, for example, handles 2- to 12-inch lines with up to 325 feet of push cable and includes a 512 Hz sonde, a small transmitter that lets the technician locate the camera from above ground.

The camera is the step that turns a guess into a diagnosis: roots at a joint, a sag that holds water, an offset joint, a crack, a collapse. The drum-machine and jetter manuals cited above call a camera inspection the best way to check a drain's condition before cleaning, and Atlanta Gas Light asks drain cleaners to use one where gas pipes intersect a sewer line.

Defect coding has a standard. NASSCO's PACP, LACP and MACP certification programs train people to code the condition of sewer mains, laterals and manholes consistently. For what to ask for after an inspection, including the full video, written findings and locate marks, see our guide to sewer camera inspection.

Excavation: when cleaning isn't the answer

If the camera shows a collapsed, crushed or badly broken pipe, no cleaning tool will fix it. The repair might mean digging up one section, replacing the line, or a trenchless method such as lining the old pipe. Our guide to sewer line repair options compares them.

Digging brings in Georgia's dig law. The Georgia Underground Facility Protection Act says no one may excavate with mechanized equipment until the person planning the work has submitted a locate request through Georgia 811. Atlanta Gas Light reminds customers that this applies to digging to repair a sewer blockage, too.

How a technician gets into the line

A machine needs an opening, and the choice of opening affects how the visit goes.

• A cleanout. This is a capped pipe that gives straight access to the drain line. InterNACHI's sewer scope standard has inspectors work from a proper cleanout or a roof vent stack, and note in the report when no cleanout is visible or accessible. If your line is backed up, let the technician open the cleanout.
• A toilet pull. With no usable cleanout, the technician may lift a toilet off the floor and run the cable through the floor opening. The drum-machine manual tells operators to remove a fixture such as a toilet for access rather than feed the cable through it, which can damage both the machine and the fixture.
• A roof vent. The vent stack on the roof opens into the drain system, but using it means a ladder and roof work. InterNACHI's standard does not require an inspector to climb a roof to reach a vent if the inspector judges it unsafe.

The methods side by side

The sizes below are examples from manufacturers' specifications, not limits for every machine on the market.

A typical main-line service call, step by step

Every company works a little differently, but the manufacturers' instructions and the gas utility's guidance above point to a sequence like this:

1. You describe the problem. Which fixtures are affected, when it started, and whether anything has come up through a floor drain. Say if you've poured a drain opener: the drum-machine manual tells operators to find out whether chemicals are in the line and how to work around them.
2. The technician picks an access point, usually a cleanout, otherwise a toilet pull or roof vent, and puts down covers. The manual warns that the work can be messy.
3. For a clog out in the yard, utilities come first. Atlanta Gas Light calls having underground lines located through 811 the safest first step, and its contractor guidance tells crews to ask whether a gas line or other utility was recently installed on the property. Mention any recent gas, fiber or cable work.
4. A small tool opens the line. The cable goes in with a smaller cutter first so the backed-up water can drain, then larger tools follow, sized to the pipe.
5. The line is flushed. Once it's flowing, the drum-machine manual suggests running water down the drain to carry debris away while the cable is retrieved.
6. Extra passes or jetting. Several passes are recommended for a thorough cleaning. Heavy grease or sludge may call for a jetter.
7. A camera shows the cause. The technician runs the camera, notes distances, and uses the sonde to mark any defect on the ground.
8. You get the findings. Ask for the video, a written note of what was found and where, and any recommendation, before you agree to further work.

Questions to ask the technician

• Which access point will you use, and will you need to pull a toilet?
• What tool will you start with, and why that one for this line?
• Will you run a camera, and can I keep the full video?
• If you find a defect, can you mark it and give me the distance from the access point and an estimated depth?
• Does the video show a defect that cleaning can't fix, or will cleaning solve this for now?
• Do you hold any NASSCO certifications? NASSCO's site lets you verify a certified individual.

Worked example (hypothetical)

Suppose a homeowner in Macon notices that the basement shower gurgles and backs up whenever the washing machine drains, while the upstairs sinks seem fine. Because two fixtures are acting together, the clog is probably past the shower's own drain, so a plunger is not the right tool.

The technician uses the outdoor cleanout, asks about recent gas or utility work in the yard, and opens the line with a drum machine and a small cutter. The water drains. The camera then shows root growth at a joint about 40 feet out and a section that holds standing water. With the video and a locate mark on the lawn, the homeowner can weigh root cutting or jetting now against a repair later, and can show the same footage to a second company for another opinion before spending money on either.

Next step

Before you call anyone, write down which fixtures are affected, when the problem started, and anything you've already poured down the drain. Then ask the company which method it plans to use and why, using the questions above, so you can judge the answer against what each tool is actually built to do.