What is the difference between cabling and hydro-jetting?
Cabling pushes a rotating cable through the blockage and opens a channel, which restores flow immediately. Hydro-jetting uses high-pressure water to scour the entire pipe circumference back to bare wall. The practical difference shows up over time: a cabled grease line closes back down within months because the buildup is still on the walls, whereas a jetted line stays open substantially longer. For a one-off obstruction cabling is fine and cheaper. For recurring clogs, grease, or roots, jetting is what actually solves it.
Why does my drain keep clogging even after it was cleared?
Because the cause was never identified. A recurring clog is a structural condition — usually root intrusion at a clay pipe joint, grease buildup coating the walls, scale in cast iron, or a belly in the line holding standing water. Clearing restores flow without changing any of that, so the clock simply restarts. This is why we camera every main line we clear: if we cannot tell you why it blocked, the problem is going to come back.
Are chemical drain cleaners a bad idea?
Generally yes, particularly for recurring problems. They rarely clear a substantial blockage, they sit in the line generating heat that can damage older pipe and PVC joints, and they make the situation genuinely hazardous for whoever opens the line afterward. On an old cast iron or clay system they can accelerate deterioration. A plunger and a hand auger on a single slow fixture are fine; beyond that, chemicals mostly buy disappointment.
Multiple drains are backing up at once. What should I do right now?
Stop running water anywhere in the house — no flushing, no laundry, no dishwasher. Multiple fixtures backing up together means the main lateral is blocked, and every additional gallon you send down has nowhere to go but back up into the lowest fixture. Then call. This is an emergency call at any hour, because sewage indoors is a biohazard rather than an inconvenience.
How often should a main line be jetted?
A healthy residential lateral should not need routine jetting at all. If yours does, that is diagnostic information. Lines with active root intrusion often need service every 12 to 24 months, and at that point it is worth comparing the recurring cost against trenchless lining, which resolves it permanently. Commercial kitchen lines are different — those need a scheduled interval matched to actual grease volume, typically quarterly to semi-annually.
Do you camera the line as part of the service?
On main line clearing, yes, and you see the footage. It is how we identify whether you are dealing with roots, grease, scale, a belly, or a structural failure — four problems with completely different long-term answers. Clearing a main line without inspecting it means guessing, and guessing is what puts people on an indefinite service schedule.
