High pressure water jetting is the main tool for clearing drains properly. A jetting hose with a specialist nozzle is fed into the pipe, and water at high pressure blasts the blockage apart and washes the pipe walls clean as the hose is pulled back. It is the difference between clearing a drain for a week and clearing it for good.
What jetting clears
- Fat, oil and grease that has set inside the pipe
- Silt, sand and grit washed into outside drains and gullies
- Wet wipes, sanitary products and kitchen roll
- Food waste from kitchen sinks
- Soap scum and hair from bathrooms
- Light scale and sludge along the pipe walls
Jetting or rodding?
Drain rods can push through a blockage and get water flowing again, but they often leave most of the fat or silt stuck to the pipe walls, so the drain blocks again. Jetting cleans the full bore of the pipe. For most domestic and commercial blockages, jetting is the faster and longer-lasting fix.
When jetting is not enough
Tree roots, hardened scale and heavy fat deposits can be too tough for water alone. For those we use Picote milling equipment to cut the blockage out from inside the pipe. If a drain keeps blocking after jetting, there is usually a reason, such as a cracked or sunken pipe, and a CCTV survey will show it.
Who we jet drains for
- Homeowners with blocked or slow outside drains
- Landlords and agents with recurring problems at rented properties
- Restaurants, cafés and takeaways, where grease builds up quickly
- Food producers and industrial sites with long drain runs and gullies
For businesses, regular jetting on a schedule stops blockages before they happen. See planned drain maintenance.
Questions about drain jetting
Will jetting damage my pipes?
Jetting is safe for drains in sound condition. If we think a pipe is damaged or fragile, we check it with a camera first and adjust how we clear it.
Can you jet a drain inside the house?
Yes, we can jet soil and waste pipes from inside where there is a suitable access point, and we protect floors while we work.
How long does it take?
Most domestic drains are jetted and running again within a single visit.
