Hydro jetting
Clean pipe walls, not just a hole in the clog
Hydro jetting cleans drain and sewer lines with a high-pressure stream of water that scours grease, scale, sludge, and roots off the pipe walls, restoring the full width of the line instead of leaving a narrow channel through the blockage.
TJM has cleaned drains and sewers across Elgin since 2005. Jetting is the tool we reach for when a line is coated, not just clogged, and the work comes from a licensed, bonded, and insured family crew that answers the phone around the clock.
Sick of the same clog coming back? Request your free estimate today.
When is hydro jetting the right call instead of rodding?
Rodding is the right first move for most clogs. A cable cuts through the blockage and gets the line flowing again fast. Jetting earns its keep when the problem is the pipe itself: years of grease coating the walls, scale and sludge narrowing the line, or clogs that keep returning weeks after a rodding. High-pressure water scrubs the full diameter of the pipe back to clean, which a cable simply cannot do. Both are part of the drain and sewer lineup at our Elgin plumbing company, so your line gets the tool the problem actually calls for, and nothing more.
What causes the grease and buildup jetting removes?
Kitchen grease is the big one. It goes down the drain warm and liquid, then cools and hardens on the pipe walls, grabbing food, soap scum, and everything that follows. Restaurants fight it constantly, which is why commercial kitchen lines get jetted on a schedule, and homes build the same coating just more slowly. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists grease buildup among the leading causes of sewer line blockages and overflows. Jetting strips that coating out of the line completely, so waste has the whole pipe to travel through again instead of a shrinking channel down the middle.
Scrub the line clean instead of poking a hole in the clog
High-pressure jetting from a licensed, family-owned Elgin crew. The phone is answered 24 hours a day, every day.
Call (847) 809-9316What if the line backs up again after cleaning?
A line that keeps backing up after cleaning is usually telling you something is wrong with the pipe, not the cleaning. A cracked section, an offset joint, or a bad low spot will collect waste no matter how clean the walls are, and roots grow back through any opening they find. That is when the camera earns its keep, and it is also why a sewage backup at midnight is never something to sleep on. Our emergency plumbing repair line is answered 24 hours a day, and if the backup points to real damage, the same company handles the repair and the dig.
How do you know the pipe is actually clean?
You look. TJM cameras sewer lines as part of everyday work, and a scope after jetting shows the bare pipe wall where the buildup used to be. That proof matters, because a half-cleaned line looks fine at the drain for a few weeks, then fails again once the leftover grease catches debris. We document jobs with photos before, during, and after, a habit Todd has kept since 2005, so you are never taking our word for what happened underground. When the picture shows clean pipe from the cleanout to the main, you know exactly what you paid for and exactly where your line stands.
Ask a plumber
Straight answers to plumbing questions
What is the difference between hydro jetting and rodding?
Rodding uses a spinning cable to cut through a clog and get the line flowing. Hydro jetting uses high-pressure water to scrub the whole pipe wall, washing out the grease, scale, and sludge that rodding leaves behind.
Is hydro jetting safe for older pipes?
It depends on the condition of the line, which is why we scope questionable pipes with a camera first. If the pipe is too fragile for jetting, we tell you and recommend a better fix instead.
Can hydro jetting remove tree roots?
Yes, jetting can cut fine roots out of the line and flush them downstream. If the camera shows heavy root damage or a cracked pipe, we walk you through repair options so the roots do not grow right back.
How do I know if my line needs jetting?
Slow drains through the whole house, clogs that come back after rodding, and gurgling fixtures all point to buildup on the pipe walls. A quick camera look confirms it, so you never pay for cleaning you do not need.
Do you jet commercial kitchen drain lines?
Yes. Restaurant and commercial lines take on heavy grease, and jetting is the right tool for them. We handle both residential and commercial drain and sewer work across Elgin and the nearby suburbs, any day of the week.
How long does hydro jetting keep a line clear?
It depends on the pipe and what caused the buildup. A scrubbed line stays clear far longer than one with a hole poked through the clog. We show you how the pipe looks, so you know where you stand.