A drain snake punches a hole through a clog so water flows again. Hydro jetting uses up to 4,000 PSI water to scour the full interior of the pipe, removing grease, scale, and roots a snake leaves behind. Snake for one-time clogs, jet for recurring backups, commercial drains, and grease lines.
What drain snaking actually does
A drain snake (also called a cable auger) is a flexible steel cable with a cutting head on the tip. We feed it through the drain, spin it through the clog, and pull it back. The result is a hole in the blockage big enough for water to flow through. Snaking is fast, cheap, and the right tool for most single-event clogs, hair in a shower drain, a kid's toy in a toilet, a wad of paper in a branch line.
What hydro jetting actually does
A hydro jetter pushes water through a specialized nozzle at up to 4,000 PSI. Forward jets cut through the obstruction, rear-facing jets propel the head down the line and scour the pipe walls clean as it goes. When the head returns, the interior of the pipe is closer to its original diameter than it has been in years. Jetting removes grease, scale, soap buildup, sludge, and small roots that a cable cannot touch.
When snaking is the right call
We snake when:
- It is a single, localized clog in a tub, sink, or toilet line
- The drain has no history of repeat backups
- Cost is a major factor and the line is otherwise healthy
- The line is fragile (older clay or orangeburg) and high-pressure jetting could cause damage
When jetting is worth the cost
We recommend jetting when:
- The line has clogged before in the same place within the last year or two
- Kitchen drains with chronic grease buildup
- Any commercial line, especially food service grease lines and laundry lines
- Root intrusion in older sewer mains
- After a sewer camera shows scale or sludge coating the full pipe interior
Why we run both off every truck
There is no universal right answer, the right tool is the one that solves your problem for the longest. Our trucks carry both a full cable rig and a trailer-mounted jetter, plus a sewer camera so we can see what we are dealing with before we choose. You get an honest recommendation based on what the line actually needs, not what the truck happens to be equipped for.