A slow drain gets most people reaching for the same fix: run a snake down the line, pull the clog, move on. Sometimes that is exactly right. Other times the drain is slow again three weeks later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We get asked about this all the time in Alpharetta, Milton and Roswell. Here is how we decide between snaking and hydro jetting, and what each one can and cannot do for your line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A drain snake, or auger, is a flexible steel cable with a cutting head on the end. It spins its way down the pipe and punches a hole through whatever is blocking it. Water starts moving again, and for a single, simple clog that is often all you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The catch is that a snake opens a path. It does not clean the pipe. Grease, scale and root hairs on the walls stay behind. In a line that has been building up for years, the clog was just the last straw, and the pipe is still narrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hydro jetting sends water at very high pressure through a specialized nozzle. Jets point backward and sideways, so the nozzle pulls itself down the line while it scours the full inside wall of the pipe. Grease, soap scum, sludge and fine roots get cut loose and flushed out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When it is done, the pipe is closer to its original diameter instead of just having a tunnel through the middle. That is why a jetted line tends to stay clear much longer than a snaked one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It depends on what is in the pipe and what the pipe is made of. Snaking usually makes sense when:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hydro jetting is usually the better call when:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pipe material matters here in North Fulton. A lot of homes from the 1960s through the 1980s still have clay tile, cast iron, or even old fiber pipe running out to the tank. Water pressure strong enough to strip grease can also find a cracked joint or a collapsing section and make it worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So before we jet an older line, we want to know what we are working with. Sometimes that means a camera look down the pipe first. If the camera shows a broken or sagging section, no amount of cleaning fixes that, and you are better off knowing now than after a second backup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A clean sewer line only helps if the tank at the end of it is in good shape. If your tank is overdue for pumping, the solids can rise to the outlet and back up into the line no matter how clean it is. The EPA recommends having a typical household system inspected about every three years and pumped about every three to five years, depending on household size and use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we come out for a stubborn drain in Johns Creek or Cumming, we look at the whole path: the line, the tank level, the baffles and the outlet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If a drain in your house keeps coming back, it is usually telling you something about the pipe behind it. We are glad to take a look, explain what we find in plain terms, and give you a quote for the fix that actually fits your line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Call Action Septic Tank Service at 770-922-1434<\/a> or visit actionseptictankservice.com<\/a> to schedule service.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Snaking or hydro jetting? How Alpharetta-area homeowners can tell which fix their sewer or septic line needs. Call 770-922-1434.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1644,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[421,446,267,433,436,443,429,561,434,423,469,441,563,471,558,559,440,431,322,473,566,564,472,424,476,465,426,467,430,420,428,381,438,444,439,240,432,239,427,464,422,435,470,244,442,475,425,437,562,560,565,466],"class_list":["post-1645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-action-septic-digest","tag-770-922-1434","tag-action-septic-digest","tag-action-septic-tank-service","tag-alpharetta-georgia-septic-experts","tag-clogged-septic-tank-alpharetta","tag-drain-field-problems-alpharetta","tag-drain-field-repair-alpharetta","tag-drain-snaking","tag-emergency-septic-near-me","tag-emergency-septic-service-alpharetta","tag-family-septic-system-care","tag-fast-septic-service-alpharetta","tag-grease-buildup-in-pipes","tag-heavy-rain-septic-issues","tag-hydro-jetting-alpharetta","tag-hydro-jetting-vs-snaking","tag-licensed-septic-technician-alpharetta","tag-local-septic-company-alpharetta","tag-north-fulton-septic-service","tag-north-georgia-clay-septic","tag-old-clay-sewer-pipe","tag-recurring-drain-clogs","tag-restaurant-grease-trap-service","tag-septic-backup-alpharetta","tag-septic-bacteria-care","tag-septic-drain-field-repair","tag-septic-inspection-alpharetta","tag-septic-odor-removal","tag-septic-pumping-near-me","tag-septic-repair-alpharetta","tag-septic-repair-near-me","tag-septic-service-alpharetta","tag-septic-service-johns-creek","tag-septic-service-roswell-ga","tag-septic-smell-in-house-alpharetta","tag-septic-system-maintenance","tag-septic-system-maintenance-alpharetta","tag-septic-tank-cleaning-alpharetta","tag-septic-tank-failure-alpharetta","tag-septic-tank-full","tag-septic-tank-odor-alpharetta","tag-septic-tank-overflowing-alpharetta","tag-septic-tank-problems","tag-septic-tank-pumping-alpharetta","tag-septic-tank-pumping-milton-ga","tag-septic-tank-sludge","tag-septic-tank-troubleshooting-alpharetta","tag-sewage-backup-alpharetta","tag-sewer-line-camera-inspection","tag-sewer-line-cleaning-alpharetta","tag-sewer-line-repair-roswell","tag-slow-drains-septic"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/actionseptictankservice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/actionseptictankservice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/actionseptictankservice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actionseptictankservice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actionseptictankservice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1645"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/actionseptictankservice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1645\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actionseptictankservice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/actionseptictankservice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actionseptictankservice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actionseptictankservice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}