Telltale Signs Your Plumbing Needs a High-Pressure Rescue

Homeowners in San Jose sometimes face plumbing issues that can be costly and inconvenient. For example, a clog in a shower or toilet drain that’s not addressed could lead to more serious problems affecting the septic tank or sewer pipe. In many cases, hydro jetting services are the answer to handle plumbing emergencies.

What Is Hydro Jetting?

Hydro jetting is also referred to as pressure washing. It’s an environmentally friendly and quick way to clear blockages from a plumbing system. The hydro jetting process involves spraying a stream of high-pressure water through a hose that’s pushed inside the drain line. Hydro jetting can effectively remove sludge, grease, debris, and even some small tree roots that build up in the plumbing system with time.

Before hydro jetting your drains and pipes, a plumber will thoroughly inspect your pipes to ensure that they’re in good condition. Some pipes are too damaged or too old to handle the intense water pressure of hydro jetting. Hydro jetting is a procedure that should only be performed by experienced professional plumbers.

Slow Drains

Hydro jetting can correct issues with slow drain pipes. Some homeowners see a slow-draining drain as a nuisance, but they may not thoroughly realize that a serious clog is developing in the drain. If these clogs aren’t addressed, they can slowly progress over time, getting much worse. A slow-draining drain could result from a localized clog in a pipe, or it could indicate a more significant problem developing within the main drain line. Either way, it shouldn’t be ignored.

Noisy Plumbing

When something is off with your home’s plumbing system, you might hear sounds, ranging from a loud banging to squealing to whistling or even a hammering noise. There are a lot of causes of noisy pipes, including water pressure issues, air pressure fluctuations, and clogs and buildups within the pipes. If you hear a gurgling sound in a pipe or the toilet, it could indicate that water is trying to filter its way through an obstruction. It’s likely a localized issue if the noise emanates from just one pipe. However, if there are gurgling noises coming from multiple fixtures throughout your house, then this indicates a deep clog affecting your home’s plumbing system that will require hydro jetting to clear it out.

Frequent Clogs

The occasional clogged drain is just part of indoor plumbing. Most bathroom drain clogs are because of hair, dirt, skin flakes, and other debris binding to soap scum in the walls of the drainpipes. With time, this accumulation of gunk reduces water flow. Drains in the kitchen sink are caused by oil and cooking grease combined with food particles and detergent to form a sticky coating that eventually blocks the inside of the drainpipes.

The best way to protect your kitchen and bathroom drains is to prevent clogs from forming in the first place by being careful with what you put down the drain. As a general rule of thumb, the only items that should go down the drain are water, human waste, and toilet paper. However, if you have frequent clogs that can’t be easily removed with a snake or plunger, it indicates a larger and deeper blockage inside the plumbing system, and you may need hydro jetting to clear it out.

Fixtures Backing Up Into Other Drains

It can be alarming when you flush the toilet and see water backing up into other fixtures, such as your shower drain. This could indicate a sewer line clog. With a sewer line clog, water backs up and starts to overflow into different plumbing fixtures. This happens when water from one branch of the drain line tries to drain away but gets blocked by the sewer clog and is forced to back up into smaller drains.

Water is always looking for its lowest point, so if a main sewer line clogs, you’ll likely see water backing up in the basement and fixtures on the lowest floor. Another indication of a main sewer line clog is if you use your washing machine and see an overflow in your shower drain or toilet. Or you may turn on your bathroom sink and see bubbles rising in the toilet. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s time to call in a professional. A professional plumber can use hydro jetting as a way of helping to resolve the problem.

Terrible Odors

Your home’s plumbing system is designed with drain traps. This is where water sits to stop sewer gas from backing up inside the house. If the drain pressure is too high, all the water may be pulled out, leaving nothing in the trap to prevent sewer gases from making your kitchen and bathroom smell stinky.

Odors can result from rotting food, mold, and other materials stuck in your drains. Hydro jetting breaks down clogs, removes blockages, and cleans out any food particles, preventing smelly bacteria from growing.

Sewage Backup

Sewage blockages commonly happen when there are clogs in the drainpipes or in the main sewer line. The source of the blockage could be grease, hair, or other solid material.

A sewage backup is not only foul-smelling, but it’s potentially dangerous. Sewage has bacteria, viruses, and other contaminants that can cause disease. In addition to posing a serious health risk, a sewage backup can lead to severe property damage. A backup of sewage is a plumbing emergency. Hydro jetting can help remove any clogs in the drain pipe or sewage line causing the backup.

Dirt and Rust in Toilets and Tap Water

When a tree root or other serious obstruction causes a blockage in your line, it can accumulate rust and dirt in your home’s water supply. This debris can accumulate in your toilet or come out of the tap, creating serious health hazards. By using hydro jetting, a professional can effectively clear the blockage, thereby preventing the buildup of harmful debris in your water supply.

This technique is especially important if you’ve noticed a foul odor in conjunction with these plumbing issues. If you’ve experienced any of these problems, hiring a professional to perform hydro jetting services to restore your plumbing system to optimal functionality is highly recommended.

Regular Maintenance

It’s recommended that, with or without a noticeable problem, homeowners have their pipes professionally cleaned once every other year. Regular drain cleaning keeps your drains free from any blockage and prevents major problems.

Work With a Top-Rated Plumber in San Jose

Our services include emergency plumbing, drain cleaning, water heater installation, maintenance, and repair. We can help with low water pressure, slow-draining sinks, leaks, and issues with hot water. Contact Universal Plumbing & Rooter today to work with our friendly, experienced team of plumbing professionals in San Jose.