If your main line is backing up into a basement shower or floor drain, call our 24/7 dispatch and then stop all water use in the building. That means no laundry, no dishwasher, no flushing, and no one in the wet area near outlets or a furnace. Water keeps flowing from upstairs fixtures even when you are not looking, so shut those down too.
Hydro jetting pushes high-pressure water through a hose with a rotating nozzle, and it cuts grease, rust scale and fine roots off the inside of a pipe. It suits a main sewer line or a large branch that keeps clogging after cabling. It is a poor fit for pipe that has cracked, sagged or lost joints, and a camera tells us which case you have.
What a jetter does that a cable cannot
A drum cable makes a path through a clog. It leaves a film of grease and scale on the wall, and that film catches the next load of paper and food. A jetter nozzle has rear-facing ports that pull the hose forward and spray a ring of water at the wall, so debris is scoured off and flushed toward the sewer.
We feed the hose in through a cleanout or, if there is none, through a pulled toilet or a roof vent. Water and slurry can surge back at the opening, so we lay protection and control the flow. A camera before and after shows the wall and confirms the result.
Main line slow or backing up?
Call (617) 752-0573. A jetter and camera can be on the way day or night.
Problems where jetting is the right call
These patterns point to a coating on the pipe wall, not a single plug.
- Grease that returns. A line serving a busy kitchen, or a shared stack with years of cooking fat, clogs again a month after cabling.
- Rust scale in old iron. Rough, flaking cast iron narrows the bore and snags paper. Jetting knocks the loose scale out, though it will not smooth the pipe.
- Fine root hairs. Roots that enter at a joint grow as a mat of small threads. A cutting head clears the thick part and the jet removes the mat.
- Clogs the cable cannot finish. The cable passes, the sink drains for a day, and the gurgle comes back.
Hydro jetting or cabling? A plain comparison
| Situation | Cable machine | Hydro jetting |
|---|---|---|
| First-time soft clog in a branch | Usually enough and quicker to set up | Not needed |
| Heavy grease buildup in a main | Opens a channel only | Scours the wall and carries grease out |
| Thick, woody roots | Cutting head clears the bulk | Follow-up to wash out the debris. See sewer line repair if roots keep returning |
| Cracked or offset pipe | Can snag on the break | Risky, since water can wash soil into the pipe |
| Collapsed section | Stops at the collapse | Not an option until the pipe is repaired |
For ordinary sink and tub clogs, start with drain cleaning.
When jetting is the wrong tool
Water under pressure does damage to a failed pipe. If the camera shows a crack, a collapsed section, a belly full of standing water or an open joint, jetting can wash soil into the line and make things worse. Some mid-century lines were made of bituminous fiber, which softens with age and does not tolerate a jet well.
In those cases we stop, show you the video and explain the repair route instead. We would rather lose the jetting job than hand you a flooded yard.
Main lines, branch lines and what to ask for
Many owners ask whether to jet only the main or the whole house. A kitchen branch that carries years of grease may need its own pass, while a quiet upstairs bath line may not. We point out which branches the camera flags and price those separately.
On a lateral that connects to the public main, the pipe from your foundation to the street is yours. The Town handles blockages inside the public main. Our sewer line cleaning page spells out that split and the backwater valve policy.
Main line backing up: what to do first
A few quick steps protect the building until the machine is hooked up.
Stop all water
Shut off laundry, dishwasher and showers. Ask neighbors in a shared building to do the same.
Find the cleanout
Look for a capped pipe near the basement floor or where the main leaves the foundation. Clear a few feet around it.
Keep power dry
If water reaches an outlet, appliance or the furnace, stay clear and tell dispatch when you call.
Think about the pipe
Tell us roughly how old the building is and if you have had roots or repeated clogs before.
We offer same-day appointments when available, and dispatch is open overnight for main-line backups.
What drives the cost of hydro jetting
You hear a clear price before work starts. These factors move it.
- Length and diameterA 4 inch line to the street takes longer than a short 3 inch branch.
- Camera findingsA video run before and after is part of a proper jetting job, and the pipe condition decides whether jetting is safe.
- Access pointA cleanout makes it simple. No cleanout means pulling a toilet or working through the roof.
- Buildup typeSoft grease clears in a pass. Hard scale or roots may need cutting first and a second jetting pass.
- Hour of the callAfter-hours dispatch is available, and timing can affect the price.
Many homeowner policies exclude sewer backup unless an endorsement was added. If you plan to file, ask us for a written description of the findings.
Want your real number? Call (617) 752-0573.
Hydro jetting questions
Yes. Dispatch is open 24/7, and a main-line backup at midnight is exactly what the jetter is built for. We offer same-day appointments when available, and we say upfront if the camera shows the pipe is too damaged to jet. Crews also head to Newton when the call comes from there.
It depends on the pipe, not just its age. Sound cast iron and clay with tight joints handle it, while cracked, collapsed or fiber pipe does not. We run a camera first to decide.
No. It removes the roots in the pipe, but if they entered through a cracked joint they will grow back. If they return within a year or two, a repair or lining discussion makes more sense than another jetting visit.
A snake pierces the clog. Jetting scours the whole wall. Most one-time clogs only need the snake.
It helps a lot. Without one we can pull a toilet or use a roof vent, which takes longer. A cleanout near the basement floor is worth having installed by a licensed plumber, who pulls the permit where one is required.
Grease lines in commercial kitchens are a good fit for jetting. See commercial plumbing for how we schedule that work around opening hours.
Wash the line clean
Call (617) 752-0573 and describe the backup. We also dispatch to Newton and Brighton.