When a drain is blocked, there are two main ways to clear it: traditional rodding and high-pressure water jetting. Both have their place. Understanding the difference helps you know what to expect.
Traditional drain unblocking (rodding)
Drain rods are flexible sections screwed together and pushed along the drain from an inspection chamber. Different heads can be fitted (plungers, corkscrews and scrapers) to push through, pull out or break up a blockage.
Good for:
- a single obstruction, such as a mass of wipes or paper;
- blockages close to an access point;
- quick relief when a drain has stopped completely.
Limitations:
- rods tend to make a hole through a blockage rather than clean the pipe walls;
- they are less effective against grease, silt and scale that line the pipe;
- a blockage that has been rodded but not fully removed can reform quickly.
Drain jetting
A jetting hose with a specialist nozzle is fed into the drain. Water under high pressure is fired backwards and sometimes forwards from the nozzle, pulling the hose along and scouring the inside of the pipe. Debris is flushed back towards the access point.
Good for:
- fat, oil and grease build-up in kitchen drains;
- silt and grit in surface water drains and gullies;
- soap and scale in bathroom wastes;
- fine root growth at joints;
- cleaning a drain back to its full bore after repeated blockages.
Limitations:
- not suitable for pipes that are collapsed or badly broken;
- very fragile pipes need care;
- roots cleared by jetting will usually grow back through the same gap unless the joint is repaired.
Side by side
| Rodding | Jetting | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Mechanically pushes or pulls the blockage | High-pressure water scours the pipe |
| Best for | Single obstructions | Build-up of grease, silt or scale |
| Cleans pipe walls | Partly | Yes |
| Suitable for damaged pipes | With care | Depends on the damage |
Which does your drain need?
Often the decision is made on site once the blockage has been located. As a rule of thumb:
- If it is the first blockage and seems to be a single obstruction, rodding may be enough.
- If the drain has blocked before, or the blockage is greasy or silty, drain jetting is likely to give a longer-lasting result.
- If the drain keeps blocking even after jetting, the pipe itself may be damaged. A CCTV drain survey will show why.
Either way, the goal is the same: get the drain flowing and understand what caused the blockage. Our general drain unblocking page explains our approach.
In the Southampton area? See drain jetting in Southampton or get in touch.