Knowing the difference between drain clearing and drain cleaning is more important than most property owners realize. When you understand exactly what each service involves and when each one is appropriate, you’re in a much stronger position when talking with a plumber about your building’s drainage issues — and you’re far less likely to pay for a more extensive service than your situation actually requires. It’s the kind of knowledge that saves both money and frustration.
What is drain clearing?
Drain clearing is anything you do to restore the wastewater flow through a drain after it has been blocked. To clear a drain, you break up the obstructions inside it, and your job is done. There are many methods you can use to clear a clogged drain.
DIY drain-clearing methods include using a plunger or a drain auger to remove the clog. You may also use a handheld drain snake to clear the blocked drain. Other DIY methods involve vinegar, baking soda, hot water, salt or liquid soap.
To have your drain cleared professionally – by a qualified plumber – the usual method is with a professional sewer rodding service. This method uses a rotating blade mounted on the end of a heavy-duty cable, with the other cable’s end connected to a motor that spins the blade.
When inserted into the blocked drain, the spinning blade clears the blockages inside the pipe to restore its proper function. Once this is done, the drain-clearing process ends; drain clearing is all about restoring the water flow inside a drain.
It does not remove the dislodged debris that is still inside the pipe. It means the debris can stay inside the pipes to cause future drain issues. This severe limitation is why drain clearing only temporarily solves your building’s drainage problems.
What is drain cleaning?
Drain cleaning, on the other hand, does everything that drain clearing does and a little extra. Drain cleaning will clear away the obstructions inside your blocked drainpipe, but it will wash the debris out of the pipes. As the name suggests, drain cleaning cleans your pipes.
The focus of drain cleaning is not the restoration of drain function in the short-term but the removal of all inefficiencies that prevent the optimal performance of the drainage system. When you clean a drain, you remove the clogs and prevent future clogs.
The most effective drain cleaning method is hydro jetting. Hydro jetting uses a stainless steel nozzle mounted on a heavy-duty hose hooked to a high-pressure motor and water tank. This method uses pressurized water to remove all the debris inside the drain line. This blast of high-pressure water is enough to remove all the debris built up over many years of using different drain clearing methods to fix drainage issues. Along with removing the blockages inside the pipes, hydro jetting will scour the walls of the pipes.
This ensures the maximum function of the building’s drainage system and removes all the bacteria that cause bad odors inside the drains. Drains that are hydro jetted once a year, as a form of preventive care, last longer and cost less money to maintain.
Drain clearing versus drain cleaning: why it matters for you
Unless you know the difference between drain clearing and drain cleaning, it is hard to understand what a plumber is proposing to do when you hire him/her to fix your clogged drain. But armed with this knowledge, it is possible to always get the best service at the right price.
As a rule, you want to have your drainage system cleaned at least once yearly. After you do this, it is alright to use drain clearing as your go-to method for solving all minor clogs in the system without fear of any long-term issues.
That is to say, have the building’s entire drainage system hydro jetted once or twice a year. It will remove all debris that has built up from the previous year. If you have any clogged drains subsequently, you will know that those are minor problems that can be fixed with drain clearing.
There are several benefits to using this drain management strategy.
- You will prevent drain problems and also preserve the life of your drainage.
- You improve the overall performance of your plumbing.
- You avoid premature failure of your drainage system and any property damage that can result.
- Finally, you will spend less money on plumbing maintenance while getting the best performance from the system.
Now that you understand the difference between drain clearing and drain cleaning, the next step is deciding what your system actually needs. For drains that have been neglected or are dealing with years of accumulated buildup, hydro jetting is the most effective way to restore them to full capacity — scouring the pipe walls clean and giving your drainage system a genuine fresh start rather than just a temporary fix. If you’re not sure where your drains stand, give Suburban Plumbing Experts a call and we’ll assess the situation and recommend the right solution for your property.
