High Pressure Water Jetter vs Electric Eel

Clearing drains with a water jetter

Water jetters are one of the main tools used by plumbers when needing to clear a blocked sewer or stormwater line. A water jetter is effectively a high pressure water blaster - the nozzle is fed into the drainage through an inspection opening (access point), and when turned on it will blast water down the line and dislodge whatever is causing the blocked sewer or stormwater line.

Water jetter or electric eel - which is more effective against blocked sewers?

The other tool that plumbers will often use to clear blocked drains is an electric eel (also known as a plumber's snake). Perhaps more well known, an electric eel is a steel cable with a cutter on the end that will spin through and dislodge the blockage as it is fed further and further into the drainage line.

Of the two, Pav Plumbing almost always opts to use a water jetter - and this is because in the large majority of situations it does a more thorough job. It is cleaner for the surrounding area - often the customers' bathroom or laundry - and can gain access more easily through a vent or toilet pan. It is also more effective against grease, and completely flushes the line of all material causing the blockage. Further, a water jetter is as effective 50 metres down the line as it is at the inspection opening. The electric eel on the other hand will leave the cleared blockage in the line, and becomes increasingly less effective the further it goes down the line.

It is important to note that irrespective of whether a high pressure drain cleaner or electric eel is used, only what is currently in the line will be cleared. If the blockage has formed as a result of tree roots that have broken into the sewer or stormwater line in search of water (the most common cause of blocked drains in Sydney), a drain camera inspection may be necessary to determine the exact location and extent of the damage.

To avoid tree roots causing damage to your drainage, it is important not to plant large trees near the sewer and stormwater lines - these are generally located on the borders of your property.