Electric Eel or Water Jetter ? Which Is More Effective In Clearing Blocked Drains?
Electric Eel or Water Jetter ? Which Is More Effective In Clearing Blocked Drains?
The high pressure water jetter (or water blaster) and the electric eel (or plumbers snake) are the two most common plumbing tools used by plumbers when cleaning blocked drains. Plumbers don?t charge the same amount for these two tools though, and one of the two is often much more effective than the other. Before deciding which should be used to clear your blocked sewer or stormwater line, it is thus worthwhile knowing a little about how electric eels and water jetters work and their relative effectiveness.
High Pressure Water Jetter
A water jetter is a specially designed high pressure pump that is used by plumbers to blast away blockages and clear blocked drains. Normally powered by a fuel generator, the nozzle is inserted into the blocked sewer or stormwater line through an inspection opening (access point). The water jetter then blasts water done the line, clearing away whatever is causing the blockage and allowing water to drain freely again.
Electric Eel
The electric eel is basically a cutter with spinning blades attached to the end of a steel cable. Again, the cable and cutter are inserted into the blocked sewer or stormwater line through an inspection opening. The cable is fed into the line until the cutter reaches the cause of the blocked drain, where it will spin and chew through the blockage.
Which is more effective?
The high pressure water jetter is often more effective, completely flushing whatever is causing the blockage out of the line, rather than simply cutting through the blockage it and leaving the debris in the line as the electric eel does. It is more effective against grease which congeals in the cold water that is pumped down the line and is then washed away. And the water jetter is just as effective 60 metres down the line as it is 1 metre down the line, as opposed to the electric eel which gets increasingly less effective the further down the line it goes. The water jetter is also cleaner for the surrounds and can gain access more easily through a vent or the toilet pan.
Plumbers will generally charge more to clear a blocked drain using a water jetter than to clear it using the electric eel as the equipment and running costs are greater for the former. Some charge only slightly more while others plumbers significantly more, but it can be worth paying the extra for the water jetter as it will often be more effective in flushing away all of the debris that is causing the blockage. And this will be more likely to prevent the blockage reoccurring in the near future.
J Wakefield is retained by PAV Plumbing Pty Ltd as a freelance writer.
To avoid needing a high pressure water jetter, electric eel or any other plumbing tool to clear you sewer or stormwater line, we recommend that customers don’t plant large trees near their sewer and stormwater lines.
If you need a Sydney plumber to unblock a blocked drain or any other plumbing repair contact PAV Plumbing. For further information please visit the PAV Plumbing website.
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