Hydro jetting uses a hose and a specialised nozzle fed by a high-pressure pump. Jets angled backwards pull the hose up the pipe while they blast the walls clean, and a forward jet breaks through whatever is ahead. Unlike a cable machine, which bores a hole through the middle of a blockage, a jetter cleans the whole circumference of the pipe.
Cheeky's Plumbers jets residential, commercial and stormwater lines across the city. It is the tool we reach for when grease has coated a kitchen line, when silt and gravel have settled in a stormwater pipe after heavy rain, or when fine root mats have filled a drain and a cutter alone will not clear them.
Pricing: quotes are free, and every job gets a fixed price before we start, so there are no surprises on the invoice.
Hydro Jetting Jobs We Handle Across Auckland
- Hydro jetting
- Water jetting drains
- Grease removal
- Tree root jetting
- Stormwater jetting
- Commercial drain jetting
When jetting is the right tool
Jetting is not always necessary. For a simple wipe blockage, such as a blocked toilet, a drain machine is quicker and cheaper. Jetting earns its cost in these situations: For a home line that only needs a routine clean, standard drain cleaning is often enough.
- Kitchen and commercial lines coated in fat that has set on the pipe walls
- Stormwater pipes and sumps filled with silt, sand, leaves or gravel after a storm
- Fine root mats that a mechanical cutter pushes aside rather than removes
- Long runs where a cable machine cannot reach the far end
- Preparing a pipe for CCTV inspection or relining, where the wall must be clean
- Drains that keep blocking within weeks of being cleared by a cable
Choosing the right nozzle and pressure
The skill in jetting is matching the nozzle and pressure to the pipe. A penetrating nozzle breaks through a full blockage. A flushing nozzle with wide rear jets moves silt and gravel. Rotating and chain nozzles strip roots and scale. Older earthenware, cracked pipe and pitch fibre need lower pressure and a gentler nozzle than solid PVC or concrete, or the jetter can make an existing crack worse.
That is why we usually run a CCTV drain inspection first on older lines. If the pipe is badly cracked or partly collapsed, we will tell you jetting is not the right answer, rather than blasting water into the surrounding soil.
How It Works
Hydro jetting cost in Auckland
The final price depends on how much material is in the pipe, the length of the run, the number of access points, and whether a CCTV inspection is needed before or after. Commercial grease lines and long stormwater runs are quoted on the job.
We give you the price before the jetter is unloaded. If jetting reveals a broken section, we show you the footage and quote the repair separately, so you can decide.
Jetting and Auckland's stormwater
Auckland gets intense rainfall, and stormwater lines on sloping sections in suburbs like Titirangi, Remuera and the North Shore can fill with silt and organic matter quickly. Sumps that are not cleaned out let that material straight into the pipe. Under the Auckland Council stormwater bylaw, private stormwater systems need to be kept in working order by the property owner.
Jetting a stormwater line before winter, along with clearing sumps and checking outlets, is one of the simplest ways to avoid water backing up against the house during a heavy downpour.
What happens after jetting
After jetting we flush the line clean and run the camera through to check the result. For grease-affected lines we talk to you about where the fat is coming from, and for commercial kitchens whether grease trap cleaning is overdue. For root-affected lines we are straight with you: jetting removes roots, but they grow back from the same joints. If you are jetting the same line every year, relining or replacing the root-affected section will usually cost less over time.
Why Choose Cheeky's Plumbers for Hydro Jetting
Jetters and cameras on the vans
Our vans carry jetters and drain cameras, so the line can be cleared and checked on the same visit.
Nozzle and pressure matched
Older earthenware, pitch fibre and cracked pipe get lower pressure and a gentler nozzle, and we will not jet a pipe the camera shows has collapsed.
Video of the result
We run the camera after jetting and send you the footage in your job report, so you can see the pipe is clean.
Straight talk on roots
Jetting removes roots but they grow back at the same joints, so where they keep returning we recommend relining or repair rather than chemical treatments or yearly jetting.
Price before the jetter is unloaded
The price is agreed before we start.
Hydro Jetting FAQs
What is hydro jetting?
It is drain cleaning with high-pressure water fed through a hose and nozzle. The jets scour the full inside of the pipe, removing grease, silt and roots rather than just punching a hole through the blockage.
How much does hydro jetting cost in Auckland?
Long runs, heavy grease or commercial lines are quoted on site before we start.
Can hydro jetting damage old pipes?
It can if the wrong pressure is used on cracked or fragile pipe. That is why we camera older earthenware lines first and adjust pressure and nozzle to suit, or recommend another approach.
Is jetting better than a drain snake?
For grease, silt and root mats, yes, because it cleans the whole pipe wall. For a simple blockage close to the fixture, a cable machine is often faster and cheaper.
How long does hydro jetting last?
On a sound pipe with a one-off build-up, a long time. On a root-affected line, roots will regrow from the joints, typically within a year or so, which is when repair or relining becomes the better option.
Do you jet stormwater drains and sumps?
Yes. We clear silt and debris from stormwater pipes and sumps on residential and commercial properties.
Hydro Jetting Across Auckland
Our hydro jetting team works in every Auckland suburb. Find your local plumbers:
Hydro Jetting Guides
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