Snaking vs. Hydro Jetting: Which Does Your Line Need?

When you call about a clog, you might be offered 'snaking' or 'hydro jetting.' They solve different problems in different ways, and knowing the difference helps you spend wisely.

What Snaking Does

A drain snake (auger) feeds a rotating cable into the pipe to break through or hook out a clog. It's fast, affordable, and perfect for a single blocked drain or cutting a hole through soft roots. The catch: it punches a path through the blockage without cleaning the pipe wall, so grease and buildup remain.

What Hydro Jetting Does

Hydro jetting blasts the full inside diameter of the pipe with high-pressure water, stripping away grease, scale, and root hair. It restores the pipe close to its original flow, and the results last far longer — especially on grease-heavy and root-prone lines.

Which Should You Choose?

• Single slow drain, simple clog → snaking is usually enough
• Grease-clogged kitchen or restaurant line → hydro jetting
• Recurring root problems → jetting, plus a camera inspection
• Older, fragile pipe → camera first, then the gentler method