Plumber Brisbane & Gold Coast

Electric Eel or the High Pressure Water Jetter

There are a lot of plumbers that still use the older Electric Eel (also known as a plumbers snake or a drain snake) method today and only few that use a High Pressure Water Jetter, but which is the better choice to clear a blocked drain an Electric Eel or a High Pressure Water Jetter this is a common question asked when a blocked drain or clogged drain becomes a problem. In this article we will compare the two based on time, cost and effectiveness.

The first Electric Eel or Drain Snake was invented in 1933 the Electric Eel works by a motor spinning a steel cable with a cutting head attached to the end. The cable is fed into the pipes chewing and mashing whatever it comes in contact with, however the further the head is away from the plumber the more uncontrollable it becomes.

The High Pressure Water Jetter is far newer technology it pumps water at roughly 5000 psi which is strong enough to cut tree roots. The Water Jetters consists of a motor which pushes water through the water hose and finally out of the head which has an outlet on the front to clear the way and multiple outlets behind it facing all directions which clean the pipes and propel the Water Jetter through the pipe.

Time:

Electric Eel – The time it takes can vary depending on depending on the depth of the blockage and how bad the blockage is. Some badly blocked drains have taken up to 8 hours to clear with an Electric Eel.

High Pressure Water Jetter – The Water Jetter is much faster in terms of clearing the blockage the average time to clear a blockage is 30-45 minutes.

Quality:

Electric Eel- When an Electric Eel clears a blocked drain or clogged drain it often leaves behind tree roots and debris because it does not fit the pipe diameter perfectly, this can lead to waste and debris getting stuck on the uncleared roots and debris. The negative side to the Electric Eel is that when the cable spins the cutting heads they thrash around in the pipe banging and hitting the pipe walls chipping, cutting and cracking them leading to further damage and can lead to collapsed pipes. An Electric Eel will lose its effectiveness the further it travels into a pipe usually after 20 metres an Electric Eel is no longer effective.

High Pressure Water Jetter – The Water Jetter clears pipes incredibly effectively, clearing tree roots effectively from the pipe so well that you can no longer see them with a drain camera. The Water Jetter also cleans the walls of the pipe washing away old waste, debris, fats, oils and anything that has built up on the pipe walls. The Water Jetter can travel up to 60 metres (180 feet) and maintains its effectiveness right to the end which is long enough to clear the majority of residential, commercial and industrial buildings.

Cost:

Electric Eel – The costs involved to get a pipe cleared with an Electric Eel are usually higher because Electric Eels can take a fair amount of time to clear a blocked drain depending on the depth of the blockage and how bad the blockage is. More time equals more money.

High Pressure Water Jetter – The cost involved to get a pipe cleared with a Water Jetter will always be cheaper than an Electric Eel because of the time involved. The Water Jetter clears blocked drains much quicker than an Electric Eel so you won’t be paying hours and hours of labour.

Overall the High Pressure Water Jetter is a smarter choice based on quality, cost and time. Unfortunately the Electric Eel or Drain Snake is becoming obsolete; it was much better back in the day when all we had was a steel wire with a hook on the end to clear the drain. When the Electric Eel became available people stopped using the less effective and older method. The High Pressure Water Jetter is the newest and most effective tool in the industry today. So if in the unlucky event you do get a blocked drain or clogged drain make sure you hire a licensed plumber fully equipped with a High Pressure Water Jetter it will save you time and money giving you piece of mind and convenience.

Drain Cameras Jetset Plumbing uses Drain Cameras and High Pressure Water Jetters to diagnose and clear blocked drains. The most innovative blocked drain diagnosis technology is the CCTV Drain Camera, when we go out to a blocked drain the first thing we do is find out what is causing the blockage to do this we feed a CCTV drain camera down the pipe.

The camera sends the live feed onto a screen beside the plumber who is feeding the drain camera into the pipe. The greatest advantage is you can see the condition of the pipe from the inside, you can see whether the line is broken, collapsed or tree roots entering the pipe this method takes all the guess work out of diagnosing a blocked drain.

A CCTV drain camera can go up to 100 metres (300 feet) down a pipe which will cover the majority of residential dwellings. The footage can also be stored on a DVD for future reference, or if the customer is not at home. Storing the footage is great for home owners and real estate agents to have a documented copy of the properties plumbing.

The cameras Jetset Plumbing use have a sensor on the tip of the camera this tells the plumber the precise location of the camera using our locating machine. The plumber waves the locating machine over the ground and can mark exactly where the blockage is.

Some plumbers still don't have drain cameras and use the older technology such as an electric eel also known as a drain snake to diagnose a blocked drain which is basically guess work. You send the electric eel down the pipe and when it stops that is the “indication” there is a blockage, as you can imagine this would be very difficult and requires luck and guessing. This is not the only disadvantage to using the older electric eel method, when the electric eel is inserted down the pipe it can damage the pipe walls further because the plumber cannot actually see where the electric eel is going.

So make sure that when you call a plumber in to fix your blocked drain he is fully equipped with the latest tools, this will save you precious time and money on labour! Not to mention the possibilities of further damage to the pipe.

Jetset Plumbing service the Gold Coast and Brisbane areas we use the latest drain cameras to diagnose blocked drains.

The heavy rain and flooding this January, 2012 is causing all kinds of plumbing problems due to the pressure on pipes and drainage.

If you have a roof leak the best thing you can do is simply stick a bucket underneath the leak and arrange a plumber to come out and fix it. Please remember Workplace Health and Safety won't allow plumbers on roofs during rain.

Blocked storm water drains have been extremely common, much of the leaves and debris is ending up in drain pipes causing them to become blocked. At Jetset Plumbing we recommend booking us in to clear the blockage with a High Pressure Water Jetter, these are the most effective tools on the market for clearing blocked drains, far more effective than the inferior Electric Eel.

To avoid blocked storm water pipes, downpipes and gutters we recommend clearing leaves and debris from your property and gutters regularly ONLY when it is safe to do so however.

If you are experiencing any roof leaks, blocked storm water drains or any other plumbing issues please call us on 1300 453 873 we operate 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Gold Coast January 2012 Flood Photos 1

Gold Coast January 2012 Flood Photos 2

You can review the flood maps by clicking here.