Hydro Jetting Vancouver: High-Pressure Drain Cleaning for Restaurants, Strata and Commercial Lines
Hydro jetting is high-pressure drain cleaning. A hose with a multi-directional nozzle is fed into the line and sprays water at 2,500 to 3,000 psi, scouring grease, scale and debris off the pipe walls and flushing it downstream. Think of it as a pressure washer for your drains: you get your sidewalk pressure washed, so why not your pipes? Straight Up Mechanical provides hydro jetting in Vancouver and across the Lower Mainland for restaurants, commercial kitchens, strata buildings and other high-volume lines. Every job is verified with a camera.
In this guide
- What hydro jetting is and the equipment we use
- Hydro jetting vs. snaking
- When hydro jetting is the wrong choice
- Who needs hydro jetting, and how often
- Hydro jetting cost
- How to prepare, and what you get afterwards
- Hydro jetting FAQs
Professional Hydro Jetting for Vancouver Businesses and Strata Buildings
- Scheduled maintenance jetting for restaurants and commercial kitchens
- Main line, stack and parkade drain jetting for strata and multi-unit buildings
- Perimeter and storm drain cleaning, where the pipe is in good enough condition
- Before-and-after camera footage and a written report on every job
- The same rate as snaking. You’re not charged a premium for the jetter.
Our Hydro Jetting Equipment
We run a gasoline-powered jetter at 2,500 psi, capable of 2,500 to 3,000 psi, on a 100-foot hose. The nozzle sprays in multiple directions at once: forward to cut through buildup, and backward to scour the pipe walls and pull the jetter along the line. The result is a pipe that’s cleaned back to the wall, not just opened up.
Hydro Jetting vs. Snaking: Different Tools for Different Jobs
People often ask whether hydro jetting is just a stronger snake. It isn’t. They’re different tools for different jobs:
- Snaking clears the clog. A drain snake breaks through a physical blockage (toilet paper, wipes, hygiene products, something dropped down a toilet) and gets water moving again.
- Hydro jetting cleans the pipe. It removes what’s stuck to the pipe walls, which a snake can’t do.
A kitchen line shows the difference best. Grease builds up inside the pipe like plaque in an artery, so the pipe keeps getting narrower. A snake punches a hole through it and lets the water drain. But the grease is still there, and the line will close up again. So we snake first to open the line, then jet it to clean the walls and restore the full diameter. For hardened, stubborn deposits, we may use a pipe descaling tool first, a spinning chain that breaks up heavy buildup, and then jet it all out.
When Hydro Jetting Is the Wrong Choice
A good plumber knows when not to use the jetter:
- During an active backup or flood. If water is already backing up out of control, jetting adds more water to the system and makes the flood worse. We snake first to get water flowing, then clean.
- When we don’t know what caused the blockage. We find out first, usually with a camera, before choosing the tool.
- When the pipe is too fragile. Old clay tile and Big O perforated pipe, common in the perimeter drains of older Vancouver homes, can break under aggressive cleaning, and roots growing through the joints will come back. In those cases we’ll recommend replacing the line and show you the camera footage so you can see why.
Who Needs Hydro Jetting?
Hydro jetting is mainly for high-volume lines:
- Restaurants and commercial kitchens, where grease goes down the drains every day
- Strata and apartment buildings, especially main stacks and lines tying into the parkade
- Commercial washrooms and facilities with heavy daily use
- Perimeter and storm drains, where leaves and sediment from downspouts build up
For a single-family home’s sanitary line, a snake and descaler are usually the right tools. Some companies jet everything because that’s the equipment they have. We’ll only recommend jetting when it’s the right job for it.
How Often Should a Restaurant Hydro Jet Its Lines?
We recommend commercial kitchens jet their lines at least once a year, and twice a year for high-volume kitchens. Grease goes down those drains every service, and it builds up where nobody can see it until the line is completely blocked.
Maintenance matters because of what happens when it’s skipped. A line jetted once a year is often an hour-long visit. The same line left for years can mean plumbers on site for hours fighting through the blockage, usually on the worst possible day for your business.
Hydro Jetting Cost in Vancouver
Hydro jetting costs the same hourly rate as snaking. There’s no premium for the jetter. Most drain cleaning jobs land between $500 and $1,000. The biggest factor in cost is how long the line has gone without maintenance, because the more buildup there is, the longer it takes. Scheduled jetting is almost always cheaper than an emergency clear.
What Hydro Jetting Looks Like in Practice
Hydro jetting is one of the most effective ways to clean a drain line, but we don’t assume it worked. On one Richmond job, we jetted the line and then ran a camera to check. Grease was still clinging to the pipe walls, so we followed up with a flex shaft descaling tool to break down the rest. Combining jetting with camera inspection and descaling means the pipe isn’t just cleared, it’s actually clean.
How to Prepare for a Hydro Jetting Visit
- Clear the area around the work space so we have room to set up.
- Know where your access points are, like cleanouts and floor drains, if you can. If not, we’ll locate them.
- Arrange access. Unlock doors, have keys for mechanical rooms and parkades, and let staff or residents know we’re coming.
What You Get: A Full Camera Report
We camera the line before and after we jet it. You get:
- Before-and-after photos from the drain camera
- Video of the line where needed
- How far down the line the blockage or buildup was
- Any problem areas we found, such as bellies, cracks or root intrusion, with recommendations
It’s a full record of the condition of your pipes, useful for strata councils, property managers and restaurant owners planning maintenance.
The Hydro Jetting Process
Assess
We ask what’s happening and check access to the line.
Camera.
Where there’s access, we camera the line to find the buildup and check the pipe’s condition.
Open the line.
If the drain is blocked, we snake it first to get water flowing.
Jet.
We run the jetter through the line at 2,500 to 3,000 psi to clean the pipe walls, descaling first if the buildup is severe.
Verify
We camera again to confirm the line is clean, and send you the report.
Hydro Jetting Service Area: Greater Vancouver
We provide hydro jetting in Vancouver and across the Lower Mainland, including Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Coquitlam, Delta, Langley, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, White Rock and Abbotsford. See all drain cleaning service areas, or read more about our drain cleaning in Vancouver and drain services.
Why Choose Straight Up Mechanical for Hydro Jetting?
- We jet when it’s the right tool, not by default. And we’ll tell you when it isn’t.
- Camera-verified results on every job, with footage you keep.
- Same rate as snaking. No premium for the equipment.
- Commercial and strata experience across Greater Vancouver.
- Honest about pipe condition. If the line needs replacing, we’ll show you why.
Hydro Jetting FAQs
What is hydro jetting?
Hydro jetting is a drain cleaning method that uses high-pressure water, 2,500 to 3,000 psi in our case, through a multi-directional nozzle to scour grease, scale and debris off the inside of a pipe and flush it downstream.
Is hydro jetting better than snaking?
Neither is better. They do different jobs. Snaking clears a clog so water can drain. Hydro jetting cleans the pipe walls so the clog doesn’t come back. On grease-lined kitchen lines, we usually do both.
How much does hydro jetting cost in Vancouver?
We charge the same rate for hydro jetting as for snaking. Most drain cleaning jobs cost between $500 and $1,000. Lines that have gone years without maintenance take longer and cost more.
How often should a restaurant have its drains hydro jetted?
At least once a year, and twice a year for high-volume kitchens.
Can hydro jetting damage pipes?
On fragile pipe, like old clay tile or Big O perforated drain tile, aggressive cleaning can break it. That’s why we camera the line first. If the pipe is too far gone, we’ll recommend replacing it instead of jetting it.
Can you hydro jet a drain that's backing up right now?
Not until the water is flowing. Jetting an actively backed-up line adds more water and can make flooding worse. We snake it first, then jet to clean it.
Do I get to see the camera footage?
Yes. You’ll get before-and-after photos from the camera, video where needed, and a report on how far down the buildup was and any problem areas.
