Most houses do not need a schedule at all. If your sewer line has never backed up, has no mature trees over it and is not old cast iron, cleaning it on a timetable is paying for work nobody needed. Scheduled cleaning makes sense where there is a specific reason for it — repeat backups, tree roots, an old rough-walled pipe, or a commercial kitchen. Restaurants are the clear exception and genuinely should be on a schedule.
That is an unpopular answer in this trade, so here is the reasoning behind it.
Why do we not recommend an annual cleaning for everyone?
Because for most houses it is a solution looking for a problem, and we would rather tell you that.
A customer in Chambers County called about a slow-draining tub. We pulled the overflow faceplate, ran a small drum machine and pulled out a hairball. After that the cable ran through smoothly with nothing catching. It was their first stoppage in six or seven years.
We offered a camera inspection and then told them that if it were our house we would not bother. The hairball came out, the cable ran clean, and nothing about the job pointed to a bigger problem. They would only have been paying an extra charge for a picture of a working pipe. See drain cleaning.
A cable clears a path. Jetting cleans the pipe.
Who does need a schedule?
- A line with a history of repeat backups. One stoppage is an event. Three in a year is a pattern, and a pattern usually has a physical cause worth finding.
- Mature trees over the run. Roots find joints, and they come back. Where roots are the known cause, a schedule beats an emergency.
- Old cast iron or clay. As the inside surface roughens, things catch on it that would pass through smooth pipe.
- Any commercial kitchen. Grease is going down that line every day by definition. This is not a maybe.
How often should a restaurant line be jetted?
Quarterly or twice a year depending on volume, and we take on that work on a schedule.
Most restaurants call us when the line is already backed up, and it is almost always at the worst possible time — a Friday night, a full dining room. A scheduled jetting costs a fraction of a weekend emergency call plus a closed kitchen. That is the entire argument and it is a straightforward piece of arithmetic. See restaurant grease line jetting.
Why does cabling stop working after a while?
Because a cable and a jetter are doing two different jobs.
A cable clears a path through the middle of whatever is in the pipe. On a hairball or a single obstruction that is exactly right, and it is the correct tool. But if a kitchen line backs up every few months and has been cabled three times in two years, what is in that pipe is grease coating the wall. The cable punches a hole through the middle of it, water runs again for a while, and then the hole closes up.
Jetting cuts the grease off the pipe wall so the line runs at full bore again. Nine gallons a minute at 4000 PSI is what actually scours a grease-lined pipe; a lower-flow machine just bores through the middle the same way a cable does. See hydro jetting.
Should I have it cameraed at the same time?
Pair it with jetting, yes. Jet the line, then camera it — that confirms the pipe is actually clean and it catches a bellied or broken section the grease was hiding.
On a simple cabled stoppage that cleared clean, there is usually nothing to see, and we will say so. We run a camera when something warrants it, not on every job as standard. See sewer camera inspection.
The same tool, the opposite advice. On a Clear Lake kitchen line that was sitting full of water, the camera is exactly what told us the line had lost its fall and pulled apart underground. That is what justified tunneling instead of guessing. Whether a camera is worth it depends entirely on what the cable already told us.
What are the signs it is actually due?
Several drains slowing at once rather than one on its own — that points at the main rather than a fixture. Gurgling from a toilet when the washing machine drains. And stoppages getting closer together, which is the clearest signal of all.
One stoppage in seven years is a hairball. Three in a year is the line telling you something. See sewer line repair and replacement.
Common questions
How often should sewer lines be cleaned?
Most houses do not need a schedule at all. If your line has never backed up, has no large trees over it and is not cast iron, cleaning it on a timetable is paying for work nobody needed. Where a schedule does make sense is where there is a known reason - a history of backups, mature tree roots, an old line, or a commercial kitchen. Restaurants are the clear exception and should be on a schedule.
So who actually needs a scheduled cleaning?
Four situations. A line with a history of repeat backups. A yard with mature trees over the run. Old cast iron or clay pipe, where the inside surface has gone rough. And any commercial kitchen, where grease is going down the line every day by definition.
How often should a restaurant grease line be jetted?
Quarterly or twice a year depending on volume. Most restaurants call us when the line is already backed up, usually at the worst possible time. A scheduled jetting costs a fraction of a weekend emergency call and a closed kitchen.
What is the difference between cabling and jetting?
A cable clears a path. Jetting cleans the pipe. If a kitchen line backs up every few months and has been cabled three times in two years, that is grease coating the inside of the pipe - the cable punches a hole through the middle and water runs again for a while, then the hole closes up. Jetting cuts the grease off the pipe wall so the line runs at full bore.
Should I have a camera put down at the same time?
Worth pairing with jetting, yes. Jet the line, then camera it. That confirms the pipe is actually clean and it catches a bellied or broken section the grease was hiding. On a simple cabled stoppage that cleared clean, there is usually nothing to see and we will tell you so.
What are the warning signs that it is due?
Several drains slowing at once rather than one, gurgling from a toilet when the washing machine drains, and stoppages getting closer together. One stoppage in seven years is a hairball. Three in a year is the line telling you something.
Last updated · written by a licensed master plumber, MPL 38224