For a single obstruction, read about our drain rodding service. For pricing factors, see drain jetting cost.
How drain rodding works
Drain rods are flexible lengths screwed together and pushed along the pipe from a chamber. A plunger or corkscrew head on the end is used to push, twist and break up the blockage until water starts to flow. It is a long-established method and many householders own a basic set.
The limitation is that rods move the blockage rather than removing it. Grease and scale stay stuck to the pipe wall, and the next lot of waste catches on the same residue. Rods can also struggle around bends and on longer runs.
How high pressure jetting works
A jetting hose with a specialist nozzle is fed into the pipe. Water leaves the nozzle at high pressure, with rear-facing jets that pull the hose forward while scouring the full circumference of the pipe. Fat, silt, sludge and scale are broken up and carried away with the flow.
Different nozzles are used for different jobs, including cutting through root growth or heavy deposits. Because the pipe wall is cleaned, jetting is also the standard preparation before a CCTV survey or a no-dig liner.
Side by side
- Soft, recent blockage close to a chamber: rodding can work.
- Grease and fat build-up, especially from kitchens: jetting.
- Silt, sludge or scale along the pipe: jetting.
- Root intrusion: jetting with a cutting nozzle, then a survey.
- Drain that keeps blocking in the same place: jetting followed by a camera check.
- Preparing for a survey or repair: jetting.
Is DIY rodding safe?
Lifting a chamber cover and rodding towards a visible blockage is something many people do. Wear gloves, keep children and pets away, and always turn the rods clockwise so the sections do not unscrew and get left in the pipe. Never use rods on a shared or public sewer, and stop if you meet a hard obstruction rather than forcing it.
If rodding does not work, or the drain blocks again soon after, the cause is probably something rods cannot deal with: fat on the pipe wall, a settled section or a defect. That is when jetting and a camera inspection save repeat call-outs.
Why jetting helps prevent repeat blockages
Blockages form where waste has something to catch on. By removing grease and scale from the pipe wall, jetting takes away the rough surface that starts the next build-up. For commercial kitchens, pubs and restaurants, regular jetting is often part of keeping drains trading safely, alongside good grease management in the kitchen.
Getting your drain cleared
Curran Drainage clears blocked drains with high pressure water jetting 24 hours a day across West Lothian, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife and Lanarkshire, with no call-out charge. Our engineers are trained in high pressure water jetting, and where a drain keeps blocking we can put a camera down afterwards to find out why.
Call 07427 195142 day or night.
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Questions we get asked
Can jetting damage my drain?
Jetting is used on sound pipes routinely. Where a pipe is already badly damaged, the engineer adjusts the approach, and a camera survey shows the condition first if there is doubt.
Is jetting better for grease blockages?
Yes. Grease coats the pipe wall, and jetting scours it off rather than pushing a hole through it.
Will jetting remove tree roots?
Cutting nozzles can clear root growth, but roots come back through the same gap. A survey and a liner are usually needed to seal it.
Should I try rodding before calling?
You can try on an accessible private drain, carefully. If it does not clear quickly, stop and call rather than risk damage or lost rods.