Sewer Jetter maximum pressures

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Nukedaddy

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Oct 21, 2013
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Location
St. Louis, IL
I was a plumber for many years and owned and used a small electric jetter that was a a great tool, especially for sinks and laundry drain cleaning.
Now I am a maintenance manager in a nuclear plant. We have tools/services called "hydrolazing" that is essentially the same but a much higher pressures to clean thoroughly the inside of pipes and vessels of rust and radioactive contamination.

If I wanted to thoroughly clean to "like new" condition old cast iron drains under the basement floor, or overhead in the basement what would be a proposed maximum "safe" pressure to use? Understand, the equipment I have available to me is capable of cutting concrete like it wasn't even there, and could blast rotten old cast clean out of the ground. I don't mind to work the head back and forth several times and clean at a controlled rate to save the pipe walls.

Would the proposed pressure be the same for sched 40 PVC?

I will be able to seesnake the line during and after cleaning to check progress and quality.

Before anyone asks, the machine I have available is capable to 26,000 psi.
 
Our shops hydro jetter is 3500 psi. It's never broken a pipe . And we use 1400 psi for kitchen / laundry lines
 
Any number of pro machines rated at 4k will do a great job. Especially if you use a chain flail.

I would never put a tube cleaner in CI. It's the wrong machine and you will not like the outcome.
 

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