When Your Home Connects to Acushnet’s Municipal Sewer System, Professional Hydro Jetting Becomes Essential for Long-Term Performance

As Acushnet homeowners increasingly connect to the town’s expanding municipal sewer system, understanding the importance of professional hydro jetting services becomes crucial for maintaining optimal sewer line performance. Acushnet and New Bedford have an existing inter-municipal agreement that allows the connection of Acushnet homes to the New Bedford sewer collection system for wastewater transport and treatment at New Bedford’s existing Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF). The sewer installation will be phased in over a 20-year period and will include construction of approximately 62 miles of additional sewer lines, and construction or upgrade of approximately eight pump stations.

Understanding Municipal Sewer Line Connections

The Town owns and operates a municipal sewer system that services approximately 1,000 users in the most densely populated areas of the Town. The municipal sewer system is comprised of approximately 53,000 linear feet (LF) of 8-inch to 18-inch gravity sanitary sewers, 20,000 LF of 1 ½-inch to 8-inch sewer force mains, and four municipally owned pump stations. The majority of the Town’s wastewater flow from its municipal sewer system is ultimately conveyed to the Slocum Street Pump Station and discharged via an 8-inch ductile iron force main across the Acushnet River to the City of New Bedford WWTF.

When homeowners connect to these municipal systems, they become part of a larger network that requires proper maintenance to function efficiently. Unlike septic systems that homeowners maintain independently, municipal connections create shared responsibility for keeping the entire system flowing properly.

What Is Hydro Jetting?

Hydro jetting is essentially pressure washing the inside of drains and sewer lines to blast away fat, scum and scale. It can also be used to get rid of clogs and blockages. The process works by using a special type of pressure washer that has a long hose and nozzle connected to it. After turning the machine on, the plumber begins feeding the nozzle and hose down through the drainpipe or sewer line. The pressurized jet of water that sprays out of the nozzle works to fully clean the pipe by scouring the insides of it.

It uses a high-pressure stream of water—typically between 3,000 to 4,000 psi—to blast away grease, roots, debris, and buildup inside pipes. This powerful cleaning method is far more thorough than traditional snaking, which breaks through clogs using a mechanical auger but often leaves residue behind. Hydro jetting uses high-pressure water to clean the entire pipe interior, removing buildup and blockages more thoroughly.

Why Municipal Sewer Connections Require Professional Hydro Jetting

In a home or small business, the sewer pipes are usually small enough that a snake can clean them effectively and economically. Commercial and municipal sewer lines are a different matter. They have such large diameters that a traditional augur will make only a small dent in the buildup. Because hydro jetting can cover a large area with pressurized water, it is often more suitable for capacious commercial and municipal plumbing.

Municipal sewer systems face unique challenges that make professional hydro jetting essential:

• Scale and Buildup: One major issue with cast iron sewer lines is that they continually corrode, leading to a thick layer of scale building up inside them. The issue is even worse if the home has hard water. You’ll also end up with mineral deposits collecting inside the pipe. As the rust and scale build up, they start choking off the pipe so that less waste can flow through at one time.
• Root Intrusion: Hydro jetting is commonly used for removing tree roots that are growing inside sewer lines. Tree roots often end up breaking through a sewer line in search of food and water. Roots can also get inside the sewer line if the joints that connect the pipes aren’t fully sealed.
• Grease and FOG: Eventually, the residues congeal on the pipe walls and cause blockages — FOG causes almost half of the sewer overflows in the United States. Snaking can’t remove all the buildup, so hydro jetting is often necessary for a thorough system flush.

The Professional Hydro Jetting Process

Professional hydro jetting requires careful preparation and expertise. Before hydro jetting, a plumber performs an initial video inspection by snaking a tiny video camera down the sewer line to get a good look at where the clogs are and what they contain. For instance, sometimes the issue is not a clump of solidified waste matter but a snarl of tree roots. Hydro jetting can be useful even against root blockages, but the plumber must often use a snake first to shred the roots into more manageable pieces.

When cleaning or unclogging a sewer line, the plumber will insert the nozzle and hose through one of the sewer cleanouts outside or inside the house. They’ll then continue feeding the hose down through the pipe until they reach the municipal sewer line just to ensure that everything is fully clean and any debris inside the pipe gets washed away.

Safety Considerations and Professional Expertise

Hydro jetting is generally considered safe for use on most types of drain and sewer pipes. However, it depends largely on the age and condition of the pipe and any current issues it has. Old drain and sewer lines are often brittle and can be damaged by hydro jetting them. That’s why you always want to make sure that a plumber first inspects your pipes with a drain camera to ensure they are strong enough to withstand the jet of water without suffering damage.

Sadly, as much fun as it is to use a pressure washer on your own, hydro jetting sewer lines is best left to the pros. Professional sewer jetting equipment is much more powerful than your garden variety pressure washer, which means it’s more dangerous to handle.

Emma Plumbing: Your Local Acushnet Hydro Jetting Experts

For Acushnet homeowners seeking professional hydro jetting acushnet services, Emma Plumbing and Drain Services brings local expertise and commitment to quality. We’re a local plumbing company serving Plymouth County, MA, and the surrounding areas. We focus on offering honest, quality service that goes above and beyond.

Local Expertise: We understand the unique needs of our community. Fast Response Times: We’ll be there when you need us most. The value we bring to our clients goes beyond just fixing pipes. It’s about creating a reliable, long-term relationship you can count on for all your plumbing needs. We’re committed to transparent communication, fair pricing, and offering value-added services. We guarantee the longevity and productivity of your plumbing systems.

As a locally owned & operated business, we take pride in serving our community with unmatched dedication and expertise. What sets us apart is our commitment to your convenience, offering 24/7 availability for plumbing emergencies and same-day services to address your immediate needs.

When to Schedule Professional Hydro Jetting

Acushnet homeowners should consider professional hydro jetting services when they notice:

• Slow drainage throughout the home
• Recurring clogs despite traditional clearing methods
• Unpleasant odors coming from drains
• Gurgling sounds in pipes
• Water backing up in multiple fixtures

It depends on your usage and system health. Most homeowners only need hydro jetting every few years, or when specific issues arise, like recurring clogs or slow drainage. However, homes newly connected to municipal sewer systems may benefit from initial professional cleaning to ensure optimal performance from the start.

Protecting Your Investment in Municipal Sewer Connections

As Acushnet continues expanding its municipal sewer infrastructure, homeowners who invest in these connections should protect their investment through proper maintenance. Professional hydro jetting not only resolves current issues but provides preventive benefits that extend the life of your sewer connection.

Hydro jetting can also be a great option for extending the life of old sewer lines. This process lessens the chances of them clogging. Hydro jetting helps to overcome this issue since the nozzle will blast away much of the rust and scale so that the pipe is no longer choked off.

By partnering with experienced professionals like Emma Plumbing for your hydro jetting needs, Acushnet homeowners can ensure their municipal sewer connections operate efficiently for years to come, protecting both their property and the community’s shared infrastructure investment.