5 Drain Jetting Jobs Every Residential Plumber Should Offer

Most residential plumbers who own a jetter only use it for one thing: clearing main sewer line blockages. That is like buying a pickup truck and only using it to go to the hardware store. Your jetter is capable of handling at least five distinct job types -- each one a separate revenue stream with its own customer base.

Here are the five drain jetting services every residential plumber should be offering, along with what each one pays and the nozzles you need to do them right.

1. Kitchen Grease Line Cleaning ($350-$500)

Every home with a kitchen produces grease. Over time, that grease coats pipe walls, narrows the line, and eventually causes backups. Kitchen grease cleaning is the single most profitable residential jetting call because:

High urgency -- homeowners want it fixed immediately
Quick jobs -- 30-60 minutes with the right nozzle
Built-in repeat business -- grease comes back every 12-18 months

What you need: A flusher-style nozzle with aggressive rear jets for wall cleaning. Run hot water before jetting to soften the grease, then make multiple slow passes.

2. Root Cutting and Removal ($500-$900)

Roots are the classic sewer line problem, and they are also your best source of recurring revenue. Trees do not stop growing, so roots always come back. A good root-cutting job creates a customer who needs you every 6-12 months.

Highest ticket price of any standard residential call
Guaranteed recurring work
Camera footage makes the upsell easy

What you need: A rotor nozzle for cutting through root masses, followed by a flusher nozzle for cleanup. Carry both 45-degree and 90-degree rotors for different severity levels.

3. Bathroom Drain Clearing ($250-$400)

Bathroom drains -- tubs, showers, and sinks -- clog with hair, soap scum, and biofilm. These are smaller-diameter lines (1.5"-2") that require finesse, but they are extremely common calls and quick to complete.

High volume -- every home has multiple bathrooms
Fast completion -- 20-45 minutes per fixture
Easy upsell to whole-house drain maintenance

What you need: Small-diameter flipper-style or button nozzles designed for 1.5"-2" lines. Use 1/4" hose for maximum flexibility in tight bathroom plumbing. Gentle technique -- bathroom drain pipes have more bends than sewer mains.

4. Preventive Maintenance Jetting ($250-$350/visit)

This is the job type that transforms your business from reactive to proactive. Instead of waiting for emergencies, you schedule annual or semi-annual jetting visits to keep pipes clean before problems develop.

Predictable, scheduled income -- no more feast-or-famine weeks
Customers prepay or commit to contracts
Builds long-term relationships and referrals
Reduces emergency callbacks (which improves your schedule)

What you need: Your standard flushing nozzles. Maintenance jetting is straightforward cleaning work -- the kind of job where Tier 3 ceramic inserts really shine because consistent performance over hundreds of jobs keeps quality high and costs minimal.

How to sell it: After every jetting job, offer a maintenance plan. "I just cleaned your line, but buildup will come back. For $275 a year, I come back and keep it clean before it becomes a problem." Most homeowners say yes when they have just seen their dirty pipes on camera.

5. Post-Camera Inspection Cleaning ($300-$500)

If you run a sewer camera (and you should), you will frequently find lines that need cleaning even when the homeowner did not call about a clog. Pre-sale home inspections, insurance assessments, and general checkups all reveal dirty pipes that need attention.

Pairs directly with camera inspection revenue ($150-$250 for the inspection + $300-$500 for the cleaning)
Real estate agents become your best referral source
High-value combo service that competitors rarely offer

What you need: Camera first, then appropriate nozzle for whatever the camera reveals. Having a versatile nozzle kit from Jetter Pro Supply means you can handle any condition you find without a return trip.

The Revenue Potential

Let us add up what offering all five services looks like in a typical week:

2 grease jobs: $800
1 root cutting job: $700
2 bathroom drain jobs: $600
2 maintenance visits: $600
1 post-camera cleaning: $400

Weekly total: $3,100 from jetting alone. That is over $150,000 annually from a service that pairs perfectly with your existing plumbing work.

Get the Nozzles That Cover Every Job

You do not need dozens of nozzles. A kit of 3-4 quality nozzles with replaceable ceramic inserts covers all five job types. And when you need a different spray pattern, just swap the insert -- not the whole nozzle.

Build your complete nozzle kit at Jetter Pro Supply -- German-engineered nozzles with ceramic inserts that last 10x longer than steel. Free shipping over $150, same-day shipping before 2 PM EST.