Drain & Drainage Contractor Cleaning Equipment | V-TUF

Drain & Drainage Contractors — High Pressure Cleaning Equipment

V-TUF supplies high pressure washers, jetting hose and accessories to drain clearance contractors, drainage engineers, sewer maintenance companies and utility contractors across the UK. Drainage contractors require higher operating pressures than general cleaning applications — drain jetting for blockage clearance typically requires 200–300 Bar with specialised drain jetting nozzles and hose rated to 4000 PSI and above.

Drainage contractor applications

Drain and sewer jetting

High pressure drain jetting uses water at 200–300 Bar and high flow rates to clear blockages, remove root ingress, cut grease deposits and clean sewer pipe walls. The correct hose specification for drain jetting is critical — standard pressure washer hose is not rated for the pressures involved. V-TUF 2-wire braided hose rated to 4200 PSI (290 Bar) in 1/4" and 3/8" bore is the appropriate specification for drain jetting. Jetting nozzles — forward-facing penetrating nozzles for blockage clearance and rear-facing rotary nozzles for wall cleaning — are selected based on the specific application.

Gully and catchpit cleaning

Road gullies, surface water catchpits and inspection chambers accumulate silt, debris and hydrocarbon contamination that reduces drainage capacity. Pressure washing with a drain jetting nozzle clears gully pots and catchpits effectively. Arisings from gully cleaning are controlled waste — silty water and debris from road gullies contains hydrocarbon contamination and must be disposed of through licensed waste routes, not discharged to watercourse or surface water drain.

Grease trap and interceptor cleaning

Grease traps, oil interceptors and petrol interceptors serving restaurants, garages, car washes and industrial sites accumulate grease, oil and sludge requiring periodic cleaning. Contents of grease traps and oil interceptors are controlled waste — disposal must be through a licensed waste carrier to a licensed facility. Environmental Permitting applies to all drainage cleaning operations where contaminated water may reach the environment.

CCTV drain survey support

CCTV drain surveys require a clear pipe to produce usable footage. Pre-survey jetting clears debris, sediment and grease deposits that would obscure the camera view. Drainage contractors offering combined CCTV and jetting services require both high pressure cleaning capability and appropriate hose and nozzle specification for the pipe diameter being surveyed.

Drainage contractor compliance topics

Environmental Permitting — drainage arisings as controlled waste — material removed from drains, gullies and interceptors is controlled waste. Discharge of drainage arisings to surface water, watercourse or ground is a prosecutable pollution offence. Further reading: Environmental Permitting
COSHH — confined space hazards in drainage work — drainage work exposes operatives to hydrogen sulphide, methane and other sewer gases. Confined space entry requires a permit to work and appropriate gas detection under the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997. Further reading: COSHH Regulations 2002
Water Industry Act 1991 — sewer discharge — drainage contractors must ensure jetting arisings are not discharged to the public sewer without consent. Trade effluent consent may be required for contaminated water discharge to sewer.
PUWER 1998 — high pressure jetting equipment — high pressure jetting equipment is work equipment under PUWER. Operators must be trained in safe use. V-TUF hose and accessories must be used within their rated operating pressure. Further reading: PUWER 1998
GB CLP — drainage cleaning chemicals August 2026 — drain cleaning chemicals are subject to GB CLP classification. Further reading: Chemical reclassification August 2026

Equipment specification for drainage contractors

High pressure cold water washers — 200–300 Bar — for drain jetting, gully cleaning and interceptor maintenance. High flow rate (15–20 LPM) as important as pressure for effective drain cleaning.
2-wire braided jetting hose — 4200 PSI rated — V-TUF 30m 1/4" 2-wire hose rated to 4200 PSI is the standard specification for drain jetting. Available in 1/4" and 3/8" bore. Standard pressure washer hose is not rated for drain jetting pressures.
Drain jetting nozzles — forward-facing penetrating nozzles for blockage clearance; rear-facing rotary nozzles for pipe wall cleaning.
Diesel and petrol pressure washers — for remote locations without mains power. Self-contained capability for road gully and rural drainage work.
Industrial wet and dry vacuums — for recovery of arisings from smaller drain cleaning operations.

Further reading: Utilities and energy | Environment Agency hub | Environmental Permitting