If you are looking around and considering a new hydro-jetter — or any major purchase — you have probably asked yourself, “Is this really worth it?” Like any good investment you consider for your business, it must have a profitable return. So, what return should you expect from jetting?

Here are a few things we’ve heard from happy Jetters Northwest customers about the returns they expected, and realized, from their investment in jetting equipment:

Additional profit center: This one probably seems obvious; of course investments should provide a positive financial return. But let’s not gloss over this one too quickly. It doesn’t matter if you are simply replacing toilet flappers, or doing serious hydro-jetting, you must sell your solution with confidence. If you are confident in your ability to sell and perform services that solve your customers’ problems, you will typically be profitable — especially if you have a plan to strategically offer waterjetting to your market. Jetting services typically earn a very nice fee even for quick in-and-out jobs, and significantly more for extensive commercial work. Many of our customers have reported paying back their entire jetter investment in months, weeks or even in just a few days. The businesses we’ve dealt with that didn’t exceed their personal expectations for jetting profitability were often the ones that simply didn’t have a plan. But, if done correctly, jetting service has the potential to be the most profitable “per-hour” part of your business.

Hydro-jetting today is a mainstream solution: Customers are getting savvy to jetting and will request it. The internet has provided the average consumer with the ability not just to find a service provider, but also the information to know what service is best for the problem they are having. Providing jetting services is a good way to keep your customers from looking for (and finding) other vendors to do the work, and can attract commercial accounts such as property managers, municipalities, and facilities-maintenance departments.

Avoid lost time: Leaving a job without solving the customer’s problem is expensive. The wasted time — and damage from loss of customer confidence — can’t be recovered. Waterjetting with the right nozzles and accessories can accomplish jobs that other methods can’t. And be sure to invest in jetting equipment that will clear the stoppages and handle the cleaning needs of your market, because investing in “undersized” equipment can mean you fail to perform the tough jobs that are essential to successful jetting — and profitability. So, don’t just look at the jetter’s psi-capability; that only relates to water-jet velocity. More important, look at the jetter’s gpm rating — its flow rate in gallons per minute — that is, the “size” of the hammer you are purchasing (psi x gpm = impact). A good rule of thumb is to purchase a jetter that can provide 2 to 3 gpm for every inch of pipe diameter that you’ll typically jet. For example, a jetter in the 8-12 gpm range can clear common 4- to 6-inch lines, and can be accessorized to jet smaller pipe as well. However, if you see a lot of need to jet 8-inch and larger lines as well, look for a jetter that does more flow, say in the 15-20 gpm range. Lastly, be sure to add the right nozzles and accessories to efficiently do the job, such as a good root-cutting head. Lacking the right tools will slow or even stall the cleaning process, which of course takes bites out of your ROI and profitability.

Diversification: Business segments can ebb and flow. Perhaps you have steady repair business, but remodeling and new construction are up and down. Maybe you find yourself referring jetting work or commercial pipe cleaning jobs to other companies while your employees are not staying busy. A diversified (yet not fragmented) business is on a stronger and more nimble foundation, ready to fully serve the needs of its customers.

We at Jetters Northwest consider ourselves to be service providers, not just production and sales people, and we celebrate our customers’ success when we hear about the returns they are seeing from their jetting services. We also enjoy problem-solving and discussing difficult applications with our customers, and doing our best to offer expertise to help them through. Hopefully through our service and support we can be part of your company’s hydro-jetting success also. So let’s get jetting!

John McBride and Steve “Jonesie” Jones have each worked at Jetters Northwest for over 30 years, currently serving as president/general manager and business development director, respectively.