Drain cleaning
Drain cleaning
Slow, gurgling, or backing up into the tub
We clear the line, then run water through it long enough to be sure it is actually gone rather than just moving. If the same line blocks again within 30 days, we come back at no charge. That guarantee is also why we will tell you when snaking is only a temporary fix.
What it costs
What it costs
The 30-day cover applies to the same line we cleared. If we find a broken pipe or roots rather than a blockage, we stop and show you before spending your money on a clearing that will not hold.
Which drain is talking
One slow drain is a small job, every slow drain is not
If a single sink or shower is slow, the blockage is almost always within a few feet of the fixture, and it is hair, grease or soap. That is the cheapest thing we do.
If everything on the lowest floor is slow at once, or a toilet bubbles when the washing machine drains, the problem is in the main line out to the street and not under any one fixture. Snaking that will often get you flowing again, but if the cause is roots at a joint or a bellied section of pipe, it will come back. That is when the camera is worth $179 rather than another clearing in six weeks.
What to skip before you call
Chemical drain openers
They rarely clear a real blockage, they sit in the trap, and they make the job hazardous for whoever opens the pipe next. Tell us if any went down.
Renting a drum machine
It works on hair in a bathroom sink. On a main line it usually punches a hole through the blockage, which flows for a week and then stops again.
Waiting for it to clear on its own
A slow drain that becomes a backed-up drain on a Sunday costs the same to fix with us, but the cleanup is yours.
Questions
Drain cleaning questions
No. We clear the line mechanically, then test it. Chemicals do not remove what is in there, they just make the next visit harder.
If the same line blocks again inside 30 days we come back at no charge. If the camera shows the pipe itself is the problem, we tell you that at the time rather than clearing it repeatedly.
Not for a slow bathroom sink. Yes if the main line has blocked more than once, if several fixtures are slow together, or if the house is old enough to have clay pipe out to the street.
A fixture line is usually under an hour. A main line through an outside cleanout is usually an hour or two, longer if we have to pull a toilet to reach it.
Get it cleared and tested
Tell us which drains are slow and whether it has happened before. That usually tells us which job this is.
VA Class A #XXXX-XXXXXXX. Licensed and insured, with a 2-year warranty on parts and workmanship.