Kitchen, bath, and main-line drain cleaning with cable augering and hydro-jetting, plus a camera inspection to confirm the line runs clear before we leave.
Drain Cleaning is one part of our plumbing repair coverage in California. For the full picture — symptoms, costs, and when to repair vs. replace — start with the complete Plumbing Repair guide, or browse every plumbing repair service we offer.
A drain is the one plumbing component that gets used dozens of times a day and never gets a second thought until it stops moving water. Grease, hair, soap scum, food waste, and mineral scale build up on the pipe wall a little at a time until the channel is too narrow to keep up — and then a sink backs up, a tub won't empty, or the whole house gurgles. Our drain cleaning service clears the blockage at its source, verifies flow, and inspects the line so you know why it clogged and whether it will clog again.
We carry both mechanical and high-pressure clearing on every truck. A cable auger (drain snake) is the right tool for a hair clog in a bathroom branch or a food jam under a kitchen sink; hydro-jetting — 3,500+ PSI of water scouring the pipe wall — is the right tool for grease-caked kitchen lines, root-choked main lines, and any drain that clogs again within a few months. For recurring or main-line clogs we run a sewer camera afterward so you can see the pipe condition on the monitor instead of guessing.
Drain work is one of the few plumbing jobs homeowners often try themselves first, and store-bought chemical drain openers are usually where it goes wrong — caustic lye and sulfuric-acid products sit on top of a full clog, generate heat, and can corrode older pipe and P-traps without ever clearing the blockage. A licensed plumber removes the clog mechanically and leaves the pipe intact, which almost always costs less than replacing a drain line the chemicals ate through.
Signs you need drain cleaning
Water drains slower every week
A tub or sink that empties a little slower each time is a partial clog narrowing the pipe. Clearing it at this stage is a quick cable job before it becomes a full backup.
Gurgling from another drain
If flushing the toilet makes the shower drain gurgle, air is being pulled through a partially blocked branch or vent — a sign the clog is deeper in the system than a single fixture.
When the kitchen sink, tub, and toilet all back up together, the blockage is in the main line, not a single branch. This is a call to make before sewage reaches the floor.
Sewer or rotten-egg smell
A foul odor rising from a drain means waste and biofilm are trapped in a slow line. Clearing and jetting the pipe removes the buildup that feeds the smell.
Standing water around a floor drain
Water pooling near a basement or laundry floor drain signals the main line is restricted. Continued use risks a full backup into the lowest fixtures in the house.
Common causes & what we fix
Grease and food buildup
Kitchen lines coat with congealed grease and food particles over months of use — the single most common cause of a slow, recurring kitchen clog. Hydro-jetting scours it back to bare pipe.
Hair and soap scum
Bathroom drains clog from hair binding with soap and shampoo residue into a dense mat at the trap and branch. A cable auger pulls it free in minutes.
Tree-root intrusion
Roots seek moisture and enter older clay or cast-iron sewer laterals through joints and cracks, then grow into a mesh that catches everything. Jetting cuts them back; a camera shows how far the intrusion goes.
Mineral scale in hard-water areas
Hard water leaves calcium and lime scale that narrows drain and supply lines over years. Uncleared, it turns a full-bore pipe into a fraction of its diameter.
Flushed or dropped objects
Wipes marketed as flushable, feminine products, kids' toys, and paper towels don't break down and lodge in the trap or lateral. We locate and remove them rather than pushing them downstream.
Our process
1
Call or schedule online. Book your drain cleaning in California online or by phone and pick a 2-hour window. We confirm in under five minutes with the assigned tech's name and photo.
2
On-site diagnosis. On arrival we diagnose the drain cleaning on-site — free for most repairs, $39 on minor service calls (waived if you proceed). You see the issue and the fix before we start.
3
Flat-rate quote. You get a flat-rate drain cleaning quote in writing, good for 30 days — no hourly creep and no add-ons after the fact.
4
Same-visit fix. Most drain cleaning work finishes the same visit: our trucks carry the common valves, fittings, water heater parts, and fixtures, so a second trip is rare.
How much does drain cleaning cost in California?
Drain Cleaning the United States starts at from $99, every drain cleaning quote is flat-rate and presented in writing before work begins — no surprise add-ons, no hourly creep. Seniors (65+) and military save 10% on labor, and financing covers projects over $1,500 at 0% APR for 12 months, with no prepayment penalty.
Why homeowners in California choose us for drain cleaning
We've been a trusted choice since 1974 — over 50 years of family-owned plumbing service across California. Our techs are CSLB-licensed (#1098234), background-checked, and complete an internal 12-week training program before rolling on calls alone.
Our drain cleaning carries a 10-year workmanship guarantee — separate from any manufacturer warranty on the parts themselves. If the drain cleaning we performed fails because of how we did it, we come back and fix it free for a full decade. Water heaters and fixtures we install are backed by their full manufacturer warranty, and the parts and accessories we fit carry standard 1–5 year warranties by item.
We quote drain cleaning on honest scope: no unnecessary up-sell, salaried (never commissioned) technicians, and a transparent diagnostic so you see exactly what we see — including the parts still in good shape. If a repair is the right call we say so; if replacement is the better long-term economics, we say that. The flat-rate drain cleaning quote is written and good for 30 days.
Areas we serve for drain cleaning
We provide drain cleaning throughout California, with fast coverage in every major California metro.
Reach times for drain cleaning vary by traffic and time of day, so we quote an accurate ETA when you call — and the dispatch line routes straight to an on-call technician, no voicemail in between.
Frequently asked about drain cleaning
Top questions homeowners searching for Drain Cleaning near me ask us:
How long does drain cleaning take?
Most single-fixture clogs are cleared in 30–60 minutes from arrival to a test-run of the drain. Main-line jetting with a camera inspection runs 60–120 minutes. We run water through the line with you before we leave so you can confirm it's flowing.
Snaking or hydro-jetting — which do I need?
Snaking (cabling) punches through a single clog fast and is ideal for hair and isolated jams. Hydro-jetting scours the entire pipe wall clean and is the right call for grease, roots, and any drain that keeps clogging. We recommend based on what the camera and the clog history show.
Are chemical drain openers safe to use first?
We recommend against them. Caustic openers rarely clear a full clog, generate heat that can warp PVC and crack old traps, and make the eventual mechanical clearing more hazardous for our plumber. Mechanical clearing leaves the pipe intact.
Will you check why it clogged?
On recurring or main-line clogs, yes — we run a sewer camera after clearing so you can see the pipe condition, root intrusion, or belly on the monitor. That turns a mystery clog into a documented, fixable problem.
How is drain cleaning backed?
Cleared drains carry a workmanship guarantee on the clearing itself, and main-line jetting is backed longer than a simple cabling because it removes the buildup entirely. If a line we jetted clogs again in the same spot, we come back.