Drain & Sewer Tips / Pricing Guides

"How much does it cost to unclog a drain?" is really two questions: what kind of clog do you have, and which method actually fixes it? Pay for the wrong one and you'll pay twice.

Quick answer (2026 pricing)

• Basic drain snaking: roughly $100–$300 for most residential fixtures; main lines run more
• Hydro jetting: roughly $350–$900 for residential drains, $600–$1,800 for main sewer lines
• Camera inspection: $125–$500, often bundled
• Emergency/after-hours: expect a premium on any of the above

What snaking does — and doesn't do

A drain snake (auger) is a rotating cable that bores through a blockage. It's fast, inexpensive, and the right tool for simple, soft clogs: hair in a shower drain, a toilet obstruction, food in a kitchen branch line. What it doesn't do: clean the pipe. The snake opens a channel through the clog; the grease, scale, and sludge coating the pipe walls stay behind — which is why "the drain guy was just here" clogs come back.

What hydro jetting does

Jetting scours the entire inside of the pipe with high-pressure water, flushing the buildup out of the line completely. It costs more per visit, but it resets the pipe to near-original capacity. For grease-heavy kitchen lines, root-invaded mains, and any drain on its second or third clog this year, jetting is usually cheaper than repeat snaking.

The honest decision guide

• First-time clog, one fixture: snake it. Done.
• Same drain, multiple clogs: stop paying for snaking. Camera the line, then jet it or fix what the camera finds.
• Multiple slow drains or a main-line backup: this is never a plunger situation — clear the main and camera it.
• Restaurant or commercial kitchen: scheduled jetting beats emergency closures, every time.

Why we don't recommend chemical drain cleaners

The $12 bottle seems cheaper than any of this. But caustic cleaners damage pipes with repeated use (especially older metal lines), rarely clear real blockages, sit in the pipe as a hazard for whoever works on it next, and do nothing about the cause. If a chemical cleaner "worked," the clog was small enough that a $12 problem was solved — if it didn't, you now have a worse one.

What affects your final price

Distance to the clog, access (cleanout vs. roof vent vs. pulling a toilet), severity, time of day, and whether the line needs a camera look afterward. A trustworthy company tells you the price before the work starts — and gives free estimates.

Slow drain in Colorado Springs, Monument, or Woodland Park? Get a real price, free: Drain Plumber Pro, (719) 639-4137.