Question 1

What drain cleaning services do you offer?

Accepted Answer

We provide residential and commercial drain cleaning for bathroom sinks, showers, bathtubs, laundry drains, kitchen sink drains, storm drains, toilet drains, floor drains, and main sewer lines. Roto-Rooter can unclog and clean all types of plumbing drains.

Question 2

How long does drain cleaning take?

Accepted Answer

Simple jobs, like sink or bathtub drain cleaning, typically take less than an hour. Larger branch line or main sewer jobs and complex pipe blockages can take several hours to a full day.

Question 3

How much does Roto-Rooter charge for drain cleaning?

Accepted Answer

Roto-Rooter’s pricing for drain cleaning varies based on factors such as the type of drain, the type of clog, the job size, and the necessary services and equipment required to resolve the issue, including mechanical snaking, or hydrojetting equipment, and, if necessary, a video pipe inspection camera snake.

Question 4

Do you offer emergency drain cleaning?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! Roto-Rooter provides emergency drain cleaning services 365 days a year, seven days a week.

Question 5

How do I find drain cleaning near me?

Accepted Answer

Check the Roto-Rooter Locations page to find local drain cleaning services.

Question 6

How does professional drain cleaning work?

Accepted Answer

Roto-Rooter technicians use specialized tools to break up clogs and scrape clean the inside of the drain pipe from end to end. Depending on the job, we may recommend a video inspection of the pipe to accurately determine the location and nature of a persistent clog and the pipe’s overall condition.

Question 7

What’s the difference between cleaning, snaking, hydrojetting, and clearing?

Accepted Answer

Clearing is a general term for cutting through, but not removing, blockages, including roots and debris from pipes. Many companies “clear” drains or “open” drain with an undersized drain snake. Clearing is a cheap, temporary measure that usually gets the pipe draining again, but little or no cleaning is involved. Snaking is the most common method used to clear and clean sewer and drain lines. Drain snake machines come in various sizes to handle specific kinds and sizes of drain pipes. Drain snake machines work by spinning a flexible cable with a sharp auger on its tip to slash through clogs and even shave roots down to the pipe walls. Hydrojetting uses high-pressure water to flush clogs, sludge, grease, mud, and other debris out of pipes. Drain cleaning is a service that removes the clog entirely and cleans the pipe from end to end. This can be done with properly sized mechanical drain snakes or hydrojetting equipment.

Question 8

I used a pipe snake. Why has my clog worsened?

Accepted Answer

Using a hand auger pipe snake often just pushes the clog deeper into the pipe. Using a professional-grade electromechanical drain cleaning machine without proper training can also push clogs deeper into pipes, causing the clog to compact and become more challenging to remove. A Roto-Rooter service technician has the professional training and equipment to unclog and clean any sewer or drain pipe.

Question 9

How does Roto-Rooter remove tree roots?

Accepted Answer

We use our mainline Roto-Rooter machine or powerful hydrojetting equipment to remove roots and debris that are clogging the pipe. If the clog persists, we send a video camera snake through the pipeline to identify the source of the clog and evaluate the overall condition of the pipe. Based on this information, we will present the customer with additional options for resolving the issue. 
We may recommend conventional or trenchless pipe repairs to prevent recurring problems and resolve the issue once and for all.

Question 10

What do I do if my main sewer line is clogged?

Accepted Answer

If your main sewer line clogs, contact Roto-Rooter immediately. A clogged sewer line can cause wastewater to back up into sinks, bathtubs, toilets, and basements, resulting in foul smells, property damage, and exposure to microbial contaminants. If two or more drain lines in your house are backing up, there’s a strong likelihood that the clog is in the main sewer pipe.

Question 11

How do you unclog an outdoor water drain?

Accepted Answer

We assess the length and diameter of the drain, then select the proper equipment to unclog it. A mainline snake machine spins a strong cable with a sharp blade on its tip that cuts through clogs as it pushes the chopped-up debris out of the pipe. The mainline machine is especially good at cutting through roots, and shaving them down to the inside walls of the pipe, which effectively cleans the pipeline from end to end. Hydrojetting can pulverize roots but also can flush sludge, sand, grease, and debris from the pipe.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What drain cleaning services do you offer?

How long does drain cleaning take?

How much does Roto-Rooter charge for drain cleaning?

Do you offer emergency drain cleaning?

How do I find drain cleaning near me?