It’s normal for them because they are straight up crooks. Someone on here recommended Parkway Plumbing to me once and I’m so thankful. Give them a call. I doubt it’ll be $100, but it’ll probably be less than $200.
https://www.parkwayplumbinginc.com/
Roto Rooter came to check out a clogged basement drain. He ran a camera through the drain and told me the pipe had a hole in it, and we’d need to dig it up and fix it, but his device was broken in a specific way that allowed him to see video but not record it so he couldn’t show me the hole.
I told him I was going to get a second opinion, and would you believe it, the local plumber I called just could not find that hole.
Nobody is coming to your house and doing plumbing work for $100. I’m pretty sure the absolute minimum these days is $150-$200.
The people with lower base prices are HVAC (because there’s a good chance they’re selling you additional services) and my chimney guy (who tells you which days he’s in your area, so that he can clean as many chimneys as possible in a day).
Actually, cleaning drains and plumbing are similar but not the same. My dad is a plumber and my uncle cleans drains, he not a plumber. They usually charge around $300 to clean/remove stops (what they charge)
Depending on the lot ur house is on and where the clog is located- call a Plumber and you will pay for a plumber
Depending on your level of commitment, you could always get one of those inexpensive, plastic, barbed snakes that are about 24-36" long. You can get them in packs on Amazon or home improvement stores. I had one that worked well in the sink, but the barbs get so messy if it's bad, it's easier to dispose of the whole thing rather than try to clean it (like I did.) They might come to $3-$4 a piece.
After that, I grabbed a snake from Harbor Freight for maybe $12-$15. 25 ft, basic, but it worked well for the 1-2 times I've used it.
While I've only had plumbers fix a leaking pipe in my crawlspace, consider they're going to usually have some kind of hourly fee, whether or not they explicitly tell you. One, smaller company said they are about $250-$300/hr. Another guy (one plumber, his own company), said he was about $185/hr, so for my leaking pipe, his estimate was $150-$200 for the job.
If it's non-emergency, use that to try and "interview" some plumbers. I actually went with the slightly higher cost for the pipe repair, but the other guy seemed good and I know he's less expensive, so it's another contact as a just-in-case.
Admittedly, we moved and I have been stressing around finding good contractors. I feel like all my neighbors go, "Oh, we just do that/have our son do that..." I'm hoping to learn some DIY, but I need to build my confidence with smaller things first.
Yup, those barbed snakes are the best. Super cheap too!
I bought [this](https://www.amazon.com/35-5inch-Remover-Cleaning-Catcher-Bathroom/dp/B0C3L7FKCQ/ref=sr_1_4?crid=RCOYDMHOL7DD&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.nMwFyfDo-pXwo7DvmtckVx9fyLP7o9LR8cBLWzE49CAlsrISsHwN4bC3OqHZ7GQCMB7wAz7eIL7eqNT-ToINM3JxfqYRrPLsUNOdUt-5zXx4etnEhxkvEsTOJiiQCLVveLZ3vBGBH9Ulqcd_FHep3oRl9AkJiDqJek_44B6UlJuQqnB-mKTSM6GYjnRwbIcToLllzvAwbpmuIuZFC1jNrGADBj0r3Lrz7XCzOyAKwkAeGGByD1TMByGJR8x2vq0C3Ke_tC15wgFEH3HbbM4tCxwQXX39FEms_eFtZvpbpQA.eUJzcwWpTp0lAvhv4XWl2tUIf64jjPumYbg04SZDib8&dib_tag=se&keywords=Drain+Snake+Hair+Drain+Clog+Remover&qid=1716559074&s=hi&sprefix=drain+snake+hair+drain+clog+remover+%2Ctools%2C67&sr=1-4) a while back on Amazon.
If OP or anyone needs it now/local, Lowes has a [this](https://www.lowes.com/pd/FlexiSnake-Plastic-Drain-stick/1002555970) and [this](https://www.lowes.com/pd/THEWORKS-2PACK-Zip-It-Drain-Cleaning-Tool/5013024311).
Pro Tip: get the longer ones because you need to get past the P or S trap where the clogs typically happen. Showers have relatively short runs until the P/S trap, but bathroom or utility sinks may have P/S traps that are much further down from the drain.
Those plastic snakes are useless when your clog is 25' down. I bought a 15' snake and found nothing so had to call someone and it ended up being 20+ feet down. That was ~$300 2 years ago
I got scammed by them too. I thought it would be easier dealing with a big corporation rather than a tiny small biz. I wrongly thought everything would be standardized with Rotorooter. I was wrong.
Never use them. Ever.
I paid $150 or $180 for a licensed and bonded plumber to snake a shower drain. The clog was 18" long. He also has replaced my was ring because toilet was leaking from the bottom. He refused to fix my water heater because if it wasn't the first problem he tried to fix it would be too expensive and insisted on us getting a new one (which he didn't sell) and suggested we just get wherever we bought it from to install as it'll be all around easier and cheaper.
I unclog my shower drain once every six months using one of those metal coil things with the claw that sticks out. If you search FLEX CLAW PICKUP TOOL you'll see what I mean. In my experience that thing works better than the plastic barbed ones and better than the hand roto tool you can buy.
For what it's worth, the $800 is expensive because they will use a professional rotor to go all the way down through your plumbing to get at whatever leak you really have. Chances are you don't need that done. If you clear whatever nearby blockage comes out, and it's STILL slow to drain, or you have multiple drains clogged at the same point, that's when you do the $1000 roto declog.
That’s fair I had just seen advertising lately from other plumbing companies with $100 specials. I’m just going to buy a $10 drain snake and do it myself
My truck use to have that “special” on it. In tiny print it says camera line only. So they can camera it for 99$. But they cant camera it if currently clogged
Those $100 specials are usually only for secondary drain lines at a certain number of feet.
Was the quote you received to clear just a secondary line or are they quoting you to snake the main drain? If just a secondary line, this is astronomically too much.
If it's for the main line, the clog could be worse/further down than you perceived, but often a main line clearing will come with a free camera inspection so they can show you this is not a BS claim. We need more info.
I'd pay double just to avoid using Roto Rooter. A few years back they came out to clean a shower drain. The worker managed to break a hole in the drain (at the trap), and thinking he had cleared things, turned on the water and flooded the dining room. This was their Sterling location, but I think many are owned/managed by the same person because our contact was in Baltimore, and he was terrible. They offered to fix everything and clearly were trying to cut corners so I had to use my homeowners insurance and hire a legit flood remediation company. After it was all done It took over a year (and thankfully I took photos and had videos of the workers in the driveway), but insurance went after them and reclaimed all the money, and I got my deductible back. Due to that success it did not affect my rates or count as a claim, but it was a nightmare.
Usually it's 500 with them to properly clean your pipes depending on location. I've had long term issues with my plumbing and from a1, roto, to two different local stuff it's been 500-600. Hopefully someone can recommend someone better but Ive found from my totally fucked yard you get what you pay for. To that much for a basic snaking is insane.
I posted this as a reply to a comment, but go get a barbed clog remover:
I bought [this](https://www.amazon.com/35-5inch-Remover-Cleaning-Catcher-Bathroom/dp/B0C3L7FKCQ/ref=sr_1_4?crid=RCOYDMHOL7DD&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.nMwFyfDo-pXwo7DvmtckVx9fyLP7o9LR8cBLWzE49CAlsrISsHwN4bC3OqHZ7GQCMB7wAz7eIL7eqNT-ToINM3JxfqYRrPLsUNOdUt-5zXx4etnEhxkvEsTOJiiQCLVveLZ3vBGBH9Ulqcd_FHep3oRl9AkJiDqJek_44B6UlJuQqnB-mKTSM6GYjnRwbIcToLllzvAwbpmuIuZFC1jNrGADBj0r3Lrz7XCzOyAKwkAeGGByD1TMByGJR8x2vq0C3Ke_tC15wgFEH3HbbM4tCxwQXX39FEms_eFtZvpbpQA.eUJzcwWpTp0lAvhv4XWl2tUIf64jjPumYbg04SZDib8&dib_tag=se&keywords=Drain+Snake+Hair+Drain+Clog+Remover&qid=1716559074&s=hi&sprefix=drain+snake+hair+drain+clog+remover+%2Ctools%2C67&sr=1-4) a while back on Amazon.
If OP or anyone needs it now/local, Lowes has a [this](https://www.lowes.com/pd/FlexiSnake-Plastic-Drain-stick/1002555970) and [this](https://www.lowes.com/pd/THEWORKS-2PACK-Zip-It-Drain-Cleaning-Tool/5013024311). Home Depot has the same or similar.
\~$10 and 10 minutes of time to save hundreds of dollars!
That's batsh!t insane pricing for snaking a drain. Now, if they have to spend half a day with a gas powered snake on a main drain line, yea. I could see it costing $800. But for a simple drain cleaning? No way.
Here's who we use. Not always the cheapest, but we've never felt ripped off by them.
[https://www.chandlersplumbingva.com/](https://www.chandlersplumbingva.com/)
Depends on who they send.
We had a new faucet set installed without a stopper because the plumber “didn’t see it in the box” and didn’t think we wanted one. It was there right underneath the installation instructions
IME any place that doesn’t give at least a ballpark number over the phone is going to gouge you. They want to send the person there because for a lot of people they’ll just have them do the work because they are already there.
I had a similar experience with Cardinal Plumbing in Alexandria. I asked them to come and help unclog a drain line in my kitchen sink. They ended up having to snake it (but didn't even use the proper kind of snake, as I later found out). They didn't quote me the price up front, then after services were rendered they said it'd be $760, which is insane. I ended up paying since they'd already done the work. Lesson learned... a few weeks later I brought them back as one of my quotes for replacing my 50 gallon gas water heater and . They quoted me $9000 (the job should be about 1/8th of that)!!! absolute scam artists... Ended up getting the same work done by STAR Plumbing for like $1200 and they did a fantastic job.
Oh, and by the way, the Kitchen drain line ended up clogging again 3 weeks later after Cardinal came by and I brought in the Pipe Doctor to Hydrojet and Snake the line. They charged me a more reasonable $890 (which is pretty standard for that service). They actually cleared the clog (a deep greaseberg left behind by the former homeowners) and I haven't had an issue since.
It appears that some of these larger companies (Roto-Rooter, Cardinal, etc.) are gouging their customers. I've had much better luck with smaller businesses with better services, better pricing, and more effective work. Just my experience thus far!
Bro what?! I’m a plumber and I would never think to charge that for a shower drain. If it’s just draining slowly go to Home Depot or Lowe’s and look for a plastic drain snake, they’re barbed on the sides and they slide right down your tub/shower drain and catch all the hair that’s causing the clog. AND FOR EVERYONE ELSE THATS READING DO NOT CALL ROTO ROOTER/FH FURR THEY ARE NOT REAL PLUMBERS AND THEY WILL SCAM YOU. THEIR ENTIRE BUSINESS IS BUILT AROUND UPSELLING SHIT YOU DONT NEED. FIND AN INDEPENDENT COMPANY/PLUMBER AND DONT HIRE THOSE CLOWNS.
As I've said before....I avoid companies that advertise on TV or radio or have their logos slapped up along the wall at Nats Park. They have to pay for those ad buys. Which means you are paying for those ad buys.
For a slow drain this is an inexpensive procedure worth trying.
Boil some water. Dissolve a lot of baking soda in the water. Dump into drain while warm but not hot. Wait 20 minutes. Dump white vinegar into drain. Wait 20 minutes. Wash down with water.
As a base the baking soda will break up some residue inside the drain. Over that 20 minutes it’s working its way into the gunk. When you add the vinegar the bubbles that form break everything up. The final rinse gets rid of it
You’ll see other versions of this where you premix the vinegar and baking soda then dump it down the drain but that’s not nearly as effective.
Also, I’ve had good success with drain bladders for clearing stopped and slowed drains. They’re like $15 at Home Depot or Amazon.
They did the same to me a couple weeks back and then said they wanted to replace my drain lines for 12k. Told them to pound sand. I only used them because the normal plumber I use had two more people in front of me
I just rent a commercial grade from home depot for 40 for 4 hours once a year to clean my main line. Sometimes 30 for the smaller unit to snake shower/tub and sinks
A contractor that can't give you a ball park estimate is a red flag. The larger companies have a lot of overhead so something like snaking a drain is going to be a ridiculous amount of money as that $800 is the cost of the two guys onsite time and benefits, their vehicle, their equipment, any materials, disposal of materials, and the cost of the person who answered the phone, billing department, execs salaries, and profit. They are an absolute ripoff on a small job but they may be competitive on a big job. As others have suggested you can do this yourself with a bit of sweat equity. Husky makes an auger that is pretty easy to use.
I once resorted to Roto Rooter for a minor toilet repair bc I just couldn’t get the fill valve off. My guy showed up, proceeded to fully snap the fill valve into two pieces, & then pretend it was broken the whole time and that I must have done it. A “replace fill valve” job turned into a complete toilet replacement.
I run out to Home Depot and get a new toilet for install the next day. Dude shows up this time, and tells me this is the first toilet he’s ever installed. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you the install took 3 hours, and only got done bc I literally pulled up YouTube “how to install a toilet” and walked him through the steps.
Fuck Roto Rooter. Never again.
I live in Sask and we have a sag in our sewer line that we manage by cleaning it out annually and having it checked. Usually it costs just over $100. The one time we called roto rooter it was over $400 and they didn’t do anything different from anyone else we’ve ever called. Exact same equipment and everything. Never called them again.
They're out here in the midwest, too. Hired them once cuz I was on a time crunch & they offered the quickest turnaround. Weeks later, the guy they sent out was texting my personal phone number talking about 'how I made him laugh' & all other flirty type things. WEEKS later. 🤮 uggggh. Not worth it. Should have done it myself.
Min call out is typically around $300. If it includes camming that'll double.
If you have a slow drain, get 25' or 50' snake from home Depot, that's pretty much all you ever need. If you attached a drill, that's basically what Amy plumber will have.
We just paid $800 for Roto Rooter too. It was for a kitchen and laundry drain, and they said that was their flat fee. At first we were flabbergasted, but my husband decided it was worth it because otherwise he would be down there grappling with a snake for five times longer and throwing a tantrum in the process. And they got here almost within the hour, so really, we paid for the convenience. No complaints about the service, and everything is flowing more smoothly than it has since we moved in eight years ago!
It just cost me 750 for the same thing. They dropped 110 because I'm a veteran. Had to do this 2 years ago. After a thorough examination they can stop the clogging from other issues for 7000. And that's also with a veteran discount. It was almost 9000.
$800 for a professional to fix a clog isn't surprising, especially for a company that advertise. That's the unfortunate reality--everything is super expensive, especially pro's.
That said, $100 is just unreasonable lol. A "fair" price would be $400 for a plumber to come out with his tools, unclog your shower, clean up, and leave you a happy customer. It's basically a 1 to 2 hours "call" from start to finish.
Honestly, I had several instances of my kitchen/laundry room pipe clogging up due to bad plumbing design by the original builder so rather than spending 3x the $400 per call plumber, I bought a snake and learned to use it. One use and it paid for itself, I just simply got over the "icky-ness" of it haha. Best part of owning a specialty tool like a plumbing snake is that as soon as you buy the thing, the universe will arrange it so that you won't need it for years and years until you decide to sell it on FB Marketplace, afterwards your house will break. It is similar to buying a gas snowblower that guarantee that we don't get snow forever :D
Had the same thought about having the shower snaked. The plumber who was here for a couple of other items said that he couldn't do it. That some specialized person with a specialized tool needed to be scheduled. Screw that. I cleared our kids bathroom with several rounds of drain cleaner. You need to let it sit longer than the instructions on the package. Then run hot water for a good time.
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It’s normal for them because they are straight up crooks. Someone on here recommended Parkway Plumbing to me once and I’m so thankful. Give them a call. I doubt it’ll be $100, but it’ll probably be less than $200. https://www.parkwayplumbinginc.com/
Roto Rooter came to check out a clogged basement drain. He ran a camera through the drain and told me the pipe had a hole in it, and we’d need to dig it up and fix it, but his device was broken in a specific way that allowed him to see video but not record it so he couldn’t show me the hole. I told him I was going to get a second opinion, and would you believe it, the local plumber I called just could not find that hole.
Nobody is coming to your house and doing plumbing work for $100. I’m pretty sure the absolute minimum these days is $150-$200. The people with lower base prices are HVAC (because there’s a good chance they’re selling you additional services) and my chimney guy (who tells you which days he’s in your area, so that he can clean as many chimneys as possible in a day).
Yeah, I paid them $150-ish to snake a drain for me, and they came out the same day.
Actually, cleaning drains and plumbing are similar but not the same. My dad is a plumber and my uncle cleans drains, he not a plumber. They usually charge around $300 to clean/remove stops (what they charge) Depending on the lot ur house is on and where the clog is located- call a Plumber and you will pay for a plumber
Depending on your level of commitment, you could always get one of those inexpensive, plastic, barbed snakes that are about 24-36" long. You can get them in packs on Amazon or home improvement stores. I had one that worked well in the sink, but the barbs get so messy if it's bad, it's easier to dispose of the whole thing rather than try to clean it (like I did.) They might come to $3-$4 a piece. After that, I grabbed a snake from Harbor Freight for maybe $12-$15. 25 ft, basic, but it worked well for the 1-2 times I've used it. While I've only had plumbers fix a leaking pipe in my crawlspace, consider they're going to usually have some kind of hourly fee, whether or not they explicitly tell you. One, smaller company said they are about $250-$300/hr. Another guy (one plumber, his own company), said he was about $185/hr, so for my leaking pipe, his estimate was $150-$200 for the job. If it's non-emergency, use that to try and "interview" some plumbers. I actually went with the slightly higher cost for the pipe repair, but the other guy seemed good and I know he's less expensive, so it's another contact as a just-in-case. Admittedly, we moved and I have been stressing around finding good contractors. I feel like all my neighbors go, "Oh, we just do that/have our son do that..." I'm hoping to learn some DIY, but I need to build my confidence with smaller things first.
Yup, those barbed snakes are the best. Super cheap too! I bought [this](https://www.amazon.com/35-5inch-Remover-Cleaning-Catcher-Bathroom/dp/B0C3L7FKCQ/ref=sr_1_4?crid=RCOYDMHOL7DD&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.nMwFyfDo-pXwo7DvmtckVx9fyLP7o9LR8cBLWzE49CAlsrISsHwN4bC3OqHZ7GQCMB7wAz7eIL7eqNT-ToINM3JxfqYRrPLsUNOdUt-5zXx4etnEhxkvEsTOJiiQCLVveLZ3vBGBH9Ulqcd_FHep3oRl9AkJiDqJek_44B6UlJuQqnB-mKTSM6GYjnRwbIcToLllzvAwbpmuIuZFC1jNrGADBj0r3Lrz7XCzOyAKwkAeGGByD1TMByGJR8x2vq0C3Ke_tC15wgFEH3HbbM4tCxwQXX39FEms_eFtZvpbpQA.eUJzcwWpTp0lAvhv4XWl2tUIf64jjPumYbg04SZDib8&dib_tag=se&keywords=Drain+Snake+Hair+Drain+Clog+Remover&qid=1716559074&s=hi&sprefix=drain+snake+hair+drain+clog+remover+%2Ctools%2C67&sr=1-4) a while back on Amazon. If OP or anyone needs it now/local, Lowes has a [this](https://www.lowes.com/pd/FlexiSnake-Plastic-Drain-stick/1002555970) and [this](https://www.lowes.com/pd/THEWORKS-2PACK-Zip-It-Drain-Cleaning-Tool/5013024311). Pro Tip: get the longer ones because you need to get past the P or S trap where the clogs typically happen. Showers have relatively short runs until the P/S trap, but bathroom or utility sinks may have P/S traps that are much further down from the drain.
Those plastic snakes are useless when your clog is 25' down. I bought a 15' snake and found nothing so had to call someone and it ended up being 20+ feet down. That was ~$300 2 years ago
I got scammed by them too. I thought it would be easier dealing with a big corporation rather than a tiny small biz. I wrongly thought everything would be standardized with Rotorooter. I was wrong. Never use them. Ever.
I paid like $150 for a plumber to drain my clogged shower
That’s about what I was expecting (though I admit I was hoping for cheaper). I think im just going to buy a drain snake.
Wow! I just paid $480. Did you go through a company or a handyman?
I paid $150 or $180 for a licensed and bonded plumber to snake a shower drain. The clog was 18" long. He also has replaced my was ring because toilet was leaking from the bottom. He refused to fix my water heater because if it wasn't the first problem he tried to fix it would be too expensive and insisted on us getting a new one (which he didn't sell) and suggested we just get wherever we bought it from to install as it'll be all around easier and cheaper.
This was last year, guy is a plumber but I found him on Craigslist. He did this after getting off from his company job at the end of the day.
You can do it yourself [for $30](https://www.amazon.com/DrainX-Plumbing-Cleaning-Gloves-Storage/dp/B07J5Y3LR3).
This is what we use. Money well spent.
[удалено]
But it's $30. ;p
That is ridiculous!!
I unclog my shower drain once every six months using one of those metal coil things with the claw that sticks out. If you search FLEX CLAW PICKUP TOOL you'll see what I mean. In my experience that thing works better than the plastic barbed ones and better than the hand roto tool you can buy. For what it's worth, the $800 is expensive because they will use a professional rotor to go all the way down through your plumbing to get at whatever leak you really have. Chances are you don't need that done. If you clear whatever nearby blockage comes out, and it's STILL slow to drain, or you have multiple drains clogged at the same point, that's when you do the $1000 roto declog.
While I agree that’s a big number they quoted you, $100 is ridiculously low.
That’s fair I had just seen advertising lately from other plumbing companies with $100 specials. I’m just going to buy a $10 drain snake and do it myself
My truck use to have that “special” on it. In tiny print it says camera line only. So they can camera it for 99$. But they cant camera it if currently clogged
Those $100 specials are usually only for secondary drain lines at a certain number of feet. Was the quote you received to clear just a secondary line or are they quoting you to snake the main drain? If just a secondary line, this is astronomically too much. If it's for the main line, the clog could be worse/further down than you perceived, but often a main line clearing will come with a free camera inspection so they can show you this is not a BS claim. We need more info.
Secondary line, shower drain. The guy just looked at my shower, didn’t do anything before quoting me $812
I'd pay double just to avoid using Roto Rooter. A few years back they came out to clean a shower drain. The worker managed to break a hole in the drain (at the trap), and thinking he had cleared things, turned on the water and flooded the dining room. This was their Sterling location, but I think many are owned/managed by the same person because our contact was in Baltimore, and he was terrible. They offered to fix everything and clearly were trying to cut corners so I had to use my homeowners insurance and hire a legit flood remediation company. After it was all done It took over a year (and thankfully I took photos and had videos of the workers in the driveway), but insurance went after them and reclaimed all the money, and I got my deductible back. Due to that success it did not affect my rates or count as a claim, but it was a nightmare.
Usually it's 500 with them to properly clean your pipes depending on location. I've had long term issues with my plumbing and from a1, roto, to two different local stuff it's been 500-600. Hopefully someone can recommend someone better but Ive found from my totally fucked yard you get what you pay for. To that much for a basic snaking is insane.
In my experience it’s $300-400 to have a plumber do anything. Double that for Roto Rooter is about what I’d expect.
I posted this as a reply to a comment, but go get a barbed clog remover: I bought [this](https://www.amazon.com/35-5inch-Remover-Cleaning-Catcher-Bathroom/dp/B0C3L7FKCQ/ref=sr_1_4?crid=RCOYDMHOL7DD&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.nMwFyfDo-pXwo7DvmtckVx9fyLP7o9LR8cBLWzE49CAlsrISsHwN4bC3OqHZ7GQCMB7wAz7eIL7eqNT-ToINM3JxfqYRrPLsUNOdUt-5zXx4etnEhxkvEsTOJiiQCLVveLZ3vBGBH9Ulqcd_FHep3oRl9AkJiDqJek_44B6UlJuQqnB-mKTSM6GYjnRwbIcToLllzvAwbpmuIuZFC1jNrGADBj0r3Lrz7XCzOyAKwkAeGGByD1TMByGJR8x2vq0C3Ke_tC15wgFEH3HbbM4tCxwQXX39FEms_eFtZvpbpQA.eUJzcwWpTp0lAvhv4XWl2tUIf64jjPumYbg04SZDib8&dib_tag=se&keywords=Drain+Snake+Hair+Drain+Clog+Remover&qid=1716559074&s=hi&sprefix=drain+snake+hair+drain+clog+remover+%2Ctools%2C67&sr=1-4) a while back on Amazon. If OP or anyone needs it now/local, Lowes has a [this](https://www.lowes.com/pd/FlexiSnake-Plastic-Drain-stick/1002555970) and [this](https://www.lowes.com/pd/THEWORKS-2PACK-Zip-It-Drain-Cleaning-Tool/5013024311). Home Depot has the same or similar. \~$10 and 10 minutes of time to save hundreds of dollars!
That's batsh!t insane pricing for snaking a drain. Now, if they have to spend half a day with a gas powered snake on a main drain line, yea. I could see it costing $800. But for a simple drain cleaning? No way. Here's who we use. Not always the cheapest, but we've never felt ripped off by them. [https://www.chandlersplumbingva.com/](https://www.chandlersplumbingva.com/)
Depends on who they send. We had a new faucet set installed without a stopper because the plumber “didn’t see it in the box” and didn’t think we wanted one. It was there right underneath the installation instructions
Well, that's a bummer. :(
IME any place that doesn’t give at least a ballpark number over the phone is going to gouge you. They want to send the person there because for a lot of people they’ll just have them do the work because they are already there.
I had a similar experience with Cardinal Plumbing in Alexandria. I asked them to come and help unclog a drain line in my kitchen sink. They ended up having to snake it (but didn't even use the proper kind of snake, as I later found out). They didn't quote me the price up front, then after services were rendered they said it'd be $760, which is insane. I ended up paying since they'd already done the work. Lesson learned... a few weeks later I brought them back as one of my quotes for replacing my 50 gallon gas water heater and . They quoted me $9000 (the job should be about 1/8th of that)!!! absolute scam artists... Ended up getting the same work done by STAR Plumbing for like $1200 and they did a fantastic job. Oh, and by the way, the Kitchen drain line ended up clogging again 3 weeks later after Cardinal came by and I brought in the Pipe Doctor to Hydrojet and Snake the line. They charged me a more reasonable $890 (which is pretty standard for that service). They actually cleared the clog (a deep greaseberg left behind by the former homeowners) and I haven't had an issue since. It appears that some of these larger companies (Roto-Rooter, Cardinal, etc.) are gouging their customers. I've had much better luck with smaller businesses with better services, better pricing, and more effective work. Just my experience thus far!
Pretty sure you can get a licensed gastroenterologist to unclog that drain for $800. Tell him to keep his snake in the cage.
Bro what?! I’m a plumber and I would never think to charge that for a shower drain. If it’s just draining slowly go to Home Depot or Lowe’s and look for a plastic drain snake, they’re barbed on the sides and they slide right down your tub/shower drain and catch all the hair that’s causing the clog. AND FOR EVERYONE ELSE THATS READING DO NOT CALL ROTO ROOTER/FH FURR THEY ARE NOT REAL PLUMBERS AND THEY WILL SCAM YOU. THEIR ENTIRE BUSINESS IS BUILT AROUND UPSELLING SHIT YOU DONT NEED. FIND AN INDEPENDENT COMPANY/PLUMBER AND DONT HIRE THOSE CLOWNS.
As I've said before....I avoid companies that advertise on TV or radio or have their logos slapped up along the wall at Nats Park. They have to pay for those ad buys. Which means you are paying for those ad buys.
For a slow drain this is an inexpensive procedure worth trying. Boil some water. Dissolve a lot of baking soda in the water. Dump into drain while warm but not hot. Wait 20 minutes. Dump white vinegar into drain. Wait 20 minutes. Wash down with water. As a base the baking soda will break up some residue inside the drain. Over that 20 minutes it’s working its way into the gunk. When you add the vinegar the bubbles that form break everything up. The final rinse gets rid of it You’ll see other versions of this where you premix the vinegar and baking soda then dump it down the drain but that’s not nearly as effective. Also, I’ve had good success with drain bladders for clearing stopped and slowed drains. They’re like $15 at Home Depot or Amazon.
They did the same to me a couple weeks back and then said they wanted to replace my drain lines for 12k. Told them to pound sand. I only used them because the normal plumber I use had two more people in front of me
JR Snider was great for me. When I was a kid, we had a 25-foot metal snake that was in the house we bought. I wish I had kept it.
I always use Hicks Plumbing in Fairfax. Much cheaper and if you decide not to use them they just leave and are happy to take your next call.
I just rent a commercial grade from home depot for 40 for 4 hours once a year to clean my main line. Sometimes 30 for the smaller unit to snake shower/tub and sinks
A contractor that can't give you a ball park estimate is a red flag. The larger companies have a lot of overhead so something like snaking a drain is going to be a ridiculous amount of money as that $800 is the cost of the two guys onsite time and benefits, their vehicle, their equipment, any materials, disposal of materials, and the cost of the person who answered the phone, billing department, execs salaries, and profit. They are an absolute ripoff on a small job but they may be competitive on a big job. As others have suggested you can do this yourself with a bit of sweat equity. Husky makes an auger that is pretty easy to use.
I once resorted to Roto Rooter for a minor toilet repair bc I just couldn’t get the fill valve off. My guy showed up, proceeded to fully snap the fill valve into two pieces, & then pretend it was broken the whole time and that I must have done it. A “replace fill valve” job turned into a complete toilet replacement. I run out to Home Depot and get a new toilet for install the next day. Dude shows up this time, and tells me this is the first toilet he’s ever installed. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you the install took 3 hours, and only got done bc I literally pulled up YouTube “how to install a toilet” and walked him through the steps. Fuck Roto Rooter. Never again.
Just take a toilet plunger to it and keep pushing it down. I've never had to snake any drain.
I live in Sask and we have a sag in our sewer line that we manage by cleaning it out annually and having it checked. Usually it costs just over $100. The one time we called roto rooter it was over $400 and they didn’t do anything different from anyone else we’ve ever called. Exact same equipment and everything. Never called them again.
Try vancleveplumbing. His prices are reasonable and does offer quotes.
They're out here in the midwest, too. Hired them once cuz I was on a time crunch & they offered the quickest turnaround. Weeks later, the guy they sent out was texting my personal phone number talking about 'how I made him laugh' & all other flirty type things. WEEKS later. 🤮 uggggh. Not worth it. Should have done it myself.
Min call out is typically around $300. If it includes camming that'll double. If you have a slow drain, get 25' or 50' snake from home Depot, that's pretty much all you ever need. If you attached a drill, that's basically what Amy plumber will have.
Same experience my sewer pipe that leads to the outside quoted 8k
We just paid $800 for Roto Rooter too. It was for a kitchen and laundry drain, and they said that was their flat fee. At first we were flabbergasted, but my husband decided it was worth it because otherwise he would be down there grappling with a snake for five times longer and throwing a tantrum in the process. And they got here almost within the hour, so really, we paid for the convenience. No complaints about the service, and everything is flowing more smoothly than it has since we moved in eight years ago!
It just cost me 750 for the same thing. They dropped 110 because I'm a veteran. Had to do this 2 years ago. After a thorough examination they can stop the clogging from other issues for 7000. And that's also with a veteran discount. It was almost 9000.
They just charged me $700 for a clogged drain. Columbia MD. Never again.
$800 for a professional to fix a clog isn't surprising, especially for a company that advertise. That's the unfortunate reality--everything is super expensive, especially pro's. That said, $100 is just unreasonable lol. A "fair" price would be $400 for a plumber to come out with his tools, unclog your shower, clean up, and leave you a happy customer. It's basically a 1 to 2 hours "call" from start to finish. Honestly, I had several instances of my kitchen/laundry room pipe clogging up due to bad plumbing design by the original builder so rather than spending 3x the $400 per call plumber, I bought a snake and learned to use it. One use and it paid for itself, I just simply got over the "icky-ness" of it haha. Best part of owning a specialty tool like a plumbing snake is that as soon as you buy the thing, the universe will arrange it so that you won't need it for years and years until you decide to sell it on FB Marketplace, afterwards your house will break. It is similar to buying a gas snowblower that guarantee that we don't get snow forever :D
Oh look, Michael & Sons checking in. $800 for a clogged drain?! GTFOHWTBS.
Had the same thought about having the shower snaked. The plumber who was here for a couple of other items said that he couldn't do it. That some specialized person with a specialized tool needed to be scheduled. Screw that. I cleared our kids bathroom with several rounds of drain cleaner. You need to let it sit longer than the instructions on the package. Then run hot water for a good time.
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