By Chris Crawford, Owner, Spring Branch Air Conditioning & Heating
Drain cleaning in Houston costs $222 on average and typically ranges from $151 to $307, according to Angi’s Houston cost guide. A clog in the main sewer line costs more. The main sewer line is the pipe that carries everything from your drains out to the city sewer. Clearing a clog there averages $388 in Houston.
If the same drain keeps clogging, it’s worth paying for a camera inspection, where a plumber runs a small camera down the line to see what’s wrong. In Houston, the cause can be a cracked drain line under the slab, and clearing the clog again won’t fix a cracked line.
At Spring Branch Air Conditioning & Heating, we clear drains for clients in Conroe, The Woodlands, Shenandoah, Magnolia and Oak Ridge North.
What does drain cleaning cost in Houston?
The cost of drain cleaning in Houston depends mostly on which drain is clogged:
| Job | Houston (Angi) | National (HomeAdvisor) |
|---|---|---|
| Toilet | $125 to $300 | $110 to $275 |
| Kitchen sink | $125 to $250 | $110 to $215 |
| Bathtub or shower | $225 to $450 | about $225 on average |
| Main sewer line | $162 to $613, average $388 | $100 to $800 |
Sources: Angi, Houston drain cleaning; Angi, Houston main sewer line clog; HomeAdvisor, unclog a drain.
How much do snaking, hydro jetting and a sewer camera inspection cost?
Snaking and hydro jetting are two ways to clear a clog. A camera inspection is often priced separately, added when the plumber needs to see inside the line:
| Method | What it does | Houston (Angi) | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snaking (an auger) | A steel cable fed down the drain breaks up the clog or pulls it out. It’s the first tool for most clogs. | $100 to $250 for a main line | $200 to $500 (HomeGuide) |
| Hydro jetting | A high-pressure stream of water scours the inside of the pipe. It’s used for buildup of soap and debris, and for small roots growing into the line. It won’t fix large roots. | $350 to $600 | $600 to $1,400 (HomeGuide); $700 to $1,100 (Forbes Home) |
| Sewer camera inspection | A small camera run down the line shows what is causing the clog and what shape the pipe is in. It doesn’t clear anything. | $200 to $1,300 or more | $125 to $500 (HomeGuide); $300 to $1,200 (Forbes Home) |
Sources: Angi, Houston main sewer line clog; HomeGuide, main sewer line cleaning cost; Forbes Home, hydro jetting cost.
What makes drain cleaning cost more?
- Hard access. A plumber reaches a main line through a cleanout, a capped pipe that opens into the line. When there’s no cleanout, or it’s hard to get to, the job takes longer. Houston plumbers charge $75 to $150 an hour for labor, so every extra hour shows up on the bill.
- What’s causing the clog. In Houston, clearing a main line clog runs $100 to $600 for a foreign object, $350 to $600 for grease, and $100 to $1,000 for tree roots (Angi).
- A service call fee. Some companies charge $50 to $200 or more just to come out (HomeGuide).
- Emergency timing. Emergency plumbing can add $150 to $500 or more to the bill, depending on location and timing (HomeGuide). Ask about this before the plumber comes out. At Spring Branch, we don’t charge extra for weekends or after hours.
When is a sewer camera inspection worth paying for?
A camera inspection is worth paying for when the same clog keeps coming back after it’s cleared. The camera shows why it keeps coming back: roots, grease buildup, something lost in the line, or a pipe that has shifted or cracked. That tells you whether another cleaning will hold or whether the pipe needs repair.
This Old House lists these signs of a broken drain line under a slab:
- Multiple drain lines in the home are backing up
- Persistent foul odors around drains or in the yard
- Sinkholes or wet spots in the yard
- A noticeable decrease in water pressure or drain flow
We use sewer line video inspection to look inside a line without digging.
Why do Houston homes get repeat clogs?
A repeat clog in a Houston home can come from a cracked drain line under the slab. Most Houston homes sit on a concrete slab, with the drain lines running underneath it through clay soil. That clay “swells dramatically during the city’s heavy rainfall periods and contracts during hot, dry summers,” Angi notes. As the soil moves, it can shift a drain line and crack it. A crack or a sag in the line gives waste a place to catch, so the drain clogs again soon after it’s cleared.
To reach a cracked drain line under the slab, our crews dig a tunnel by hand beneath the house, so the floor doesn’t have to be broken up. This Old House puts the national cost of repairing a drain line under a slab at “About $1,000 and up.” You’ll find more about how we handle it on our sewer and drain services page.
Should I use a chemical drain cleaner first?
We advise against using a chemical drain cleaner on a clog before you call a plumber, mainly for safety. Drain cleaners can cause severe burns to the skin, mouth and throat, and loss of vision if they get in your eyes, according to MedlinePlus from the U.S. National Library of Medicine. That makes them dangerous to keep in a home with children or pets.
Consumer Reports says chemical cleaners used as directed usually don’t damage pipes that were installed the way the plumbing code requires. Even so, we don’t recommend making a habit of them. Over time, repeated use can wear pipes from the inside, and after years of that, a pipe can need replacing.
Products made with “friendly” bacteria and enzymes are a better choice for maintenance. They help keep grease and sludge from building up in a drain that still runs. They aren’t the best choice for a drain that’s already stopped up, though. Consumer Reports says they work more slowly and less effectively than chemical cleaners, and they need to sit in a drain for several hours or even overnight.
What can I safely try before calling a plumber?
A few simple things clear a lot of household clogs, and they cost little or nothing:
- Use a plunger. A cup plunger works on sinks, tubs and showers. A flange plunger, the kind with the extra rubber sleeve on the bottom, seals better in a toilet. Don’t plunge a drain that has chemical cleaner standing in it, because it can splash.
- Run hot water in a kitchen sink. Kitchen clogs are often grease, and a few minutes of hot water from the tap can loosen a slow drain.
- Pull the stopper on a tub or bathroom sink. Lift or unscrew the stopper and pull out the hair caught under it.
When should I stop and call a plumber?
It’s time to call a plumber when the simple fixes haven’t worked:
- The plunger didn’t clear the drain after a few tries.
- More than one drain is slow or backing up at the same time, which can point to a clog or damage in the main line.
- You’ve poured in a chemical cleaner and the water is still standing. Tell the plumber what you used before they start.
Have us look at your drain.
Spring Branch Air Conditioning & Heating has been serving the Houston area since 1956. We added plumbing just before the 2021 Texas freeze. Our technicians are trained in both HVAC and plumbing.
If you’re in Conroe, The Woodlands, Shenandoah, Magnolia or Oak Ridge North and a drain is giving you trouble, give us a shout at (713) 937-6739. Our phones are answered 24/7. I’ll have a technician look at the drain and tell you what it needs, and what it costs, before any work starts. If a cleaning will take care of it, that’s what we’ll recommend. You can read more about our drain cleaning service.