Expensive to have drain unclogged.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Music Lover PEX and Sharkebite have definitely made it easier for DIYers, but even without those most people should be able to replace a tap or toilet without too much trouble.

Agree. It used to be that a toilet required working with compression fittings on the supply line, and cutting and bending the supply pipe. Possible, but a bit tricky and mysterious to the DYIer. Now, you get a flexible supply line. Easy-peasy. Still, a pro look requires the slim compression fit. Mostly, that is a "who cares" kind of thing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExFlyBoy5 As an aside, he was in business for about 15 years and in that time *never* advertised. He had a box of business cards printed when he first started and I still have that box that is still almost full. He got all of his business by word of mouth.

Dad never owned his own. He worked for the same contractor for nearly 40 years. The contractor was good to him. They never advertised. New work was negotiated by those who know in the grapevine of contractors. Repair work was word of mouth. Joe Sr. was frequently requested as the tech to fix problems. For that reason, Joe Sr. got bonuses from his contractor. Not even sure that was union legal! But it sure was nice.

[imoldernu]

My 30 foot snake just reached the end of the block... almost got it, but, the plumber went another 4 feet in 10 minutes. and the cost was only $148.

[JoeWras]

Back to the OP's original... One thing I should mention is if the drain clearing went down to the underground, and tree roots were involved, that's a pro job. Old clay pipe and trees don't mix. Dad and his contractor made a living out of that ugly situation.

One more thing... if it is just regular inside drain build up, skip the vinegar. Buy a bottle of some of the drain clearing enzymes. Something like ZEP Drain Defense. Other brands are OK too. This is not your old Drain-o caustic solution. Rather, it is something you use occasionally. The enzymes work with natural biomass (bacteria, etc.) to eat the soap and skin cell scum that builds up. This stuff really works! It is a slow action, just like scum build up is slow. Use it once a month and the pipes stay clear.

[kite_rider]

DIY to clear your own drains would probably work for 90% of clogs you come across. Bonus! You would be done with it in less time vs searching for a reliable and affordable plumber.

We still manage a few rental units and I've done two drains in the last two months. One was on a recent move in, new tenants were getting very slow kitchen sink draining after dumping their used coffee grounds down the drain. A 5 minute removal of the P trap revealed previous tenants left a butter knife and two plastic straws down the drain. Easy fix!

2nd kitchen sink issue was more complicated. Tennant in a property two hours away had already called a plumber to clear a slow kitchen sink drain - cost $150 (which is cheap compared to others here). But two weeks later, drain was problematic again. I ended up just going up on the roof and running a long snake through the vent. Slow tedious process, but still took me less than an hour and I was up at the house for another reason anyway. For me, dealing with the original plumber to do it right would have been more work. No more issues... I borrowed the snake from a neighbor, but they are only about $30 to buy.

Also, for about $3 you can buy a plastic vanity sink and shower cleaner (has sharp barbs on the side) to pull out the nasty soapy hair wads that always seem to accumulate there. It's gross, but quick and easier than dealing with an over priced plumber.

Anyway, something to consider for the future..

[pdxgal]

Here in Portland we have a company (ProDrain) that charges about $125. They've cleared 3-4 drains for me. Maybe cost would be higher if it were a bigger job. I've also had really good luck using a gadget bought at my local h'ware store. It connects to the end of a garden hose. You stick it down into the clogged drain, turn on the water, and then it expands to fill the pipe and compress the water into a jet that shoots down into the pipe. When my tub clogged I ran that thing for about 5 minutes. Made a racket, but at a certain point the sound changed and I figured that indicated the clog had been busted through. Sure enough it had! Best $10 I've spent in a long time.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kite_rider Also, for about $3 you can buy a plastic vanity sink and shower cleaner (has sharp barbs on the side) to pull out the nasty soapy hair wads that always seem to accumulate there. It's gross, but quick and easier than dealing with an over priced plumber. Anyway, something to consider for the future..

Good advice. Most vanity drain issues can be solved this way. These days, cheap disposable nitrile gloves mitigate this yuk factor. Same can be said when you have to reach down and pick out the toothbrush from the toilet that nobody refuses to touch.

Dad had more toothbrush/false teeth/hair brush/eyeglass toilet jobs that he could ever count. People would flush the toilet, move to the vanity and accidentally knock these items into the swirling toilet. You'd think they would just stick their hand down there and yank them out? Nope, call the plumber. Easy jobs.

I never asked if people washed the poo off their teeth or not.

[Jerry1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeWras cheap disposable nitrile gloves mitigate this yuk factor.

I love nitrile gloves. I love work gloves period. For example when gardening, grabbing a bug or whatever is something I don’t even care about with those latex dipped work gloves. Plus, they’re kind of water proof, to a point. I also like the cheap nitrile gloves for cooking. Especially when I cut up chicken.

But for the in home nasties, they’re the greatest thing. Any kind of bathroom cleaning is much more tolerable to me with gloves on. Keeps the chemicals off your skin too. Though I pretty much just use soap and water and finish with one of those disposable disinfectant wipes.

This is one of the things I go to Harbor Freight for. They have the heavy duty nitrile gloves. If I was running a snake, I’d put on one of the thicker pairs. They have the 7 and 9 mil gloves for the tough jobs. I also use them when working on an engine, like an oil change. Again, keeps the chemicals/oil off your hands. They also are a bit longer so they go further up your arm.

[akck]

At my oldest son’s house, the kitchen is about 30-40’ from the main stack. DIL has a habit of running the disposal for a second or two and the immediately shutting the water flow off. I told my son that he’s going to have a plugged drain at some point. Sure enough, the sink plugged during a visit. I got him a 50’ snake, which cleared the plug, but he decided to leave drain cleaner overnight to be sure. What that did was loosen all the gunk in the pipe which proceeded to clog the pipe further down. There are at least 4 bends in the pipe run with the last one about 40’ out and the hardest to get the snake through. So that was about a $50 job. If it didn’t work, the next step would be to call a professional.

Oh, on our next visit, the sink clogged again. DIL still only ran water for a second after disposal use. This time, I made my son clear the drain, so he’d know what was involved. I did have to show him how to get past the 4th bend, where the plug likely was located. He’ll be doing it again until DIL learns to run the water longer.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by akck At my oldest son’s house, the kitchen is about 30-40’ from the main stack. DIL has a habit of running the disposal for a second or two and the immediately shutting the water flow off. I told my son that he’s going to have a plugged drain at some point. Sure enough, the sink plugged during a visit. I got him a 50’ snake, which cleared the plug, but he decided to leave drain cleaner overnight to be sure. What that did was loosen all the gunk in the pipe which proceeded to clog the pipe further down. There are at least 4 bends in the pipe run with the last one about 40’ out and the hardest to get the snake through. So that was about a $50 job. If it didn’t work, the next step would be to call a professional. Oh, on our next visit, the sink clogged again. DIL still only ran water for a second after disposal use. This time, I made my son clear the drain, so he’d know what was involved. I did have to show him how to get past the 4th bend, where the plug likely was located. He’ll be doing it again until DIL learns to run the water longer.

Well designed piping actually has WYEs with clean-out plugs at these bends, so snaking can occur later down the line. These should be accessible. But maybe it isn't built this way.

You are right, though. Good drain usage habits (proper flushing) can mitigate many sins.

[fh2000]

I am in Los Angeles. The city tree in my front yard is growing roots into my main drain and I have to clean it every few years.

I used to pay (20 years ago?) $99 for a plumber to run a snake. Weekend would be $120. After watching them a couple of times, I started to rent a 100 foot electric snake drain from local Home Depot. The thing is heavy. They will help me load into my SUV, but DW will need to help moving it down. The cost is about $55 for 4 hours? The last time I rent was 5 years ago. I am sure the cost is now higher but still cheaper than a plumber.

They told me to run it slowly, and pull back once in a while. You don't want to have it stuck inside...

Harbor Freight also sells one ($230?) with 75 feet long, just few feet shy of that tree so did not work with our main drain, but I use it to clear the side drain line for sink, and washing machine.

[joeea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolf Curious, what it cost for drain cleaning service. Is this just a S.F. Bay area, phenomenon, (very expensive place to live), or is this happening nation wide.

Next time you call for any service, ask for price. You can spend as much of your time as you like comparing several.

[Lakewood90712]

Find a non name brand plumber. Have him install a main line cleanout. Will cost$500 + but is a one time expense, to reduce future cost.

On not working on roofs, there is a kernel of truth. If the roof edge is 15' or more to the ground, an employee is required to have a harness, attached to a ring, bolted into the roof framing. The bigger companies are complying as the OSHA fines start in the thousands . The smaller companies often do not comply.

A one man plumbing contractor tried this line on mom's house, " Osha rules Bla Blka Bla" when I asked the roof height ( 9' flat roof in this case) and the regulation, he got very quiet.

[samclem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeWras You are right, though. Good drain usage habits (proper flushing) can mitigate many sins.

Yep. Or how about just scraping the big stuff from the pots and plates into the trash can? It takes just a few seconds, saves water, reduces strain on the sewage treatment system, is quieter than running the garbage dispos-all, and saves a lot of expensive plumbing work.

[Jerry1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by samclem Yep. Or how about just scraping the big stuff from the pots and plates into the trash can? It takes just a few seconds, saves water, reduces strain on the sewage treatment system, is quieter than running the garbage dispos-all, and saves a lot of expensive plumbing work.

That’s what I’m talking about. I ask that as little as possible be sent down the drain. The main use I have for the garbage disposal is that when it’s on, the sink will drain much quicker .

[btdt22]

Paid $75 two months ago for running a plumbers snake from kitchen to street. Two years ago it cost $50 for much the same work

[aja8888]

When I was raising two daughters, I quickly found out that a Barbie Doll will not make it through the bends in the toilet drain.

[Sunset]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kite_rider ..... Also, for about $3 you can buy a plastic vanity sink and shower cleaner (has sharp barbs on the side) to pull out the nasty soapy hair wads that always seem to accumulate there. It's gross, but quick and easier than dealing with an over priced plumber. Anyway, something to consider for the future..

I think these are great, I gave one to my tenants, figuring if it saved 1 plumber phone call I was making out like a bandit.

[427Vette]

Quote:

Originally Posted by samclem This situation is a tough one for me. Yes, I'd like to save the money by having guys like this do a "side job," and I've hired masons, guys who do concrete flatwork, etc when I saw them on a job somewhere else and I made contact with them. But in your case, the guy is taking (stealing?) business from the company he works for. You called that company to do work, now the tradesman is encouraging you to call him directly next time. If he'll do that to them, how will he treat me as a customer? I realize opinions may differ on this.

Not to mention I am certain most “side jobbers” don’t carry any type of insurance. He is doing his best work during the day at his real job, then scabbing on nights and weekends when he is more apt to make a mistake because he is probably tired. How do you think it will go if you hire a guy like this and a problem arises?

You have to be careful hiring handymen to do skilled tradesman type work. I think they are fine for simpler task But lack knowledge/training and certainly lack the proper liscensing for plumbing, heating and electrical work.

[427Vette]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Music Lover Virtually everyone that works in a trade gets side offers, but it's wrong to actively take steal business from your employer. It must be tough for someone making $15 or $20 an hour being asked if they can do a side job for $200 that they know can be done in 3 or 4 hours to say no.

The days of hiring a skilled tradesmen for $15 or $20 an hour are loooong gone. Our guys all make over $100K. They all get a full list of fantastic benefits, company trucks and lots of other perks. It would be to much to risk the chance of losing your job because some customer is trying to be a tight wad and hire them on the side.

[joeea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by btdt22 Paid $75 two months ago for running a plumbers snake from kitchen to street. Two years ago it cost $50 for much the same work

You can purchase your own plumbers snake for $20 or less.