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CostHelper.com > Home & Garden  > Unclogging a Pipe or a Toilet

Unclogging a Pipe or a Toilet Cost

How Much Does Unclogging a Pipe or a Toilet Cost?

low cost Range: $90-$325

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Rates for unclogging pipes vary in every part of the country, state and city, according to a representative of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors of California. Plumbers charge either by the job, or the hour. Either way, in most cases, plumbers will want to see the project before quoting a rate.
 
Typical costs:
Additional costs:
  • If the pipe is accessed by moving the toilet, some companies will charge extra to cover possible breakage, others add only the cost of a new wax ring.
Discounts:
Shopping for unclogging a pipe or a toilet:
Article updated March 2007
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Recent Posts
Amount: $175.00 I've paid $175-$225 for the same thing
Posted by: First Time Homeowner in San Jose, CA.Purchased: September, 2005
Firm or Company: Drain Doctor and Roto RooterDifficulty of Access: through toilet
We've needed to call in the plumber to clear out toilet/drain twice. The first time, we were quoted $200 to lift the toilet, clear the sewage line with an industrial 2" snake, and re-seal the toilet. We also had a $25 coupon from the Yellow Pages. The next time (about a year later), a different company quoted us $235 for the same service. After I complained that the other company had charged only $175 (with coupon), they lowered the price to $210. The price still seemed too high, but what am I going to do? Our toilets were clogged and we couldn't shower or use any of our bathrooms, so I paid him the $210. It's hard to get competing quotes because they claim they have to drive out and look at the problem to give you a quote, so if I say no to one company, I have to wait another hour for the next one, and the same company will put multiple listings under different names in the phone book, so it's hard to find a competitor.
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Amount: $420.83 Snake a Pipe and Fix Toilet Flap in Fort Lauderdale
Posted by: amtdev.com in FORT LAUDERDALE, FL.Purchased: August, 2007
Firm or Company: Roto RooterDifficulty of Access: shower drain & toilet tank
Other Work: fix flap
The drain in the shower was severely clogged because of a combination of regular use and grout water being poured into it by tile installers 2 years previously.

The plumber snaked the drain to clear blockage.

Additionally, he performed a "minor rebuild" on 1 toilet.

The technician was courteous, professional and appears to have corrected the problems we were having. Also, he offered to fix an issue with our dishwasher for "free" but was unsuccessful because the aforementioned tile company tiled it in under a counter top so it wasn't possible to slide it out to get at the hoses connected to the back.

We feel that $420.83 is definitely at the high end of what you'd expect to pay for this work. However, when you consider how convenient the service was, that the problems appear to be fixed successfully and that the work has a 6 month guarantee, we grudgingly accept the price.
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Amount: $112.00 Fixed leaky toilet (bad seal)
Posted by: Ed in San Jose, CA.Purchased: August, 2007
Firm or Company: Water Quality PlumbingDifficulty of Access:
Our toilet was leaking -- there was brown water oozing from around the rim of our toilet. I think the last plumber (from a national chain) didn't seal the toilet properly. So this time we called a local plumber, Water Quality Plumbing (in San Jose, CA). They did a pretty good job of carefully replacing the wax seal and fixing one of the nuts and screws. Now the toilet doesn't leak. It took them less than 30 minutes, but their minimum charge is 1 hour ($105/hr + $7 in parts), so they said they'd credit the remaining 30 minutes if we later hire them for a larger project.
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Amount: $125.00 Watch what they're doing!
Posted by: AJ in Campbell, CA.Purchased: May, 2008
Firm or Company: Drain DoctorDifficulty of Access: easy
Our kitchen sink was clogged and water was coming back up into both sinks after putting some vegetables through the garbage disposal. We suspected the p trap was clogged and saw that a pipe was leaking, and since it was midnight, we called someone in rather than buying the parts the next day at Home Depot. So first the plumber guy wanted me to scoop all the water out of the sinks for him (what are we paying him for?) Then, he wanted $135 to replace the p trap ($95 labor + $40 parts), which seemed too high because the parts are only $20, and he'd only settle as low as $125. But he was convinced we'd need to also snake the pipes for an additional $70. After he removed the p trap, he showed me nothing was in the u shaped pipe, so he insisted the blockage was further along the pipes and he'd have to snake it. I looked with a flashlight, and I saw a pulpy pile of vegetables right at the opening of the pipe, so I put on a glove and pulled it out, and, feeling around the pipe with my finger, I could tell the pipe was all clear after that. He said I was "lucky" we didn't need to snake the pipe this time -- I guess I was lucky that I actually bothered to see if it would be necessary.
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Amount: $265.00 partially clogged clothes washer drain
Posted by: sl in Roswell, GA.Purchased: June, 2008
Firm or Company: Innovative PlumbingDifficulty of Access: easy
Other Work: none
Clothes washer drain was overflowing from high pressure on drain cycle. Normal pressure would drain ok. Tried baking soda etc, and hand auger, but did not fix problem. Called plumber who tested pipes and brought in his power auger. Spent about 20 minutes pushing auger as far through as possible. Appears to have cleared the partial blockage of maybe lint and soap scum. Job took about 45 minutes. I thought maybe $150, but gave me bill for 295 with so-called 10% discount? Very professional, but thought charges were excessive. Hope the job holds up or I will be calling back expecting no charge.
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Amount: $0.00 clogged sink
Posted by: Bob1234 in Lothian, MD.Purchased: July, 2008
Firm or Company: Roto RooterDifficulty of Access: Kitchen sink clogged
Roto rooter was in my kitchen for 5 minutes and told me it would be $289 to unclog the sink. When I said thnk you no they said $200 - I then said thank you no and the manager called me to swing a deal - at which point I said again thank you no. I want an honest estimate up front - when they build in a 100% mark up it makes me mad knowing that if I had not known better and paid them the $289 they would have been laughing all the way to the bank!
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Amount: $150.00 Mercy
Posted by: Mercy Jimenez in Miami, FL.Purchased: September, 2008
Firm or Company: Plumb tech groupDifficulty of Access: toilet clogged
Plumb Tech Group of Miami was in my bath room, remove the toilet, pass big snake into pipe line, reinstall the toilet with new wax and caulking and charge only $ 150.
they make excellent Service.
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Amount: $197.00 Unclogging toilet
Posted by: P Dutton in Hebron, CT.Purchased: November, 2008
Firm or Company: Ben FranklinDifficulty of Access: easy
Other Work: none
They wanted $189 for the job plus $59 for the service call. I said no so they waived the service call fee. I still think for the 10 minutes it took to use their snake, $197 was steep. If I had known the snake we tried to use ourselves was not the type for a toilet I would have gone to Home Depot instead and done it myself.
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Amount: $289.00 Unclogging Water Pipe from sink
Posted by: A reader from Maryland in Catonsville, MD.Purchased: November, 2008
Firm or Company: Roto RooterDifficulty of Access:
Roto Rooter charged me 289.00 to snake out a hair clog that was discovered within the first 5 mins. of work. After that nothing else was found. I decided to go with R.R. because they could come faster then anybody and I didn't have to take time off of work during the week (work done on a Sat.).
I had asked other questions about other things that needed looked at and I was quoted such high numbers that I said no thank you. I should have known that I was being taken at that moment.

The technician was very nice and showed me the price to unclog a drain for 289.00 and I found R.R. to be very convenient, but at that cost I will do it my self in the future. I will definately scratch them off of my list of plumbers to try.
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Amount: $0.00 Toilet cleanout
Posted by: KL in Garland, TX.Purchased: 2008
Firm or Company: Handyman Express Un-ltdDifficulty of Access: major
I read these postings and complaints about the cost - I\'m not a plumber . However I own Handyman Express Unlimited in Dallas Tx.
JUST ONE QUESTION - What would you charge to swamp around in someones toilet/ urine and other human waste. When my guys do this kind of work I pay them extra due to nasty mess and the health hazards.
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Amount: $430.00 Clogged tub drain
Posted by: X in Mt Holly, NJ.Purchased: 2008
Firm or Company: Roto RooterDifficulty of Access: linen closet
Other Work: none
I got taken. Tech worked for less than 1 hour and cleared a hair glog. He even said he didn't charge me the weekend rate (it was Saturday) and gave me a discount. Can you imagine! Takes hutzpa to do this to a 8 mo pregnant woman at Christmas.
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Amount: $225.00 Clogged washer/kitchen sink
Posted by: Liz in Pacifica, CA.Purchased: January, 2009
Firm or Company: Pacifica PlumbingDifficulty of Access: Outside access
Other Work: moved stacked washer dryer
Washer and kitchen sink flooded our garage. Called up Pacifica Plumbing and they sent someone out the next morning. The guy initially thought that the only access was behind the stacked washer/dryer. He took a look, had me test out the sink and gave me a quote of $225. I agreed because we were referred to them by my co-worker and we used them for a previous job.
Found out that the geniuses who built the house decided that the washer and kitchen sink should share a pipe. It was so clogged up that he ended up spending about an hour on the job snaking it out.
The price seems about right for northern Cal. bay area; though I'm not sure because we've only used them.
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Amount: $650.00 Clogged Washer Drain
Posted by: Overcharged in Youngstown, OH.Purchased: 2009
Firm or Company: Mr. RooterDifficulty of Access: Upright pipe behind washer
Other Work: none
Washer flooded utility room off garage. Called Mr. Rooter and given an estimate for $325 to snake it out. Of course that didn't work due to the P-trap buried in concrete, so they had to cut the pipe etc, and snake it again to remove the clog further out(40 feet per the tech). Even you have to admit, KL in Garland TX, that I was overcharged. I even handed out "Excedrin for a headache" and clear safety glasses for the pipe cutting. I agreed to the price thinking the job was bigger than it actually was since they talked about replacing pipes etc,which they didn't. My fault for not knowing about plumbing, (why I called them!) If I ever have another clogged drain, I won't call Mr. Rooter due to the inflated price.
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Amount: $30.00 Do it yourself unclog toilet!
Posted by: Super Mario in Glassbor, NJ.Purchased: March, 2009
Firm or Company: Not for $100'sDifficulty of Access: apartment... tight fit
When my toilet clogged, I was in trouble. I'm a college student, I don't have a car, and my dad only gave me a plunger from the dollar store. After looking around, I found this awesome website to fix a clog in my toilet...

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/removetoilet

I used a toilet auger (about $25 at Lowe's- a lil pricey but let me know I couldnt budge the clog) once the clog wasnt coming undone, I asked advice(NOT HELP) from a plumber to take the toilet out and unclog the toilet itself.

Plumber:"odds are if the clog/item in your toilet is big... it's stuck in your toilet not in your pipes."

so I used this websited to take apart my toilet.
I wound up shaking the clog out(a cap from shaving cream) and couldnt be more relieved to not have to pay roto router tons for a "do it yourself"
It was messy and I lost a towel or two, but all said I only spent at max $30 plus four man hours...
yeah i love the internet and anything you need is on it. I just went out to dinner spending money that plumbers didnt get from me= AMAZING!
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Amount: $147.00 Clogged Toilet
Posted by: a user in San Rafael, CA.Purchased: May, 2009
Firm or Company: Mr. RooterDifficulty of Access: Medium Access
They were there for 15 minutes. Used an auger.
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Amount: $294.00 Shower drain clog
Posted by: RayLS in Silver Spring, MD.Purchased: June, 2009
Firm or Company: Benjamin FranklinDifficulty of Access: easy
Had my shower back up for the first time in 25 years in our home. Plumber came out, showed the cost to be 240.oo plus 74.00(estimate fee). He took less than five minutes to clear the drain and spent 10 minutes cleaning up. Also tried to sell me some biobon drain cleaner for 79.00. He said there was no guaranty on the snaking, but when pressed, he gave me a 30 day warranty. I thought the price was high, but have no comparison to use. I understand a business has employees to pay, overhead, etc., but I would love to make over a thousand dollars an hour clearing drains. I did get to use a 20 coupon from their website. Probably will not use again. I'll just try to keep hair out of the drains.
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Amount: $15.00 clogged toilet
Posted by: Luis in Prineville, OR.Purchased: June, 2009
Firm or Company: Difficulty of Access: medium
ok so my 2yr old son puts little toys in the toilet, i use it the next morning and it was clogged already so i call the plumber and he tells me that he will charge me $135 to come and fix it, and i said no thank you i will try it my self., so he tells me that i wont be able to do it by my self because i need special tools to do it. so i go on line and google it, and it says to just buy a toilet auger. so i did,i tried from bowl and i couldn't get them out so i had to put the toilet up side down and thats how i got them out, and all paid was $9 for the auger and $6 for the bottom wax ring. it took me all morning but i got it done. its a nasty job but it is not worth paying some one else to do it when u can do it your self.
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