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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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Amount: $23.00 Clogged bathtub
Posted by: kc1 in Oakland, CA.Purchased: July, 2009
Firm or Company: do it yourself!Difficulty of Access: easy
I had a clogged bathtub - I spent about $20.00 for internet access (my monthly rate), and looked into it online. Got some great advice from thisoldhouse.com, on how to remove the overflow drain stopper and how to put it back in, and on the anatomy of the bathtub pipes. Tried a coat hanger, but it didn\'t work. Then I went to the hardware store intending to buy a drain auger (\"snake\"), which was really cheap about $5-7 depending on the brand. But I told the guy what I was trying to do, and he told me that most of the tub plugs are in the horizontal fitting pipe BEFORE it gets to the overflow pipe/drain, so he advised this white plastic zip tie thing which is flexible and barbed and only $3. I bought that to try first, and fished it down the tub drain - no hair globs or anything came up. So then I checked the internet again, and got some advice about using the plunger (which I had already tried). The plunger did not work initially, because I did not seal off the overflow drain! So I followed the internet advice, and removed the overflow drain, stuck a small towel in the pipe to make a good seal, then filled the tub with some water, applied the plunger, used a firm downstroke plunge, and then with a much stronger UPSTROKE/PULL UP plunge - that did the trick! The internet saved me from spending money on a plumber. And basically just paid for a year of internet service, based on the quotes y\'all are showing. God save the internet!
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Amount: $52.00 Sewer Clog
Posted by: Oswald in New York, NY.Purchased: May, 2009
Firm or Company: A $49.95 Any Sewer or Drain, IncDifficulty of Access:
I had a sewer stoppage and was lucky to find this sewer company. Looking at the all the high charges of unclogging a sewer in other parts of the country, I feel great paying so low of a price to have my sewer unclogged.
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Amount: $0.00 Kitchen Drain clog
Posted by: Maintenance in Gaithersburg, MD.Purchased: 2009
Firm or Company: selfDifficulty of Access: tight
I am a Maintenance Supervisor I do this on a daily basis. People who do not do their homework end up spending more for service from a plumbing company. Why? Simply because they don't expect you to know anything, but there are situations that can become a bit much. I just unclogged 3 kitchen sinks yesterday and what I found in all 3 was rice. Rice is one of the worst things that can go down the drain. So if you have a clog in your sink either learn how to unclog it or make sure you know what the cost is going to be to unclog it and i do mean the real cost
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Amount: $93.00 Snake Drain to unclog sink and wash basin
Posted by: Homeowner in FL in Bradenton, FL.Purchased: October, 2009
Firm or Company: Griggs PlumbingDifficulty of Access: Easy access on a single story roof
Other Work: None
Very professional and only took about 30 minutes
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Amount: $1,400.00 unclogging
Posted by: Aaron McClure in Fremont, CA.Purchased: November, 2004
Firm or Company: Roto RooterDifficulty of Access: average
Had clogged toilet. Called Roto Rooter. They snaked it out but the snake got stuck. Cost $1000 to dig out the front yard pull the pipe and put a new sewer pipe in. Unfortunately I later found this was a common scam.
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Amount: $1,000.00 roots in toilet
Posted by: MeMe in Fontana, CA.Purchased: September, 2001
Firm or Company: Difficulty of Access: small downstairs bathroom
had 2 plumbers remove toilet and roots from pipe. also had to cut out concrete and replace with new pipes. It took them 5 hours. I paid 1000.00. They did a good job.
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Amount: $348.00 Main line clog
Posted by: Moe in Foster City, CA.Purchased: 2009
Firm or Company: Gary's Guaranteed RooterDifficulty of Access: 4 foot crawl space/tri-level home
Was Thanksgiving and the two tech's were very professional and addressed all my questions and concerns. I had previously draino'd the clog free, but a week later clogged again. They said that I have a bad main line, either a collapsed pip or offset coupling and it would cost about $2000 and stated that the issue us occuring about 100 feet from the drain putting it just at the city's system. They stated that it may clog again and I should get it replaced, going to call the city to see what the policy is for piping issues in city system. Will try to post a follow-up to let you guys know how it turns out
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Amount: $0.00 drain cleaning
Posted by: a user in silverdale, WA.Purchased: January, 2009
i'am a plumber, and i do agree, plumbing work is expensive, some companies charge waaaay too much, but being a plumber is not an easy task.....some people say we get doctors wages, not even close, but i'd say this, do doctors come to you? you're not just paying for a 10 min job, you're paying for the knowledge as well. it's a very difficult job. you may have said, "i could have done that" well, why did you call a plumber then? water heaters, tiolets, drain cleaning, sewer repairs, water line repairs, pump repairs etc etc, there are thousands of things we have to know how to fix, and then there are thousands of things we have to know for each one of those thousand things. it's not an easy job at all. but i do agree, $200 to auger a toilet is insain
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Amount: $275.00 drain cleaning
Posted by: a user in Springfield, NJ.Purchased: December, 2009
Had a sewer line cleaned.... Moist wipes and tampons... They were here 25 minutes at the least, and came recommended. I think they were a little high, replacing that one part of the line that has scale would have cost me 500... I had no Idea that it would cost that much, I cost me less at the dentist... Cleaning, set of xray's and doctor consultation...Insane!!!
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Amount: $95.00 Clogged Toilet
Posted by: TORO in West Hartford, CT.Purchased: December, 2009
Firm or Company: RotoRooterDifficulty of Access: easy
They came and were going to charge 175, but I told him to skip it, and he called his manager and got it dropped to 95. I also told him it's just a paper clog. 20 minutes later he was done, and sure enough it was a paper clog. He just snaked it out.
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Amount: $550.00 kitchen sink + main drain
Posted by: a user in Wynnewood, PA.Purchased: December, 2009
Firm or Company: Roto-rooterDifficulty of Access: easy
"zip code pricing" is what one of my contractor friends calls it. Unfortunately, there are too many people in my zip codes who drive nice cars, so the standard Roto-rooter price seems to be $315 for the first job (my kitchen sink). Fortunately, I've been procrastinating on having the main drain (terracotta drain tile) checked for tree roots, so I had them look at it as well (there was something in there, but I think it was sanitary wipes and not tree roots). Since they were already here, I got a $75 "discount" on this second job. But only these two drain problems after living in an 80-year-old house for 8 years isn't bad, so I paid the man.
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Amount: $354.00 unclogging a bathroom sink
Posted by: Roto Rooter-Cold Night. in Staten Island, NY.Purchased: December, 2009
Firm or Company: Roto RooterDifficulty of Access: Not at All
Other Work: N/A
Roto Rooter said over the phone said they charge the same price during the day that they do at night. I paid $354 for Root Rooter to come in take the bathroom sink pipes apart, put a a industrial snake in the pipe wall and clear it out. He was there maybe 30 minutes, including the 7 minutes he spent in his truck making up the bill. He also said he gave a $20 discount and gave a six month guarantee. The sink is unclogged and flows freely. Having said that, I think the price was excessively high. Painfully lesson to learn. How much should have been payed for that type of job at night and in the daytime?
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Amount: $475.00 unclogging a main line
Posted by: Verona homeowner in Verona, NJ.Purchased: January, 2010
Firm or Company: Roto-RooterDifficulty of Access: easy
Other Work: slid wash machine over, vacuumed up gook
Our basement sink was backed up and not moving at all, on a Saturday and into Sunday. It had been running slow for months, and it looked ike this was it. Roto-Rooter showed up within 45 minutes of my call, and asked for $350 plus $25 tax to do the job. It was a messy job, black gunk shot out all over mu basement floor (just painted concrete, thank goodness).

We tested the kitchen sink and it was very slow too, almost stopped flowing. The RR guy tells me it will be another $350 to do the kitchen sink, but with a 10% discount - this is to provide the 6 month guarantee. I balked - almost double the price? So he looks at me sideways and says, if I tip him, he'll do it for free. So he rooted it, and got it going well. Then I mentuioned the tub, and he said, for an extra $100 he'll do the tub too. I said yes. The tub was unneccesary, though, almost no improvement after rooting.

He then got his shop vac and vaccumed up just about all of the black water and gook on my basement floor.

My opinion? $350 is a HUGE amount of money for the job he did, even though it was dirty. I expected to pay half that. And, only one job per $350 charge? Ridiculous! He told me there was a "package deal" of ten lines for $950. So, there's nothing inbetween? One line or ten?

I would like to kow if this is the official RR pricing policy. It seems crazy to me to expect a customer to pay nearly the full price of a housecall for every line cleaned. He was already there with his tools. And, I can't believe I "tipped" him $100. I have never tipped anyone that much money in my life!

End of story, I will most certainly avoid usning RR again; if it hadn't been a real emergency (Sunday morning, no laundry done, no baths/showers taken , school/work the next day) I would have called a local plumber. The standard advice is still true - get competitive bids from at least three reputable (different! see "phone book" comment by San Jose, CA author above) plumbers.
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Amount: $130.00 Unclogging a kitchen sink
Posted by: a user in Tampa, FL.Purchased: February, 2010
All they had to do is go on the roof to the vent and stick the snake down it to unclog the mess. The job took about 20 mins and the house is 50 years old, so who knows when it had been done before. My advice just rent the equipment and do it yourself to save some $$$.
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Amount: $115.00 Unclogging the Bathroom
Posted by: bardoe in Hawthorne, CA.Purchased: February, 2010
Firm or Company: Bob and MarcDifficulty of Access: Access in the back yard
This job only took 5 minutes to do. I will rent and do it myself from now on. America is ripping it each other off.
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Amount: $448.12 Unclogging the Main Drain Pipe
Posted by: a user in Gaithersburg, MD.Purchased: February, 2010
Firm or Company: Roto RooterDifficulty of Access: easy
They just used a drain cleaning machine to drill out the clog. The total time from arrival to finish is about 20 minutes. Lucky at the end I ask him what is the root cause and he threw in the camera inspection into the package. But I think it is still pretty expensive.
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Amount: $187.50 Main Line Clogged
Posted by: Boston in Fort Worth, TX.Purchased: February, 2010
Firm or Company: Lair PlumbingDifficulty of Access: ground cleanout
Other Work: No
Apartments clogged on Sunday night 7:30, called plumber and he was here in 30 minutes. Charged Time and a half for one hours work. Recommended sewer jetting.
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Amount: $857.00 Main sewer line cleared
Posted by: a user in Baltimore, MD.Purchased: March, 2010
Firm or Company: Roto-RooterDifficulty of Access: toilet removed
Other Work: No
They snaked out my main sewer line - which has been done several times in the past by roto-rooter and other plumbers never charging more than $415. The roto rooter plumber did not speak English in a manner that I could easily understand. In retrospect, I should have called Roto-Rooter and canceled when I couldn't understand their plumber, before letting him Roto-ROOK me for 2x's what any other plumber would charge!
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Amount: $29.15 Main kitchen drain, sink and dishwasher
Posted by: Dirty Red in Lexington, KY.Purchased: March, 2010
Firm or Company: Bryant's Rent-allDifficulty of Access: U-trap removed
Other Work: Self
Renting a pipe snake has proven to be a very cost effective means to remove a drain clog. I spent 29.15 to rent an auto-feed pipe snake for half a day. I could have taken a manual one for a slightly less price, but being very unfamiliar with them, I chose the one that seemed to require less work. I spent perhaps 30 minutes using the machine, I sent it through the drain twice and now I have a perfectly flowing drain again. Novice doesn't even come close to describing my inept plumbing skills and I was able to manage this. I highly recommend checking with any tool/plumbing supply companies in your area for those that rent a pipe snake. Be sure to consult the rental company for all safety and operational information about the machine you rent. Good luck!
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Amount: $838.15 Clogged bathroom drain
Posted by: Bob Wolf in Cape Coral, FL.Purchased: 2010
Firm or Company: Roto RooterDifficulty of Access: none, easy cleanouts
Other Work: none
Estimate $600.00 so my tenant said "go ahead" then paid the bill of $838.15 for an hour and a half's work, from the ground PVC clean out. I called Roto Rooter and they said a manager would call back to discuss, no calls. Checking local plumbers avg. would have charged $300-$400.
I highly recommend not giving Roto Rooter any business, as they are unscrupulous and way over priced.
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Amount: $402.00 Main pipe
Posted by: lisaMarie in Brookyn, NY.Purchased: April, 2010
Firm or Company: Roto RooterDifficulty of Access: easy
Other Work: none
my basement was flooded. i could not take a shower or even brush my teeth without the water backing up into the basement floor. it was a mess because of two small kids going to the bathroom contantly. i had a plumber come and he told me it was the main pipe. the job took less than 30mins and i felt i was taken. i had no damage in my pipe, but for just 20mins, that is too much money. i will never do this again. i will just call those $39.95 plumber. i felt sheated.
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Amount: $205.00 Clogged Toilet
Posted by: Salmano in redondo beach, CA.Purchased: March, 2009
Firm or Company: fix all rootersDifficulty of Access: quite easy
I had an obvious clogged toilet. What do I do?? google?? precisely..
2 hours late of the appointed time the guy arrived. Whenever I flush the water just keeps rising. he told me its gonna cost you 70 bucks to insert some sort of snake. He then realized that there was no use.. so he resorted to plucking that whole thing up and hosing it down which costed me a whopping 250 bucks for lifting the shitter and installing a new wax ring..
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Amount: $10.00 unclogging a toilet
Posted by: Kimmie in Fort Lauderdale, FL.Purchased: April, 2010
Firm or Company: MyselfDifficulty of Access: Medium
My daughter accidentally flushed the toilet paper holder down the toilet, so instead of calling for a plumber I did it myself. It cost me about 10 minutes of my time, and $10.00 to reseal the base......Money saved:)Happy flushing....
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Amount: $450.00 parti
Posted by: Uzo in Portsmouth, VA.Purchased: March, 2009
Firm or Company: A-1 AmericanDifficulty of Access: Not difficult, from the washer drain
Other Work: ally clogged washer drain
Partially clogged washer drain. paid $450 after 10% discount. I think this is crazy. All he did was to snake my pipeline, less than 12 feet i guess to the main line. The work was less than 30 mins.This people are heartless!!!
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Amount: $900.00 toilet backed up for the 3rd time in 2 yrs.
Posted by: a user in waretown, NJ.Purchased: September, 2009
Firm or Company: roto rooterDifficulty of Access:
Other Work: none
I had my toilet snaked 3 times by both plumbers and roto rooters. They both gave me different opions as to what the problem is. Should I go ahead and dig up my yard to see if it is the roots around the pipes?I keep having the same problem. please help!
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Amount: $199.00 Kita
Posted by: Kita in Philadelphia, PA.Purchased: May, 2010
Firm or Company: Precision PlusDifficulty of Access: Clogged Toilet
Other Work: complimentary drain cleanings
I have two children, one of whom is seven, who use way too much toilet paper. First, the water went down slow then it just wouldn't go down @ all but nursing a broken ankle and not being able to get to a hardware store makes your options very limited. Anyway, I did some research and went to the yellow pages and found Precision Plus and I liked their websites and well as reviews and decided to give then a call. To make a long story short, I called and was able to speak to someone directly and he came out in about and hour. Once here he unclogged the toilet and I was very satisfied with the service. Being a renter I wasn't aware that a plumber would cost so much because I would call maintenance and my problem would be solved, but time was of the essence with this one so I coughed up the money.
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Amount: $377.40 Kitchen Drain Uncloggin
Posted by: a user in Germantown, MD.Purchased: May, 2010
Firm or Company: Your 1 Plumber, LLCDifficulty of Access: very easy
Other Work: N/A
Since the company did not give any price ranges over the phone I had to call in. Technician came out very fast and charged 29 dollars on the spot. The estimate of $377.40 for snaking the drain, but was quickly lowered to $266 after my complain that the price is way too high. Nevertheless, I decided not to pay the amount and fixed it myself for $27 dollars (the price of the most expensive sewer snake at home depot)
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Amount: $220.00 clogged drain in laundry room
Posted by: big jeremy poppa in columbus, OH.Purchased: June, 2010
Firm or Company: rotor rooterDifficulty of Access: easy
Other Work: helped move my washer into the room
nice guy, seemed expensive. i wasn't sure how much others charge so i dint get other quotes, i just wanted the job done. however if i got overcharged, the guy made sure my washer worked and that my drain didn't backup. he also helped me move the washer machine back into the room since i had removed it earlier. so we ran it a couple of times. they also give you a 6 month service guarantee, which is nice but not sure ill use it in six months. i've heard its easy and some say its something that you should leave to the plumber, snaking the drain.
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Amount: $70.00 Main drain
Posted by: user in Annandale VA in Annandale, VA.Purchased: July, 2010
Firm or Company: Difficulty of Access: lil tricky finding access in basement
Rented a 50ft snake and had the job done in 15 once I found the right access point. Plumber charged $400.00 last time and wanted $500.00 this time. It was way easy to do (though a little messy....getting snake outside and rinsed off.) My first time doing it. I'm female in 50's...so anyone can do this.
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Amount: $303.00 Snaking 2 slow drains, & repair a leaking toilet
Posted by: Tamara in Hagerstown, MD.Purchased: July, 2010
Firm or Company: Roto RooterDifficulty of Access: Zip, Zero, None
After receiving a bill for $303 for a simple snake of a kitchen drain, a simple snake for a bathtub, both due to slow drainage, and the replacement of an 8" piece of tubing going from toilet tank to water source I felt really taken advantage of. While I was not home at the time, my family told me the plumber was there less than 1/2 an hour. I called the billing number to review the invoice. Turns out according to them, the invoice was correct. They charge by item for a simple snake for the kitchen sink-$143, a simple snake for the bath tub-$104-oh, he gave me 25% discount for that--why--who knows. For the plumbing portion (replacing the tube on the bottom of the tank to the water spigot), they charge a per hour rate. This charge was $75.00. Still not clear if that was broken down for the 5 min. repair of how they figured that exactly.

Wish I say this site first and had asked for a quote.

Never will use Roto Robbers again.
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