A drain that gurgles or backs up is your house telling you something is stuck. I clear the clog and then tell you what caused it so it does not come right back.
Kitchen lines clog from grease and food that cooled and hardened in the pipe. Bathroom drains clog from hair and soap. Main lines back up from wipes, roots, or decades of buildup. The older streets in Plaza Midwood, Dilworth, and Wesley Heights still run original clay and cast iron laterals, and Charlotte's willow oaks send roots straight into those old joints. Those lines need a camera look, not just another snaking.
A simple sink or tub clog usually clears with a drain machine for about $99 to $250. A main-line stoppage runs around $150 to $400 depending on the access point. When a line keeps clogging, hydro jetting scours the full diameter of the pipe with high-pressure water and runs about $350 to $700. Jetting costs more up front but it actually cleans the pipe wall instead of just poking a hole through the blockage, so you go longer before the next call.
If more than one fixture backs up at the same time, or you hear the toilet gurgle when the washer drains, the issue is usually in the main line, not the fixture. That is when a sewer camera earns its keep. For about $150 to $300 I can put a camera down the line and show you exactly what is happening, whether it is roots at a clay joint, a sag in our shifting red clay soil, or a break. You see the screen, so you are not taking my word for it.
A standard sink, tub, or shower clog usually runs $99 to $250. A clogged main line is more like $150 to $400 because it needs a bigger machine and a proper cleanout access point. If the line keeps backing up, hydro jetting runs about $350 to $700 and does a far more thorough job. You get a flat price before the work starts. If I find the real cause is a broken or root-filled pipe, I will show you on a camera before we talk about anything bigger.
For most clogs, yes. The store-bought stuff sits on top of the blockage and can eat at older pipes and fittings while barely touching a hair or grease clog further down. I have pulled apart plenty of traps in older Charlotte houses that were corroded by repeat use of those products. A drain machine or a jet removes the actual blockage instead of leaving caustic liquid sitting in your pipe. If you already poured some in, tell me so I know to be careful when I open things up.
A drain that clogs in the same place over and over usually means the pipe has a problem, not just a fresh blockage. Common causes in Charlotte are willow oak roots in an old clay lateral, a low spot where our clay soil has settled under the pipe, or scale narrowing an old cast iron line. A quick camera inspection shows which one it is. Once you can see the cause, you can decide between regular maintenance jetting or a spot repair instead of paying for the same snaking every few months.
Yes, that is one of the most common calls I get. A main-line backup shows up as multiple drains backing up at once, often the lowest one first, like a first-floor toilet or a tub. I use a larger cabling machine through your cleanout to clear it, then I can camera the line to see why it happened. Roots and old clay joints are the usual culprits around here. Clearing the immediate backup is the priority, then we talk about keeping it from returning.
The phone gets answered seven days a week, early to late. Tell me what is going on and you will have a straight answer and a real price within a couple of minutes.
📞 Call (702) 899-7786