Drain Cleaning Cost: Snaking, Hydro Jetting, and Main Lines

Drain cleaning is priced by which line is blocked, whether there is a proper cleanout to work from, and the method the blockage requires — a hand or drum auger for a fixture, a large cable machine or hydro jetter for a main.

What does drain cleaning cost?

• Sink, tub, or shower branch line through an accessible cleanout or trap: $100–$250
• Toilet auger or pull-and-reset: $150–$350
• Main sewer line through an exterior cleanout: $200–$500
• Main line with no cleanout (pulling a toilet or roof vent access): $350–$700
• Hydro jetting a main or grease-laden line: $400–$900
• Camera inspection: $150–$400, often credited toward a repair

What drives the price?

Access is the biggest factor. A ground-level, two-way cleanout is fast. No cleanout means roof work or pulling a fixture, which doubles the labor. The type of stoppage matters too — soft blockages clear with a cable; grease, scale, and root intrusion need jetting or a repair.

When should the estimate recommend a camera?

Repeat backups, a main line that cables open but re-clogs within weeks, gurgling across multiple fixtures, or an old clay or cast-iron sewer. The camera turns a guessing game into a scoped repair quote — recommend it after the second visit, not the first.

How do you set customer expectations in the quote?

State that drain cleaning restores flow but does not repair a damaged pipe, that a line which will not clear may need excavation or lining, and whether your price includes a warranty window on that specific line. Roots and structural defects are repair quotes, not cleaning quotes.