We all know that there are some things that just shouldn’t go down the drain. Flushable wipes, oil, grease – a lot of things shouldn’t make it down your drain and when they do, they may make themselves known again in your main sewer line in the form of clogs. Of course, even if you are careful about what is put down the drain, problems can still manifest naturally if roots decide to break into the line looking for moisture and nutrients. These roots will continue to grow and cause similar clog problems.
Signs you have a clog in your main sewer line include frequently clogging toilets, percolating toilets when using other water features, and various drains backing up. These all seem like problems on their own, but they are all due to a clog in the main line where all the drains connect.
Breaking Down the Cost of Unclogging a Main Line
With any repair, you will immediately wonder what will be the damage on your wallet. Unfortunately, the deeper a plumber needs to go in the system, the more it will cost you. As the main line is as deep as things go, you can expect to pay about $500 to have it unclogged. This can be broken down into several parts, including:
- Labor – This is what you will pay the plumber coming out to fix the problem. The accessibility of the clog and the severity of the clog will all contribute to higher labor costs as it will likely take them more time to fix it.
- Camera Inspection – If your home is manifesting symptoms of a main sewer line clog, your plumber will want to do a camera inspection to see where the clog is located, how severe it is, and how best to remove it.
- Removal Method – In some cases, a snaking of the main line may be enough to break up the clog so it can be flushed out. This will cost less than if they need to hydrojet the line in order to remove the clog completely. Hydrojetting is usually the preferred method as it fully cleans the sides of your pipe and will prevent a clog from coming back in that same area sooner.
- Repairs – A major increase in cost to main line unclogging often comes from the need to make a repair in the main line. If it is discovered that the clogs were caused by a beach of tree roots, the line will need to be repaired to prevent that same problem from happening again.
- Emergency Service – If your main line clog is causing some catastrophic back up, you can expect to pay an extra cost for emergency service. However, if you are just starting to see symptoms, typically you can wait until service hours to avoid this.
While the unclogging process is a little pricey, you want to call a plumber to take care of it right away. The longer a clog stays, the worse the symptoms will become. Furthermore, you want to avoid excess damage to your main sewer line. While paying around $500 to unclog a main sewer line may sting a bit, the $1,500 to $4,000 it will cost to replace a main sewer line is going to sting a lot more.
Need Help? Contact SOS If You’re In A Mess!
Are you seeing early symptoms that indicated a main sewer line clog? Do you have any other plumbing problems that need taken care of before they become a catastrophe? We can help with that. Contact us today to see what SOS Drain & Sewer can do to help get your plumbing back to flowing freely.
