Drain Cleaning in Houston, TX

Which fixture is slow, and what does that tell you?

The fixture points to the cause. Each room in a Houston home clogs for its own reasons, so start with where the water is sitting.

Kitchen sink clog

Grease, starch and food scraps build up past the trap and into the wall. Watch for water that drains in stages, a gulp from the disposal, or a sour smell from the sink. A dishwasher that leaves dirty water behind may share the same blocked line.

Bathtub drain and shower

Hair and soap film catch at the stopper and the trap. You will see standing water during a shower and a ring that takes a long time to go down.

Bathroom sink

Toothpaste, hair and soap collect on the pop-up stopper. This is often the simplest fix in the house.

Laundry drain

Lint collects where the washer standpipe meets the branch line, and water spills at the standpipe during the spin cycle. Texas home inspectors are not required to test washing machine drains, so a buyer may find this one after moving in.

If more than one room is slow, the problem has moved beyond a branch line. Read about sewer line cleaning before you try anything else.

Why do drains clog so often in Houston homes?

Grease does the most damage, and cool weather makes it worse. Houston Public Works ties 70% of the city's sewer overflows to fats, oils and grease, and warns that cold pipes turn that grease solid quickly. A kitchen line sits inside a slab or wall and can stay cool enough for fat to set before it gets far.

Pipe age is the next factor. Many Houston homes built before about 1980 still have cast iron branch drains, and a rough inner wall catches what smooth pipe would pass. Wipes are a third cause. Public Works says only pee, poo, toilet paper, soap and water belong in the drain, and "flushable" on the label does not change that advice.

How do we find the clog before clearing it?

We work from the fixture outward, so the cleaning matches the problem. First we run water at nearby fixtures to learn how far the trouble reaches. Then we check the trap and any cleanout on that branch. A cable that comes back with grease tells a different story from one that comes back with hair or roots.

If the clog keeps returning or the cable stops at the same spot, a sewer camera inspection shows what is in there.

Drain snake service, trap pull or jetting: which method fits?

The right method depends on what the clog is and how far away it sits.

Method	Best for	Trade-off
Plunger	Fresh clog near the fixture	Weak against grease further down
Trap pull	Clog at the sink, lost items	Sink only, some mess under the cabinet
Hand snake	Hair and soft clogs near the fixture	Short reach, opens a path only
Machine cable	Clogs past the first bends	Leaves the coating on the pipe wall
Hydro jetting	Grease and scale along the whole line	Needs a sound pipe and proper access

Jetting costs more than a cable, so it makes sense for lines that keep closing up, and a first-time clog rarely needs it.

What happens during drain cleaning in Houston?

A visit starts with the symptom and ends with a test at the fixture:

1. Call and tell us which drain is slow and what you have tried.
2. We protect the area and check how far the problem reaches.
3. We explain the likely cause and the method we suggest.
4. A clear, upfront quote covers that method, and you decide.
5. We clear the drain and run water to confirm the flow.
6. We go over what came out of the line and how to avoid a repeat.

What the visit covers

The work covers one branch line, from the fixture to where it joins the main drain: the trap, the arm into the wall, and the run a cable can reach from there or from a cleanout on that branch.

A kitchen call also looks at what shares that line. The dishwasher and disposal usually empty through the same trap arm, so one clog can show up at all three. A tub and a bathroom sink may share a branch too, which is why the visit runs water at the neighbors before the job is called done.

• A check of the affected fixture and nearby drains
• Clearing the blockage by trap, cable or the agreed method
• Refitting any trap that came off and checking it for drips
• A flow test at the fixture
• A plain account of what caused the clog

The main sewer to the street is a separate job. So is a cracked pipe, because cleaning cannot close a crack. If the cable points to either one, we stop and explain it first.

Old parts can fail during this work. A corroded slip nut or thin chrome trap may not survive coming off, so any replacement part is priced before it goes on.

Who may clear a drain under Texas rules?

Texas law sets out who may do this work. Under the Occupations Code, a drain cleaner-restricted registrant clears obstructions through a code-approved existing opening, while a drain cleaner may also install cleanouts and reset P-traps, both working under a responsible master plumber. The Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners holds those records.

The same statute counts drains and waste pipes as plumbing, so ask any drain company for the license number behind the job. Adding a cleanout or changing pipe can raise a permit question, and inside city limits that goes to the Houston Permitting Center.

What affects the cost of clearing a slow drain?

Access and distance matter more than the size of the clog. This Old House, in pricing updated March 30, 2026, lists drain line cleaning at $75 to $200 nationally. That is a market figure and not a PipeElectric price, and the same guide lists a camera inspection separately at $100 to $500. These factors move the number:

• Location: an open trap, or a line reachable only through a roof vent or cleanout
• Distance: how far the clog sits from the fixture
• Material: soft hair, or hardened grease and scale
• Pipe: modern plastic, or older cast iron that needs care
• Follow-up: whether a camera is needed to learn why it clogged

Tell us about anything already poured down the drain, since caustic water in the trap changes how it is opened. We look at the job and then give you a clear quote.

How do you keep a kitchen sink clog from coming back?

Keep fat, fiber and wipes out of the line. Wipe pans with a paper towel before washing, and put the towel in the trash. Use a strainer in the sink and in the tub, as Public Works advises, and follow EPA's habit of putting grease in the garbage in a closed container. Run the disposal with plenty of cold water, and do not feed it fibrous peelings or big loads of starch.

Why PipeElectric for drain cleaning?

A slow drain is a small job until someone makes a mess of it, so we stick to the basics customers mention:

• 18 Google reviews, 5.0 overall.
• Customers mention clean work, which counts when a trap comes off under your sink.
• Reviews mention plain explanations of what caused the problem.
• Reviews also mention fair pricing, and you see a clear, upfront quote before we start.
• Customers bring up on-time arrival too, which helps when the kitchen is out of action.

Our day starts at 7 AM Sunday through Friday. Evenings end at 8 PM, Fridays at 6 PM, and Saturdays stay closed. If a drain stops after we close, leave the fixture alone and call when we open.

We clear drains in Houston and nearby communities, including Pearland, Sugar Land, Spring and Humble.