What’s the Cost of a Main Sewer Line Cleaning & Repair in Phoenix?

Updated June 2024

Once you get a clog in your pipe, it seems to snowball, and you just can’t get any water to actually go down the drain. Standing water in your showers or sinks can attract insects, grow bacteria, and produce bad smells. If you’ve tried all of the DIY recommendations for sewer line clean out and you still have standing water, you need to have your main sewer line repaired.

Sewer line cleaning costs in Phoenix averages $380, but can range from $150-700, depending on several factors:

• The location of the clog
• The severity of the clog
• The need for a camera to locate the clog
• The plumber you hire

To get an accurate diagnosis and upfront pricing before any work starts on your sewer line repair, you’ll need to speak with a certified Patrick Riley | Isley’s Plumbing expert. We’ll give you specifics on how much it will cost to clean your drain after assessing your home.

Signs That You Need Your Main Sewer Line Repaired

It can be tricky trying to determine whether you have a main sewer line clog or a secondary drain clog. The issues below are signs of a main sewer line clog. If you’re experiencing any of them, contact a Patrick Riley | Isley’s Plumbing expert right away to inspect the issue and get a clear diagnosis of your plumbing issues.

• Multiple drains in your home are backed up. All of your drains connect to a single main sewer line that runs from the roof of your home, out under your yard, and into the city sewer system. If you have multiple slow-moving or completely backed-up drains, you likely have a clog in your main sewer line and will need a plumber to clean it. Our sewer line repair and cleaning services help homeowners in Chandler, Gilbert, and other Maricopa county areas.
• When you use one water appliance, water backs up in a different plumbing fixture. For example, when you flush the toilet, you notice dirty water backing up in the bathtub or shower. This is a clear indication that you need a professional sewer line repair.

• Sewage is leaking from your home’s cleanout. Your cleanout is a pipe that plumbers use to access your main sewer line. This is normally located outside, so you would notice a foul odor and standing water in your yard. This can be dangerous and damaging to your property—contacting a Patrick Riley | Isley’s plumbing professional to clean your sewer line is the right call!
• Sewage is coming up from your home’s floor drains. Examples of this would be dirty sewage water coming through your shower drains, sink drains, etc.

4 Factors That Affect Sewer Line Cleaning Costs

Cost Factor #1: Location of the Clog

Drain clogs that are far away from your home’s “cleanout” will increase the cost of your sewer line clearing and repair.

Your main sewer line can be accessed from your home’s “cleanout,” which is typically located in your yard. The further from this cleanout access point your clog is, the more it will cost to repair your main sewer line. Reaching the clog will take more time and materials and increase the cost of the job.

Sometimes plumbers may have to access the clog via a “drain vent” on the roof. If this is the case, you can expect the plumber to charge more to clean your sewer line.

Cost Factor #2: Severity of the Clog

More severe clogs require more tools (and more labor), which raises the overall cost of the job to clean your drains.

A plumber may need to use more expensive tools to break up particularly severe clogs, which raises the cost of the sewer line cleaning in Chandler, Gilbert, and other parts of Greater Phoenix.

What determines how severe a clog is? What are the tools needed to break up clogs that are more severe? Let’s take a look.

Examples of Minor Clogs

Minor clogs are the most common clogs we see, and they’re typically easy to access and remove. These clogs are made of

• Hair
• A single item (e.g., a child’s toy)
• Thick paper products
• Fibrous foods (potatoes, celery, corn, corn husks, etc.)

Tools to Clean Up Minor Clogs

A plumbing snake (i.e., “auger”) is often used to repair minor clogs. A plumbing snake is a long metal coil with a claw-like device at the end that breaks apart the clog to get the drain cleared and water moving smoothly through the pipe.

How much does it cost for a plumber to snake a drain? This service is the most routine way we clear a drain. The average cost to have your drains snaked is $300.

If you think you need a professional to repair a clogged sewer system, schedule an appointment online or learn more about our sewer line cleaning services.

Examples of Major Clogs

These clogs can cause serious problems to sewer lines and are very hard to break up on their own. Major clogs are made of

• FOGs (fats, oils, or grease)
• Tree roots
• Mineral buildup

Tools to Repair Severe Clogs

A hydro jetter is used to break up tough clogs that a plumbing snake can’t handle. Hydro jet drain cleaning services use a flexible hose with a super powerful nozzle that shoots out water at very high pressures. This strong jet of water can break apart clogs, mineral buildup, and even tree roots inside your main sewer line.

How much does it cost for a plumber to hydro jet a drain? Hydro Jetting is a common way to clear a drain when a snake won’t do. This service starts at $560 Schedule an appointment online, and Patrick Riley | Isley’s experienced plumbers will come out and assess your sewer line repair needs.

Cost Factor #3: The Need for a Video Camera Inspection

If a video camera inspection is needed to locate the clog in your sewer line, this will usually cost an additional $150, but it can save you time and money in the long run.

Here are some reasons you may need a video camera inspection of your sewer line:

• You’re concerned with retrieving a lost item (e.g., a wedding ring that slipped down the shower drain).
• If the plumber fails to reach the clog with a plumbing snake, a video inspection will show how far down and how severe the clog is.
• The plumber needs to use a hydro jetter but isn’t sure the sewer line is strong enough to handle the high water pressure.
• You want video proof that the sewer line actually needs to be cleared or repaired (or want proof after the job is completed that the line is completely clear).

Cost Factor #4: Your Choice of Plumber

The higher quality the plumber, the more they typically charge for their sewer line cleaning services.

As with any service, the price you pay and the quality you get are closely linked. When looking for a plumber near your Gilbert or Phoenix home, we recommend that you carefully consider each company’s reputation and experience with sewer line cleaning and avoid going with the least-expensive option available.

See what our customers say about working with Patrick Riley | Isley’s.

Need Your Main Sewer Line Cleaned? Contact Our AZ Plumbers

Think you have a clogged main sewer line? Since your sewer line is a piece of critical infrastructure for your home, you want your repair done right the first time with the least amount of damage to your property. Contact Patrick Riley | Isley’s Plumbing for sewer line repair and cleaning services you can trust. We’ll send over a professional plumbing technician who will walk you through the steps and provide the sewer line cleaning cost up front before they begin an effective cleaning of your main sewer line.

And the best part? We promise you’ll be happy with our sewer line repair services—otherwise, we’ll redo the job FOR FREE.

Written by: Patrick Riley Cooling, Heating, & Plumbing

Originally published: March 06, 2018