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  • stdreb27

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    0   0   0
    Dec 12, 2011
    3,907
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    Corpus christi
    Hey, roughly how much should a plumber cost to show up and spend however long it takes to snake out some pipes?

    I have this one person telling me a "rotorooter" type service may end up running me 2-300 bucks.

    For that I'd just order a powered snake system.
     

    breakingcontact

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    Oct 16, 2012
    18,298
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    Indianapolis
    it depends how far down in the line your issue is.

    Still in the house, just a regular snake may work. $100?

    If it's outside, then it will take one of them big spool jobs on wheels. $200+ BUT, you can rent them too. $50?
     

    Acera

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    6   0   0
    Jan 17, 2011
    7,596
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    Republic of Texas
    Some of The Home Depots have rental outlets where you can get one for 4 hours at a reasonable rate. I've done that before.






    Plus there is only 4 things you need to know as a plumber.
    1) Payday is on Friday.
    2) The boss is always right.
    3) Shit flows downhill.
    4) Don't bite your fingernails.


    Just minor details after that :)
     

    breakingcontact

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    Oct 16, 2012
    18,298
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    Indianapolis
    Hey, roughly how much should a plumber cost to show up and spend however long it takes to snake out some pipes?

    I have this one person telling me a "rotorooter" type service may end up running me 2-300 bucks.

    For that I'd just order a powered snake system.

    What do you think you are dealing with?

    I had some tree roots in my lines way out by the street. I think I paid $150 a few years ago. Guy rolls up in a van, problem is gone. What I liked is that if he got his stuff stuck in the lines, it was his problem, not mine with a rented machine.

    Only thing I've ever had hired done at my house was plumbers, twice, worth the money each time.

    If it's something more localized them snakes you run by hand or on a drill may get you by.

    Oh the joys of home ownership right? :)
     

    Dawico

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    Oct 15, 2009
    38,007
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    Lampasas, Texas
    My BIL is a liscensed plumber and he came over recently and snaked our sink. I already had the pipes apart under the cabinet and he was still here for over an hour. It ended up being pretty far down the line to the clog. A hand held snake wouldn't have done the job (not that I don't need one anyways).

    A service call usually runs about $60-$80 and may get you an hour depending on your market. That may not include getting a big machine out of the truck.

    I'd say $200 or less is about right if your situation isn't too bad. If they have to dig up pipes it can run way more.

    I also recommend avoiding the big name plumbers. Remember they have a ton of overhead to pay for so their prices usually reflect that. Plus a small company will usually give you better service as they need the business.

    All that being said, I am a do it yourselfer to the max. But it does require some skill and talent to get the snake headed in the right direction and to diagnose what is happening down the line. My BIL says that he can feel when the snake hits a broken pipe or other serious situation.

    Remember, most companies will give a free estimate if the job requires more than just a service call.
     

    stdreb27

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    Dec 12, 2011
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    Corpus christi
    To make a long story short. I am in a 50 year old house. That they repiped with PVC. So I've been hand snaking it. And it seems like more and more.

    My kitchen line is all the way clogged. And my hand snake is stuck. So I'm debating rent (40 bucks for 4 hours), pay a plumber (200-300 bucks) or go buy a fancy one (300 ish) for the cost of a plumber.

    I guess what I'm really debating is how often will I end up having to run do it.
    If I end up paying a guy 300 bucks and I don't have to again in years then shoot dang.
    But if it's something I'll end up having to maintain. Then I'd just as soon buy a powered snake and be done with it.
     
    Last edited:

    breakingcontact

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    Oct 16, 2012
    18,298
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    Indianapolis
    To make a long story short. I am in a 50 year old house. That they repiped with PVC. So I've been hand snaking it. And it seems like more and more.

    My kitchen line is all the way clogged. And my hand snake is stuck. So I'm debating rent (40 bucks for 4 hours), pay a plumber (200-300 bucks) or go buy a fancy one (300 ish) for the cost of a plumber.

    City sewer or septic?

    -Without Life there can be no Liberty-
     

    Dawico

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    Oct 15, 2009
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    Lampasas, Texas
    To make a long story short. I am in a 50 year old house. That they repiped with PVC. So I've been hand snaking it. And it seems like more and more.

    My kitchen line is all the way clogged. And my hand snake is stuck. So I'm debating rent (40 bucks for 4 hours), pay a plumber (200-300 bucks) or go buy a fancy one (300 ish) for the cost of a plumber.

    I guess what I'm really debating is how often will I end up having to run do it.
    If I end up paying a guy 300 bucks and I don't have to again in years then shoot dang.
    But if it's something I'll end up having to maintain. Then I'd just as soon buy a powered snake and be done with it.

    I wouldn't buy. $300 wouldn't buy a good enough snake with a cutting head to clear everything permanently. My BIL spent $500 on his small machine that he parted together. He said it would run $1000 to buy it as a unit. And that is his small machine. I don't think it carries enough line to run all the way to the main depending on your layout.

    Rental is a decent option. You can rent a decent size machine and hopefully a cutting head if necessary.

    The problem is getting rid of all the buildup in the lines out to the street. Kitchen sinks are bad about grease buildup. It it isn't fully removed it will keep clogging up. This is where a cutting head comes into play. A standard spring head will punch through the clog but it will not clear the line.

    I would try the rental first. If that doesn't work then call in a professional. Just my $.02.

    Good luck and buy some good gloves.
     

    Brains

    One of the idiots
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    3   0   0
    Apr 9, 2013
    6,904
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    Spring
    In my old house, somewhere around 2007 I think, I paid ~250 for a plumber to come out and unblock the main pipe from the house to the street after hours. I think just the after-hours fee was 99 of that. Not sure what the blockage was, but when I looked down the clean out hole next to the house the PVC looked nice and clean. I was just happy all the sinks and crappers were running more freely than they ever did since I had bought the place years prior. Never had an issue again either. Who knows what was down that pipe :)
     

    robertc1024

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    20   0   0
    Jan 22, 2013
    20,779
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    San Marcos
    +1 on the rental. Our main sewer line was clogged and it was ~$300 to have a plumber out. I looked over his shoulder the whole time. Next time it got clogged (thanks girls for flushing that pair of panties) I rented one for $40 and had the job done in 30 minutes.
     

    shortround

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    Jan 24, 2011
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    Grid 0409
    The main water supply to my house broke. Had a puddle of mud and water where the cast iron and pvc pipe joint broke. Turned off the water supply, dug up around the broken connection. Called a plumber. He charged $90.00 for the service call, but said I saved over $100 for having turned off the water, and digging up around the broken connection.

    The plumber worked his magic, and only charged me another forty bucks. That was on a Saturday.

    Years later, I called a company to pump out my septic tank. They had been here before and knew the layout. They charged me to scrape the soil off of the tank lids.

    Should have known ...
     

    ROGER4314

    Been Called "Flash" Since I Was A Kid!
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    1   0   0
    Jul 11, 2009
    10,444
    66
    East Houston
    Early this month, one of my septic tank lids collapsed. It was a metal tank and in very bad shape. I had it removed from the system and filled with dirt. The black water tank was also metal and in terrible shape. We installed a 500 gallon black water tank then replaced all the lines from the house to the new black water tank and then replaced the lines to the concrete grey water tank. From there, we ran new lines to the field lines. Just a paltry $2000 worth of work and about 3 days to complete!

    The point to this is that the original complaint was that the top of one of the tanks collapsed and left a huge, dangerous hole in the yard. By the time we dug out the rest of the tanks, and figured out what needed to be done, things got expensive in a hurry! Those metal septic tanks are crap! When we pulled it out, it looked like Swiss cheese! There was nothing left of it!

    Flash
     

    robocop10mm

    Active Member
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    3   0   0
    Jan 9, 2009
    996
    21
    Round Rock
    I had a plumber out last month for slow toilets. The main drain looked fine. He snaked two toilets (ground floor) and fixed the issue (somebody in the house needs more fiber and it ain't me). Waived the service call because of my job and I got out for $85. I felt fortunate.
     
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