Drain cleaning cost calculator
Clogged Drain Cleaning in Portsmouth, VA
See what clearing a clogged drain costs in Portsmouth, then talk with a plumber who works there.
On this page
- Plumbers working in Portsmouth
- One call, no form
- See the price range first
01
How Much Does Clogged Drain Cleaning Cost in Portsmouth?
A clogged kitchen sink in Portsmouth usually costs somewhere in a rough range of $140 to $350. A main sewer line clog takes a bigger machine and sometimes a camera inspection, so it runs higher, around $180 to $575. Roots in the line or a cleanout that is hard to get to can push the price up. The calculator below takes national drain cleaning costs and scales them to prices in the Portsmouth area. The result is a rough range, not a quote.
Estimated cost in Portsmouth
$140 to $350
Snaking, one visit
A rough range, not a quote
- Local prices
- About 2% below the U.S. average
The range covers clearing the clog on one visit. Pipe repairs, replacing a broken section and digging are priced separately. The plumber sees the drain and gives you the real price before starting.
02
Drain Cleaning Prices in Portsmouth by Drain
Prices in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area run about 2% below the U.S. average (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024). The calculator and the table adjust national drain cleaning prices by that much, so the numbers fit Portsmouth.
| Drain | Snake or auger | Hydro jetting |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen sink | $140 to $350 | $290 to $600 |
| Bathroom sink | $100 to $250 | $240 to $500 |
| Tub or shower | $120 to $300 | $240 to $550 |
| Toilet | $120 to $300 | Not used |
| Floor or laundry drain | $140 to $400 | $290 to $650 |
| Main sewer line | $180 to $575 | $340 to $900 |
| Outdoor or yard drain | $170 to $450 | $290 to $750 |
03
Clogged Drain Cleaning in Portsmouth
A clogged drain in Portsmouth rarely happens all at once. Grease and food scraps coat the kitchen line, and hair and soap scum collect in the bathroom P-trap, until one day the water simply sits there. A single slow sink usually means a clog near that fixture. If several drains back up together, or the tub fills when the toilet flushes, the problem is further down in the main sewer line.
When you call 888-681-1687, the call goes to a local plumber or drain cleaning company that works in Portsmouth. Say which drain is stopped, whether water is showing up anywhere else and what you have already tried. The plumber runs an independent business in Virginia and sets the price and the schedule. This site only connects the call. Ask for the price before any work begins.
04
Which Drain Is Clogged in Your Portsmouth Home?
Each drain clogs for its own reasons and gets cleared its own way. Find yours to see what usually causes it and what clearing it costs.
Kitchen sink
$140 to $350 to snake
What clogs it
Cooking grease and oil that cool and harden on the pipe wall, plus food scraps, coffee grounds and soap scum that stick to it. A garbage disposal sends more solids down, not fewer.
How it gets cleared
The plumber pulls the trap or opens the cleanout under the sink and runs a cable auger into the branch line. Lines packed with grease along their whole length get hydro jetted.
Watch for
A clog that comes back within weeks usually means grease lining the whole branch, not one plug. If the dishwasher backs into the sink, the clog is past the point where the two meet.
Bathroom sink
$100 to $250 to snake
What clogs it
Hair mixed with soap, toothpaste and shaving residue, caught on the pop-up stopper or in the trap. Small items dropped down the drain add to it.
How it gets cleared
Most get cleared at the stopper and the trap with a hand auger. A clog further down the wall line takes a small drum machine.
Watch for
Water that drains slowly from the sink and the tub at the same time points to a shared line, not the sink alone.
Tub or shower
$120 to $300 to snake
What clogs it
Hair is the main cause, bound together with soap scum and conditioner. Older tubs with a trip lever drain collect it in the overflow and the drum trap.
How it gets cleared
The plumber clears the stopper and runs a cable through the overflow opening or the drain. Old drum traps under the floor sometimes have to be opened.
Watch for
Water rising in the tub when the toilet flushes means the blockage is in the main line, not the tub drain.
Toilet
$120 to $300 to snake
What clogs it
Too much paper at once, wipes labeled flushable, paper towels, cotton swabs, dental floss and toys. Low-flow toilets from before about 2005 clog more often.
How it gets cleared
A toilet auger clears most clogs from the bowl without taking anything apart. A stubborn one means the toilet comes off the floor so the plumber can reach the line below.
Watch for
If more than one toilet or a floor drain gurgles or backs up, the main sewer line is the problem.
Floor or laundry drain
$140 to $400 to snake
What clogs it
Lint from the washing machine, sand and grit, soap, and in basements the silt that washes in. A dry trap lets sewer gas up as well.
How it gets cleared
The plumber snakes the drain from the grate or a nearby cleanout. Basement floor drains tied into the main line are often cleared from the main cleanout instead.
Watch for
Water coming up through a basement floor drain is usually a main line backup. Stop running water in the house until it is cleared.
Main sewer line
$180 to $575 to snake
What clogs it
Tree roots coming in at joints in clay and cast iron pipe, grease built up from years of kitchen use, wipes, and pipe that has sagged or cracked.
How it gets cleared
A large cable machine with a root cutter goes in through the outdoor or basement cleanout. Heavy buildup and roots get hydro jetted, and a camera shows what caused the clog.
Watch for
Backups in the lowest drains, gurgling toilets and several slow drains at once. A line that needs clearing every year may need repair, and the camera footage tells you.
Outdoor or yard drain
$170 to $450 to snake
What clogs it
Leaves, dirt, sand and roots in yard drains, area drains, driveway trench drains and the pipes that carry downspout water away.
How it gets cleared
Snaking or jetting from the drain opening or the outlet. Long runs and buried pipe often need a jetter to wash the silt out.
Watch for
Water pooling around the house after rain, or a downspout pipe that overflows at the top, means the line is blocked or crushed.
05
What Portsmouth Pipes, Trees and Weather Do to Drains
The ground around Portsmouth stays wet for much of the year, from heavy rain and, in many low-lying areas, a high water table. Wet soil presses on sewer lines and septic drain fields, so a slow drain can become a backup after a big storm. Roots grow fast in warm, wet ground, and live oaks, pines and other big yard trees can reach a cracked sewer lateral sooner than you might think.
The other usual cause is kitchen grease. Hot water carries grease down the sink, where it cools, hardens and catches food scraps until nothing gets through. Many homes in Virginia sit on a concrete slab, so the drain lines run under the floor. That makes a working cleanout important, and it is why a camera inspection usually comes before any talk of breaking concrete.
From the Tidewater to the mountains, drains in Portsmouth and across Virginia face very different ground. Near the coast, low land and a high water table stress septic fields and slow drainage after storms. The Piedmont has clay that holds water around buried pipe, and the Shenandoah Valley has harder water over limestone. Older homes have cast iron and clay lines, and oaks, maples and tulip poplars find the joints. Septic systems serve many rural and some suburban homes.
- High water table near the coast
- Clay soil in the Piedmont
- Harder water in the limestone valleys
- Roots from oaks, maples and tulip poplars
- Septic systems at many rural homes
When It Is More Than a Clog
A plunger or a hand snake can usually handle one slow sink. It is time to call a plumber when more than one drain is slow, when water comes up in a tub, shower or floor drain as something else drains, when a toilet gurgles while the washer empties, or when the same drain clogs again within weeks. Those signs point to the main sewer line or the pipe itself, not a single trap. When you talk to a plumber in Portsmouth, ask whether they plan to use a cable auger or hydro jetting, whether a camera inspection is included, and what happens to the price if they find roots or broken pipe.
06
Signs Your Portsmouth Drain Needs a Plumber
A drain normally gives some warning before it stops for good. Here are the signs to watch for in a Portsmouth home, and the ones that point past a simple clog to the main sewer line.
- Water drains slowly. A sink or tub that takes minutes to empty is narrowing inside. It usually gets worse until it stops.
- Drains gurgle. Bubbling or gurgling when water runs elsewhere means air is being pulled through a partly blocked line.
- Water backs up in another fixture. Water rising in the tub when the toilet flushes, or in the sink when the washer drains, points to a shared or main line clog.
- A sewer smell hangs around. Standing water and buildup in the pipe start to smell. So does a dry trap or a cracked line.
- The same drain keeps clogging. If the plunger comes out every few weeks, the cause is further down the line than the plunger reaches.
- Water comes up through a floor drain. A basement floor drain that pushes water up is the classic sign of a main sewer line backup.
07
What Happens When You Call
1
Call 888-681-1687
Use the number on this page. There is no form to fill out and no account to set up.
2
Talk to a local plumber
The call goes to an independent plumber or drain cleaning company that works in Portsmouth. Say which drain is stopped, whether water is backing up anywhere else and what you have already tried.
3
Agree on the price first
Ask for the price or how it is worked out before anyone starts, and what happens if they find roots or broken pipe. You decide whether to go ahead.
What a Typical Drain Cleaning Visit Includes
- Questions about the drain. Which fixtures are slow, when it started and what has gone down the drain. The answers often point to the cause before any tools come out.
- Getting to the clog. For a sink that can mean taking off the P-trap. For a main sewer line it means opening a cleanout outside or in the basement, or pulling a toilet when there is no cleanout.
- Clearing the line. A hand snake or cable auger for most sink, tub and toilet clogs, a larger machine with a root cutting head for the main line, or hydro jetting for grease and scale that keep coming back.
- Testing the flow. Running water through the line afterward to make sure it drains at full speed, and checking the other fixtures on the same line.
- A camera inspection when it makes sense. If the line keeps clogging or roots came back on the cable, a camera shows the condition of the pipe. Ask whether it is part of the visit or priced separately.
08
Drain Cleaning Across Portsmouth
A call to 888-681-1687 from Portsmouth goes to a plumber or drain cleaning company that covers your area. The ZIP codes and nearby communities below show the area this page covers. Each plumber sets their own service area, so if you live on the edge of Portsmouth or out past the city limits, say so when you call and ask whether a trip charge applies.
This page covers all of Portsmouth, including areas such as Egrets Cove, New Port and Waters Edge.
- County
- Portsmouth city
- Area codes
- 757, 948
- Local prices
- About 2% below the U.S. average
- Call
- 888-681-1687
Portsmouth ZIP Codes
Neighborhoods in Portsmouth
- Afton Commons
- Afton Village
- Amelia Cove
- Arbor Reach
- Arcadia Heights
- Armistead Forest
- Ashley Square
- Bayberry Commons
- Bayview Gardens
- Baywood
- Belmont
- Belvedere
- Bide-a-wee Manor
- Bishops Green
- Brandon Square
- Briarwood
- Brighton
- Carney Farm
- Castle Heights
- Cavalier Forest
- Cavalier Manor
- Cedar Point
- Cedarfield of Churchland
- Centre Port
- Century Homes
- Chowan Trace
- Churchland
- Churchland Croft
- Churchland Square
- Churchland West
- Collinswood
- Columbia Commons
- Columbia Place
- Craddock
- Cradock
- Cradock Colonials
- Cradock Gardens
- Crawford Bay
- Creekside
- Crescent Place
- Crystal Lake
- Cypress Cove Villas
- Cypress Point
- Dale Homes
- Deep Creek Village
- Douglass Park
- Downtown
- Ebenezer Plaza
- Ebony Heights
- Edgefield
- Edgefield East
- Edgewood Park
- Effingham Green
- Effingham Plaza
- Egrets Cove
- Elizabeth Acres
- Elizabeth Manor
- Elmhurst Square
- Fairview Heights
- Fairville
- First Watch At River Pointe
- Forrest Park
- Garden Homes
- Glendale
- Glenshellah
- Green Acres
- Green Lakes
- Greenbrier
- Greenefield Farms
- Grove Park
- Gwaltney Acres
- Hamilton Place
- Harbor Square
- Harbor Vista
- Hardee Point
- Hatton Point Estates
- Hatton Square
- Hattonsville
- Hattonsville Estates
- Hidden Cove
- Highland Biltmore
- Highland Park
- Hodges Ferry East
- Hodges Manor
- Holley Square At Westbury
- Holly Hill
- Hope Village
- Hosiers Oaks
- Hunters Point
- Huntington Park
- Independence Square
- Jordansville
- Kimberly Acres
- King Square
- Kingman Heights
- Kings Gate Crossing
- Lake Forest
- Lake Shores
- Lamper Place
- Lanier Gardens
- Lincoln Gardens
- Long Point
- Loxley Place
- Lynn Shores
- Manor View
- Maplewood Park
- Marsh Landing
- Mayflower Park
- Merrifields
- Merrifields Estates
- Merrimac Point
- Midfield Pointe
- Mimosa Cove
- Mount Hermon
- Mount Hermon Village
- New Gosport
- New Port
- Newtown
- Norcum Park
- North Point
- North Siesta Gardens
- North Truxtun
- Olde Towne
- Olde Towne Commons
- Olde Towne Square
- Onelia Acres
- Oregon Acres
- Park Manor
- Park View
- Peachtree
- Pepperwood
- Pine Acres
- Pinecroft
- Pinehurst
- Pointe of View
- Port Norfolk
- Portcentre Commerce Park
- Portside Manor
- Portsmouth Acres
- Portsmouth Estates
- Portsmouth Heights
- Portsmouth Olde Town
- Prentis Park
- Prentis Place
- Pride Homes
- River Cove
- River Park
- River Peace
- River Shores
- Rollingwood
- Sandie Point
- Seaboard Square
- Shea Terrace
- Siesta Gardens
- Simonsdale
- Skyler Cove
- South Fairview Heights
- South Loxley Place
- South Park Manor
- Southhampton
- Southside
- Southside Gardens
- Stanley Court
- Sterling Cove
- Sterling Point
- Stewart Manor
- Stone Mill Estates
- Sugar Hill
- Swanson Homes
- Sweetbriar
- Sweethaven
- Swimming Point
- The Lanterns
- The Lanterns II
- The Myrtles
- The Pointe
- Truxton
- Twin Pines
- Victory Park
- Village At Western Branch
- Waters Edge
- Waterview
- Waterview Colonial Manor
- West Cradock
- West Grove / Maple Shade
- West Norfolk
- West Park Homes
- West Park View
- Westbury
- Westhaven
- Westhaven Park
- Westmoreland
- Westwood
- Whispering Oaks
- Willow Breeze
- Wimbledon Chase
- Winchester Woods
- Windmill Shores
- Windy Pines
- Wise Beach
- Woodbine
- Woods of Hampton
- Worthington Square
09
Clogged Drain Cleaning Near Portsmouth
- Norfolk, VA
- Chesapeake, VA
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Suffolk, VA
- Hampton, VA
- Newport News, VA
- Poquoson, VA
- Windsor, VA
- Smithfield, VA
- Cape Charles, VA
- Franklin, VA
- Williamsburg, VA
Find a Plumber in Your City
10
Portsmouth Clogged Drain FAQ
How much does clogged drain cleaning cost in Portsmouth?
Clearing a clogged kitchen sink in Portsmouth usually falls in a rough range of $140 to $350. A main sewer line clog runs higher, around $180 to $575, and more if roots have to be cut or a camera inspection is added. The drain involved, how far down the clog sits and how easy the cleanout is to reach all move the number. These are rough ranges, not quotes. The plumber who takes your call sets the price, so ask for it before any work starts.
How soon can someone come out to Portsmouth?
That depends on the plumber who covers your part of Portsmouth and how full their schedule is. This site does not set anyone's schedule, so it cannot promise a time. When you call 888-681-1687, ask when they can get there and whether the timing changes the price. If water is rising or sewage is coming up, say so at the start of the call.
Should the drain be snaked or hydro jetted?
A drain snake, also called a cable auger, feeds a spinning cable down the pipe to break up or pull out the clog. It is the usual first step for sinks, tubs and toilets, and a larger machine does the same job on a main sewer line. Hydro jetting sprays water at high pressure to scour grease, scale and fine roots off the pipe walls, so it suits lines that keep clogging. It costs more, and old or cracked pipe may not take the pressure, so ask the plumber to check the line first, often with a camera inspection.
How do I know if it is the main sewer line?
Look at how many drains are involved. One slow sink is usually a clog in that fixture's trap or branch line. Suspect the main sewer line when several drains are slow at once, when water comes up in a tub, shower or basement floor drain as something else drains, when toilets gurgle, or when you smell sewage near a floor drain or cleanout. A main line clog is cleared from a cleanout with a longer machine, and a camera inspection shows whether roots or broken pipe caused it.
Are chemical drain cleaners a good idea?
Usually not. The strong ones work by heat and caustic or acid reactions, which can soften plastic joints, eat at old corroded pipe and harm the bacteria a septic tank depends on. They rarely clear wipes, roots or a solid grease plug, and when they fail you are left with a sink full of chemicals that the plumber has to work around. A plunger or a hand snake is a safer first try. If you have already poured something in, tell the plumber before they start.
What should I do while I wait for the plumber?
Stop sending water into the drain that is backed up. If it looks like the main line, stop using water anywhere in the house until the plumber gets there, including showers, laundry, the dishwasher and flushing. If a toilet is close to overflowing, turn the shutoff valve behind it clockwise. Move rugs and anything stored near a floor drain, keep kids and pets away from dirty water, and clear a path to the cleanout if you know where it is.
Who is the plumber I get connected to?
An independent local plumber or drain cleaning company that works in Portsmouth, VA. This site is a referral line: it connects the call. It does not clear drains, send anyone out or set the price. The plumber sets their own prices and schedule, so ask about the price, the method and what happens if they find a bigger problem before any work starts.
Water still standing in the sink or tub? Call 888-681-1687 and tell the plumber which drain is stopped, how long it has been slow and whether other drains are acting up. The call goes to a local plumber who works in Portsmouth, and nothing is booked until you have heard the price and agreed to it. Until then, a plunger is fine on a sink or toilet. Skip the chemical drain cleaner, since it can damage old pipe and makes the job riskier for whoever clears the line.