Commercial Drain Cleaning: Snaking, Jetting, and Costs
Drain cleaning is the job people put off until the water is already on the floor, which is exactly when it costs the most. A slow sink is a warning. A backed-up main during a lunch rush is a closed kitchen. Whether you run a single home or a strip of restaurants, the difference between a cheap fix and an expensive one is catching the clog early and matching the method to the line, not reaching for a bottle of caustic cleaner that eats the pipe.
Short answer: Basic drain snaking runs about $150 to $450 in 2026, and hydro jetting runs $350 to $800 for a home and $500 to $3,000 for commercial lines with grease and larger diameters. The Handy Geeks prices both across its four markets, and a camera inspection first is what stops you paying to clear the wrong line.
Clogged drainage is also one of the systems that quietly runs up a commercial repair bill, the kind covered in what actually fails first in commercial plumbing.
How Much Does Drain Cleaning Cost in 2026?
Snaking a single fixture runs about $150 to $350, per Angi and industry pricing, and a main line runs higher because of access. Hydro jetting, which scours the pipe wall rather than punching a hole through the clog, runs $350 to $800 residential and $500 to $3,000 or more for commercial lines with grease, roots, or large diameters. Restaurants also carry grease-trap service on top of that.
According to The Handy Geeks’ 2026 pricing across Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Phoenix, and Las Vegas, drain work falls into these bands:
| Service | The Handy Geeks 2026 Range | What Moves It |
|---|---|---|
| Fixture snaking (sink, tub, toilet) | $150 to $350 | Access and how far the clog sits |
| Main line snaking | $250 to $500 | Cleanout access and line length |
| Hydro jetting, residential | $350 to $800 | Clog type and pipe condition |
| Hydro jetting, commercial | $500 to $3,000 | Grease, diameter, and branch count |
| Grease trap cleaning | $175 to $750 per visit | Trap size and accumulated FOG |
| Camera inspection | $150 to $400 | Standalone or credited into the work |
Read one row and you have a number before anyone opens a cleanout. It also belongs on a property’s preventive maintenance schedule rather than waiting for the backup.
Snaking or Hydro Jetting: Which Do You Need?
Snaking clears a single clog fast and cheap, which makes it right for a hair-blocked shower or a one-off stoppage. Hydro jetting cleans the whole pipe wall with high-pressure water, so it is the call for grease buildup, roots, and any line that keeps clogging. In a commercial kitchen the grease coats the pipe, and only jetting actually removes it, which is why restaurants run it on a schedule instead of snaking the same line every month.
What Are the Signs a Drain Needs a Pro?
Several drains slow at once, which points at the main rather than a fixture. Gurgling, sewage smell, or water backing up in a lower fixture when you run an upper one all mean the blockage is downstream and past the reach of a plunger. At that point a camera inspection finds the cause before anyone guesses, and it is cheaper than clearing the wrong line twice. Skip the caustic drain chemicals, since they damage older pipe and rarely touch grease or roots.
Why Do Commercial Drains Clog Differently?
Fats, oils, and grease, mostly. A restaurant or cafeteria puts FOG down the line every service, and it cools and hardens on the pipe wall until the diameter closes. That is why commercial drainage needs jetting and a maintained grease trap, and why the fix is a schedule rather than a callout. The federal EPA guidance on sanitary sewer overflows treats FOG as a leading cause of backups, and many cities enforce grease-trap servicing for that reason. Handling it before it backs up is squarely a facilities job, which is where one insured vendor on a maintenance rotation earns its keep.
What you get when we handle the drains
- Insured to $2 million in general liability. Ask for the certificate and it comes back the same day.
- Camera inspection first, so you pay to clear the right line once.
- Snaking, jetting, and grease-trap service under one vendor, scheduled around your hours.
- Flat quotes on defined work, no caustic chemicals that damage pipe.
- Coverage across Southern California, the Bay Area, Phoenix, and Las Vegas.
See our full service list or the portfolio, and our Google Maps profile for reviews and directions. Recurring backups belong in your annual repair budget, not the emergency line.
Call Or Text +1 818-835-0556
Tell us which drains are slow and whether it is a home or a commercial kitchen, and we will quote the right method. Or book an appointment directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Does Drain Cleaning Cost in 2026?
Fixture snaking runs about $150 to $350, and hydro jetting runs $350 to $800 for a home or $500 to $3,000 for commercial lines. Grease-trap cleaning adds $175 to $750 per visit.
Is Hydro Jetting Better Than Snaking?
For grease, roots, or a line that keeps clogging, yes, because jetting cleans the whole pipe wall instead of punching one hole through the blockage. Snaking is fine for a single one-off clog.
Why Does My Commercial Kitchen Drain Keep Clogging?
Fats, oils, and grease coat the pipe every service and harden until the line closes. Only jetting removes that buildup, so commercial kitchens run it and grease-trap service on a schedule rather than snaking repeatedly.
Should I Use Chemical Drain Cleaners?
No. Caustic cleaners damage older pipe, rarely clear grease or roots, and can make a professional clearing harder. A snake or a jet does the job without harming the line.
When Do I Need a Camera Inspection?
When several drains slow at once, a line keeps clogging, or you smell sewage. A camera finds the cause before anyone guesses, which is cheaper than clearing the wrong line twice.
Do You Service Grease Traps?
Yes. We clean and service grease traps and jet the kitchen lines on a schedule, which keeps a restaurant compliant and out of a mid-service backup.
Where We Operate
We handle drain cleaning across four markets. In Southern California that covers Los Angeles, Long Beach, Pasadena, Calabasas, and the San Fernando Valley towns of Woodland Hills, Canoga Park, West Hills, and Topanga, plus Orange County and San Diego. In Northern California we work San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and Sacramento, and we also cover the Phoenix and Scottsdale metro and the Las Vegas valley.
The short version
Drain cleaning is cheap when it is planned and expensive when it is an emergency. Match the method to the line, snake a one-off and jet a repeat, keep a camera in the mix so you clear the right pipe, and put commercial grease lines on a schedule. Do that and the water stays where it belongs.
Anyway. Tell us what is slow when you are ready. Call or text +1 818-835-0556, or reach us here and we will quote the right method.
Last verified: August 2026