Drains are the one job where the cheap fix and the good fix look identical from where you are standing. Water goes down either way. Only one of them is still working in six months.
The short version:
- Clearing a drain: $244 to $4,843. Where you land depends on what is in the pipe, not how long we were there.
- Kitchen jetting: $1,564. That is the answer to grease. Cabling only punches a hole through it.
- If the same drain clogs twice, stop buying clearings. Buy a camera.
- Several drains slow at once? That is the main line, and a different page.
- Hard water is why this happens more here. Scale gives everything else something to grab.
What we mean when we say
- Cabling, or snaking
- A motorized cable fed down the line to break through a clog. Fast, great on hair and solids. It clears a path. It does not clean the pipe.
- Hydro jetting
- High pressure water that scrubs the whole inside of the pipe. The difference between a hole through the grease and a clean pipe.
- Branch line
- The drain for one fixture, before it joins the main. Blocked branch, one unhappy sink.
- Main line
- The one drain carrying everything out of the house. Problems here show at the lowest drain first.
- Cleanout
- A capped access point into the drain system. Having one saves us pulling a toilet to get started.
- AAV
- Air admittance valve. A one way vent that lets air in so water can flow. They fail shut, and a failed one looks exactly like a clog.
- P-trap
- The curved bit under your sink holding water and blocking sewer gas. Where most simple clogs actually live.
- Scale
- Mineral buildup from hard water on the inside of the pipe. Narrows it and gives grease a rough surface to stick to.
What drain work costs here
| Service | Typical price in Las Vegas |
|---|---|
| Drain clearing | $244 to $4,843 |
| Drain repairs | $254 to $3,256 |
| Kitchen line jetting | $1,564 |
| Air admittance (AAV) vent | $311 |
Prices are typical ranges for work in the Las Vegas valley. Final pricing depends on home size, access, materials and site conditions. All prices include professional installation and a 1-year workmanship warranty unless otherwise noted. Prices shown reflect a 10% buffer above base pricing. Customer-provided item pricing reflects installation labor only. Emergency and after-hours rates may apply.
That clearing range is wide for a fair reason. A hair clog in a bathroom sink and a grease packed kitchen line sixty feet from the nearest access are both called drain clearing, and they are nothing alike. Access, distance and what the clog is made of move the number.
About that jetting number
| National | Las Vegas | |
|---|---|---|
| Basic snaking, one fixture | $150 to $350 | From $244 |
| Hydro jetting | $400 to $900 | $1,564 for a kitchen line |
| Main line clearing | $250 to $600 | Within our clearing range |
| Camera inspection | $125 to $500 | $168 to $698 |
Jetting is the row that looks out of step, so here is the honest reason. National jetting averages mix a quick jet at an easy opening with a full kitchen main. Our $1,564 is the whole job: the full run scrubbed end to end. The cheaper number is usually describing less work.
Why drains clog more in this valley
Scale, at 16 grains
Valley water runs about 280 ppm, roughly 16 grains per gallon, and Henderson is higher. The USGS calls anything over 180 mg/L very hard. On the supply side that kills water heaters. On the drain side it coats the pipe and gives grease, soap and solids a rough surface to cling to. Smooth pipe sheds what scaled pipe keeps.
Grease cools fast
Kitchen waste leaves the sink warm and liquid, then cools in the line. What it cools onto matters, and a scaled pipe is the worst case. That is why kitchen lines are our most common jetting job, and why cabling one often buys only a few months.
Everything runs flat
Caliche is why we build on slabs. One result is that drain lines run under concrete at a shallow, carefully set fall instead of dropping into a basement. Less fall means less scouring speed, and a line with marginal fall collects.
Clear it or look at it?
| What is happening | Clear it | Camera it |
|---|---|---|
| First clog at this fixture | Yes | Not yet |
| Second clog, same line, within a year | Stop | Yes |
| Several fixtures slowing together | No, this is the main | Yes |
| Gurgling when another fixture drains | No | Venting or main line |
| Sewer smell with no clog | No | Failed AAV, dry trap or a break |
| Water backing up at the lowest drain | No | Main line, today |
The rule that saves the most money: pay for one clearing. If the same line clogs again, buy a camera instead of a second clearing. Two clearings plus a camera costs more than a camera plus the right repair.
Cable or jet?
| Cabling | Jetting | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Breaks a path through | Scrubs the whole pipe wall |
| Best for | Hair, solids, one obstruction | Grease, scale, buildup along a run |
| How long it holds | Until the leftover buildup closes the hole | Resets the pipe |
| Cost | Less today | More today, often less over two years |
| Skip it when | The buildup runs the whole length | The pipe is already cracked |
Jetting a cracked pipe can turn a leak into a failure, which is why the camera comes first on any line with history. In the right order, the camera pays for itself by stopping you from buying the wrong thing.
Most of this is same day
| Job | How long |
|---|---|
| Simple fixture clog | 30 to 60 minutes |
| Main line clearing | 1 to 2 hours |
| Camera inspection | 1 to 2 hours |
| Kitchen line jetting | 2 to 4 hours |
| Drain repair | Half a day to 2 days |
Most of it is same day. What is not same day is a repair the camera finds, since we have to locate the spot and plan access first.
Before you call us
- Put down the chemical drain cleaner. It rarely clears a real clog, it is hard on older pipe, and it makes the line hazardous for whoever opens it.
- Check whether it is one fixture or several. That one observation decides small bill or big bill.
- Run the washer and watch a nearby toilet. Gurgling means venting or main line, not a clog.
- Find your cleanout if you can. Our guide on finding it shows you where to look.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to unclog a drain in Las Vegas?
Clearing runs $244 to $4,843. One easy fixture sits at the bottom. A long grease packed kitchen line with awkward access sits well up it. Drain repairs run $254 to $3,256.
Is jetting worth the extra money?
On grease and scale, yes. Cabling opens a hole and the hole closes again. Jetting takes the pipe back to its real size. On a kitchen line that has clogged more than once, $1,564 usually beats paying for clearings twice a year.
Why does my kitchen sink keep clogging?
Grease cooling in the line, usually onto scale that hard water left behind. Clearing takes out the clog but not the surface it formed on. Jetting handles the surface.
It was cleared last month and it is slow again. Now what?
Camera, not another clearing. A line that clogs twice quickly has something structural going on: a belly, a break, roots, or heavy buildup. Two clearings plus a camera costs more than a camera plus the right fix.
Several drains are slow at once. Different problem?
Yes, and it matters. Multiple fixtures together points at the main line, which is sewer territory and a different price range.
Do chemical drain cleaners work?
Rarely on a real clog, and they come with a cost. They can damage older pipe, they do nothing about buildup along a run, and they leave caustic liquid for the next person to meet by hand.
What is an AAV and why should I care?
An air admittance valve lets air into the drain where a roof vent is impractical. They fail shut, and a failed one gives you slow drains and gurgling that look just like a clog. Replacing one is $311, which beats chasing a clog that was never there.
How long should a drain cleaning last?
On a sound pipe with a one off clog, years. If a cleared line clogs again in months, the clearing was not wrong, it was incomplete, and the pipe is asking you to look properly.
Give us a shout
Most drain calls are small and should stay small. The way they get expensive is paying three times for the same clearing instead of once for a camera.
Have a look at our drain services, or book a visit and we will tell you whether it is a trap, a line, or the main.
