Best Drain Cleaning Companies in Minnesota Ranked

A slow-draining sink or a backed-up sewer line is more than an inconvenience; it's a threat to your home's hygiene and functionality. Professional drain cleaning services in Minnesota address these issues using specialized tools and techniques to clear blockages, restore flow, and prevent future problems. This guide will help you understand common drain issues, the services available, and what to expect when you need to find a qualified local specialist to handle your plumbing system.

Guy's Sewer & Drain

6465 Wayzata Blvd Suite 320, St Louis Park, MN 55426

Guy's Sewer & Drain is a drain cleaning and plumbing service based in Minneapolis, MN. The company focuses on honest and transparent service, aiming to improve the community one family at a time. They emphasize thorough drain cleaning without unnecessary upselling, ensuring customers understand the work before it begins.

5.0

654 Reviews

Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

611 Bielenberg Dr Ste 3-114, Woodbury, MN 55125

Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup serves St Paul, MN, providing full-service plumbing, drain cleaning, and water cleanup for residential and commercial customers. Established in 1935, the company offers a range of services including sewer camera inspections, water heater repair and installation, sump pump repair, and emergency plumbing. They use state-of-the-art equipment and provide 24/7 emergency service with no extra charges for nights, weekends, or holidays.

5.0

533 Reviews

Hurlburt Heating & Plumbing

1000 County Rd E Suite 115, Shoreview, MN 55126

Hurlburt Heating & Plumbing is a family-owned home services provider serving St Paul, MN, and surrounding areas. Since 1959, they have offered plumbing, HVAC, and electrical services, including water heater repair, water softener installation, drain cleaning, and sewer line repair. Their experienced technicians use modern tools to address a wide range of home service needs. With a long history in the region, Hurlburt combines local knowledge with comprehensive capabilities to support homeowners year-round.

5.0

438 Reviews

Right Away Sewer & Drain Cleaning

101 Horizon Cir NE, Fridley, MN 55421

Right Away Sewer & Drain Cleaning is a family-owned plumbing business serving Minneapolis, MN, and the St. Paul metro area. They provide sewer and drain cleaning services for both residential and commercial properties, including drain pipe cleaning, drain camera inspections, and high water pressure jetting. Their team handles various plumbing issues such as clogged kitchen and bathroom drains and commercial drain system maintenance. The company offers 24-hour emergency service to address urgent leaks and drain clogs.

5.0

182 Reviews

Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

1821 University Ave W #317, St Paul, MN 55104

Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup provides a wide range of plumbing services in St. Paul, MN, including residential and commercial plumbing, drain cleaning, sewer line repair, water heater installation and repair, water softener and filtration system installation, and leak detection. They offer specialized capabilities such as video camera sewer inspections and trenchless sewer repair methods to minimize disruption during repairs. Serving the St. Paul metro area, their team is available 24/7, 365 days a year to address plumbing emergencies and routine maintenance needs.

4.9

3.0k Reviews

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Common Drain Problems in Minnesota Homes

Minnesota's climate and housing stock create a unique set of challenges for drainage systems. Understanding the root cause of a clog is the first step toward an effective and lasting solution.

• Residential Clogs: The most frequent issues stem from daily use. In bathrooms, hair and soap scum combine to create stubborn blockages in showers and tubs ¹. Kitchen sinks often fall victim to grease, food particles, and coffee grounds, which solidify inside pipes ¹. Floor drains in basements or laundry rooms can accumulate lint, dirt, and debris.
• Main Sewer Line Blockages: These are more severe and affect your entire home. The primary culprits in Minnesota are tree root intrusion, where roots seek moisture and crack or invade pipes, and heavy sediment buildup over time ^{1 2}. In older properties, the line itself may have deteriorated, collapsed, or been misaligned by frost heave or settling soil.
• Commercial Drain Issues: Commercial kitchens face amplified versions of residential problems, with grease traps requiring regular service and high-volume food waste. Industrial settings may deal with scale buildup, chemical byproducts, or other process-related debris that requires specialized cleaning approaches ^{1 2}.

Professional Drain Cleaning Methods

When a plunger or store-bought chemical drain cleaner fails, it's time to call a professional. Licensed plumbers and drain specialists use several advanced methods, often in combination, to diagnose and resolve clogs.

• Snaking (Drain Augering): This is a common first-line approach for interior clogs. A technician feeds a long, flexible metal cable with a cutting head into the drain. The rotating cable breaks apart or hooks obstructions like hair, grease, or small roots, allowing them to be pulled out or flushed away ^{3 1}.
• Hydro Jetting: For a more thorough cleaning, hydro jetting is highly effective. It uses a specialized hose and nozzle to blast streams of high-pressure water (often 1,500 to 4,000 PSI) through the pipe. This method doesn't just create a hole through the clog; it scours the entire interior pipe wall, removing grease, scale, mineral deposits, and fine root masses ^{1 4 5}. It's an excellent preventive maintenance tool.
• Camera Inspection: Before or after cleaning, a video camera inspection is invaluable. A waterproof, fiber-optic camera is snaked through the pipe, providing a real-time video feed to the technician. This allows for precise diagnosis of the clog's location and nature, and reveals the condition of the pipe-identifying cracks, bellies (sags), root damage, or corrosion ^{3 4 6}. This step is crucial for avoiding unnecessary repairs and providing accurate estimates.
• Rooter/Chain Knockers: For severe root intrusion, a more aggressive cutting tool is used. These high-speed cutters, sometimes called "chain knockers" or rooter machines, are attached to a heavy-duty cable and can grind through thick root masses that a standard auger cannot handle ^{5 6}.

Understanding Drain Cleaning Costs in Minnesota

The cost for drain cleaning in Minnesota varies widely based on the service required, the severity of the clog, and your location. Here is a summary of typical price ranges based on recent local data ^{1 7 8 9 5 10 6}.

• Basic Sink, Tub, or Shower Drain: Clearing a simple interior clog typically ranges from $100 to $200.
• Main Sewer Line Snaking: Addressing a clog in your main exterior sewer line using an auger can cost between $250 and $700+. The price increases with the length of the line, depth, and if roots are involved.
• Hydro Jetting Service: A more comprehensive cleaning with a hydro jetter generally falls in the range of $200 to $600+, depending on pipe size and the extent of buildup.
• Video Camera Inspection: A standalone diagnostic inspection typically costs $150 to $400. This fee is often waived or reduced if you proceed with cleaning or repair services.
• Emergency/After-Hours Service: For urgent problems outside of standard business hours, expect a premium, often adding $50 to $200+ to the total bill.
• Sewer Line Repair or Replacement: If cleaning reveals significant damage, repair costs are a separate and larger investment. Trenchless repairs (like pipe lining) can start around $1,500, while full traditional excavation and replacement can range from $3,000 to $15,000+, highly dependent on the length, depth, and location of the damaged section ^{2 9 5}.

What Influences the Final Price?

Several key factors determine where your project falls within these ranges:

1. Clog Severity and Location: A simple hair clog in an accessible bathroom sink is far less expensive than a solid mass of roots 15 feet down in your main sewer line ^{1 5}.
2. Pipe Material and Age: Older clay tile or cast iron pipes, common in Minnesota homes built before the 1970s, are more fragile and require careful, sometimes slower, work to avoid damage. Newer PVC or ABS plastic pipes are more resilient ^{1 2 11}.
3. Accessibility: Is the cleanout easy to reach in your basement or yard? Or does it require moving appliances, digging, or breaking through concrete? Difficult access adds labor time and cost ^{8 5}.
4. Geographic Location: Labor rates and service charges can differ between the Twin Cities metro area, greater Minnesota suburbs, and more rural regions ^{1 12}.
5. Preventive Maintenance vs. Emergency: Scheduling routine cleaning is almost always less expensive than calling for an emergency service when a clog has caused a complete backup ¹³.

Local Insights for Minnesota Homeowners

Minnesota's freeze-thaw cycles and mature tree canopy directly impact underground plumbing. For homes over 30 years old, experts often recommend considering annual or bi-annual sewer line cleaning as preventive maintenance ^{11 13}. This proactive step can clear out accumulating sediment and small root hairs before they cause a major blockage, potentially saving thousands in emergency repairs.

Newer homes with modern PVC piping may not need cleaning as frequently, but should still be monitored for slow drains. Before purchasing an older home in Minnesota, a sewer line camera inspection is a highly recommended part of the due diligence process to avoid unexpected and costly surprises ⁴.

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