Top Drain Cleaning Companies in St Paul, Minnesota Ranked

A slow drain or a complete backup is more than an inconvenience; it's a disruption to your home's essential systems. Professional drain cleaning services in St. Paul address the root cause of clogs, restoring proper flow and preventing future problems. This guide explains the common causes of blockages in local homes, the most effective cleaning methods available, and how to find qualified specialists to keep your pipes running smoothly.

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 Causes of Drain Clogs in St. Paul Homes

Understanding what's causing your blockage is the first step toward a lasting solution. Different areas of your home face unique challenges, and St. Paul's climate and aging infrastructure add specific factors to the mix.

• Kitchen Drains: The primary culprits here are grease, fats, and oils that solidify inside pipes, combined with food scraps and coffee grounds ¹. Over time, this creates a stubborn, glue-like buildup that catches other debris.
• Bathroom Drains (Sinks, Tubs, Showers): A combination of hair, soap scum, toothpaste, and personal hygiene products is the usual suspect ². Hair tangles with soap residue to form dense mats that catch everything else flowing down.
• Toilets: Blockages often result from using too much toilet paper or, more severely, flushing non-flushable items like wipes, feminine hygiene products, or even small toys ³.
• Main Sewer Lines: For many St. Paul homeowners, the most troublesome clogs occur in the main line running from the house to the city sewer. Tree roots seeking moisture can infiltrate tiny cracks in pipes, growing and causing major blockages ². Heavy sediment, collapsed sections of older pipe, and foreign objects can also cause main line failures ⁴.

Professional Drain Clearing Methods: Snaking vs. Hydro Jetting

When a plunger or store-bought chemical cleaner fails, it's time to call a professional. Local plumbing experts primarily use two advanced techniques, each suited for different types of blockages.

Drain Snaking (Augering)

This is a time-tested method for localized clogs. A technician uses a long, flexible metal cable (an auger) with a specialized cutting head on the end. The cable is fed into the drain until it encounters the obstruction, where it either breaks it apart or hooks onto it to pull it out.

• Best For: Simple, single-fixture clogs caused by hair, paper, or food in a sink, tub, or toilet ⁵.
• Limitations: While effective for immediate relief, snaking primarily creates a hole through the center of a clog. It may not fully remove grease buildup or root masses from pipe walls, which can lead to quicker re-clogging ⁶.

Hydro Jetting (Water Jetting)

Hydro jetting is a powerful, comprehensive solution for tough or recurring blockages. It involves inserting a specialized hose with a multi-directional nozzle into the pipe. This nozzle releases streams of water at extremely high pressure (often up to 4,000 PSI), scouring the entire interior circumference of the pipe ⁷.

• Best For: Cutting through solidified grease, completely clearing invasive tree roots, and blasting away years of scale and sludge buildup ⁴. It provides a deep clean that can restore pipes to near-original capacity.
• Long-Term Value: For older St. Paul homes with persistent drain issues, hydro jetting is often the most effective long-term investment. It thoroughly cleans the pipe rather than just punching a temporary hole, which can extend the life of your plumbing system ⁶.

Diagnostic Camera Inspections

Often used in conjunction with hydro jetting, a video camera inspection is a critical diagnostic tool. A small, waterproof camera is snaked through the drain, providing a real-time video feed of the pipe's interior. This allows the technician to pinpoint the exact location and nature of the clog, identify cracks, offsets, or root intrusions, and verify the cleanliness of the pipe after service ⁸. It turns a guessing game into a precise procedure.

What to Expect: Drain Cleaning Services & Pricing in St. Paul

The cost of professional drain cleaning in St. Paul depends on the method required, the location of the clog, and the time of service.

• Drain Snaking/Augering: For a simple clog in a sink, tub, or shower drain, you can expect costs typically ranging from $75 to $250^{5 9}. This is generally the most cost-effective solution for minor, isolated issues.
• Hydro Jetting Service: Given its power and effectiveness, hydro jetting is a more significant investment. Prices generally range from $250 to $800 or more^{5 9}. The final cost depends on the severity of the blockage, the length and diameter of the pipe being cleaned, and ease of access. Cleaning a main sewer line will be on the higher end of this scale.
• Camera Inspection: A standalone diagnostic camera inspection typically costs between $150 and $400¹. Many companies bundle this service with a hydro jetting job to provide before-and-after proof of the work.
• Emergency/After-Hours Calls: For clogs that occur on weekends, holidays, or outside standard business hours, most companies add an emergency service fee, which can range from $75 to $100+ on top of the standard service charge ⁹.

Choosing the Right Solution for Your Home

So, how do you decide between snaking and hydro jetting? The choice often comes down to the nature and history of the clog.

• Choose Snaking for: A first-time, slow-draining kitchen sink. A bathtub that won't drain due to hair. A toilet that's backed up from too much paper. It's a quick, effective fix for common, simple blockages ⁵.
• Choose Hydro Jetting for: Multiple fixtures draining slowly at once, indicating a main line issue. Chronic slow drains that snaking has temporarily fixed before. If you have large trees near your sewer line. For removing heavy grease buildup or preparing pipes for a video inspection ^{2 10}. It's the definitive solution for deep, stubborn problems.

For homeowners in St. Paul's older neighborhoods with mature trees and historic plumbing, investing in hydro jetting can be particularly worthwhile to address root intrusion and provide a long-lasting clean ⁶.

Maintaining Clear Drains After Service

Once your drains are professionally cleared, you can take steps to keep them flowing.

• Kitchen: Avoid pouring grease or oil down the drain. Use a sink strainer to catch food scraps.
• Bathroom: Install hair catchers in showers and tubs. Be mindful of what goes down the sink and toilet.
• General: Have your main sewer line inspected periodically with a camera, especially if you have large trees on your property, to catch root issues early.

Frequently asked questions

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